The boardroom

Nathan's face changed instantly, the softness from a moment ago gone completely.

"What did he tell them?" he asked, already moving toward the door.

"He told them that Cole Industries approved a loan years ago based on falsified paperwork," Eleanor said. "He is telling them your father broke the law to force this marriage into existence."

"That is not true," Nathan said. "My father never falsified anything."

"I know that," Eleanor said. "But Marcus has documents, Nathan. I do not know where he got them or if they are real, but he is showing them to the board right now."

Claire stood frozen by the window, watching the two of them, feeling like she was intruding on something she was never supposed to see.

"Go," she said quietly. "I will be fine here."

Nathan looked at her for a second, like he wanted to say something else, but Eleanor grabbed his arm.

"There is no time," Eleanor said. "Now, Nathan."

He left the room without looking back, and Claire was alone again, her heart pounding for reasons she did not fully understand.

Downstairs, the boardroom was full of tension when Nathan walked in. Six board members sat around the long table, and Marcus Vale stood at the head of it, a folder open in front of him like he owned the room.

"Nathan, good, you are here," Marcus said, smiling. "I was just explaining to the board some concerns about a loan agreement your father made years ago."

"What concerns," Nathan said, his voice flat and dangerous.

Marcus slid a document across the table.

"This loan to Richard Bennett was never properly recorded through the correct legal channels," Marcus said. "Which means, technically, the marriage contract built around it could be considered invalid, and worse, it opens this company up to serious legal questions about how your father conducted business."

One of the board members, an older man named Frank, leaned forward.

"Nathan, if this is true, it could affect shareholder confidence significantly. We need answers."

"This is not true," Nathan said. "My father's lawyers handled every loan this company ever issued. If there is a paperwork issue, it is a clerical error, not fraud."

"Then you will not mind if we bring in outside auditors to confirm that," Marcus said calmly. "Just to protect the company's reputation, of course."

Nathan's jaw tightened.

"Why are you so interested in this particular loan, Marcus? Out of every deal this company has made over the years, why this one?"

Marcus's smile did not move, but something behind his eyes did.

"I simply care about the integrity of this company," he said. "I would think you would want the same thing."

"I think you are trying to create a distraction," Nathan said. "And I think you are doing it for a reason you have not told anyone in this room."

The board members exchanged uncomfortable glances.

"Nathan," Frank said carefully. "Regardless of Marcus's motives, if there is even a small chance this paperwork issue is real, we need to address it before it becomes public. A scandal like this, tied to your recent marriage, could be devastating for stock prices."

Nathan looked around the table slowly.

"Give me forty eight hours," he said. "I will bring in our own legal team to review everything personally. If there is an issue, we will fix it. If there is not, I expect a formal apology to this family for the accusation."

Marcus nodded slowly, closing his folder.

"Forty eight hours," he said. "I look forward to seeing what you find."

He walked out of the boardroom first, and as he passed Nathan, he leaned in slightly, his voice low enough for only Nathan to hear.

"Ask your wife about her father's business partners from fifteen years ago," Marcus whispered. "You might find the answers more interesting than you expect."

He walked away before Nathan could respond, leaving him standing there, confused and unsettled.

Later that night, Nathan found Claire in the kitchen, sitting alone at the small table near the window, a cup of tea in front of her that had already gone cold.

"Can I sit?" he asked.

Claire looked up, surprised again by his presence.

"It is your house," she said. "You do not need my permission."

Nathan sat across from her anyway, quiet for a moment.

"I need to ask you something," he said. "And I need you to be honest with me."

"I have not lied to you about anything," Claire said.

"What do you know about your father's business, before it failed? Who were his partners?"

Claire frowned, confused by the sudden question.

"I do not know much," she said. "I was young when it happened. I remember him being stressed all the time, coming home late, arguing with someone on the phone. But he never told me details. Why are you asking me this now?"

"Because Marcus Vale just tried to blow up my company using a fifteen year old loan agreement," Nathan said. "And he specifically told me to ask you about your father's old business partners."

Claire's face went pale.

"I do not understand," she said. "What does my father's old business have to do with any of this?"

"That is what I am trying to figure out," Nathan said. "Think, Claire. Is there anyone your father might have wronged, or anyone who might have wanted revenge against him specifically?"

Claire sat quietly for a moment, her mind racing back through fragmented childhood memories, half conversations she barely understood at the time.

"There was someone," she said slowly. "I remember my father mentioning a name once, a long time ago, right before everything fell apart. I do not remember it clearly, I was maybe ten years old."

"Try to remember," Nathan said. "It could be important."

Claire closed her eyes, trying to pull the memory forward.

"I think," she said slowly, "I think the name was Marcus."

Nathan went completely still.

"Are you sure?"

"I am not certain," Claire said. "But I remember my father saying it with so much fear in his voice, like the name itself scared him."

Before Nathan could respond, his phone buzzed loudly on the table. He glanced down at the screen, and his face changed instantly.

"What is it?" Claire asked.

Nathan stood up slowly, his hand gripping the phone tightly.

"It is my legal team," he said. "They just finished reviewing the original loan documents from fifteen years ago."

"And?"

Nathan looked up at her, his expression unreadable.

"The signature on your father's original loan agreement," he said quietly, "is not my father's handwriting."