Chapter 14 - The Six-Million-Dollar Brother
Simon Rusk had always believed his sister married beneath her potential.
Not financially.
Adrian Vale had plenty of money.
But Simon thought Corinne could have done better than a forty-year-old widower with a small child and a sentimental attachment to aging shipyards.
"You're working too hard for it," he'd told her after the wedding.
Corinne had laughed.
"You try living with a man who keeps baby pictures next to his financial statements."
Simon had raised his glass.
"Then get him to sell the company."
It had seemed simple.
Now, sitting across from Sabrina Cho in a law firm's conference room, Simon was discovering how complicated six million dollars could become.
He wore an expensive suit that fit badly across the shoulders.
Sabrina placed the consulting agreement on the table.
"Can you describe the services Bell Advisory Partners provided?"
Simon smiled.
"Absolutely. Stakeholder engagement. Strategic introductions. A great deal of regulatory coordination."
"Which regulators?"
He blinked.
"Pardon?"
"You said regulatory coordination. Which government agencies did you contact?"
Simon shifted.
"Our team handled that."
"Who on your team?"
"I don't have those names memorized."
Sabrina made a note.
"Do you have invoices identifying specific work?"
"We have records."
"Can you provide them?"
"Through counsel."
"Of course."
She opened a second folder.
"Your company was formed in March 2025."
"Correct."
"Before that, what business did you operate?"
"Several ventures."
"Could you name one?"
Simon's smile tightened.
"Is this an interview or an interrogation?"
"An internal accounting review."
"Then I think we've covered enough."
Sabrina nodded.
"One last question."
He stood.
She continued anyway.
"Why does your consulting agreement include a success fee tied to Adrian Vale signing an asset sale he says he never approved?"
Simon stopped.
"That's not my problem."
Sabrina looked at him.
"It may become one."
Two hours later, Simon called Corinne.
He didn't bother saying hello.
"What the hell did you do?"
Corinne was sitting in the apartment she'd rented after leaving Adrian's house.
"What are you talking about?"
"Some accountant just asked me to explain six months of consulting work."
"Then explain it."
"What work, Corinne?"
"Keep your voice down."
"I'm in my office!"
"Then close the door."
Simon swore.
He closed it.
"Reed promised the success fee because I introduced him to your husband. That was the deal."
"You also helped coordinate financing."
"I forwarded three emails."
"Then maybe you should've done more."
Simon stared at the wall.
"You told me Adrian was ready to sign."
"He was."
"And now?"
"Things changed."
"Because of the kid?"
Corinne didn't answer.
Simon lowered his voice.
"Tell me you didn't do something stupid."
"Don't start."
"Corinne."
She closed her eyes.
"I got angry. That's all."
"About what?"
"Lila kept bothering me."
Silence.
Simon sat slowly.
"What happened?"
"You know what happened."
"I know a little girl fell off a yacht and now your husband wants a divorce. That's all I know."
Corinne stared at her reflection in the apartment window.
"I pushed her away."
Simon didn't speak.
"She was right in my face. I wanted her to leave me alone. I pushed her."
"How hard?"
She hesitated.
"Harder than I meant to."
Simon stood so abruptly his chair struck the wall.
"Jesus Christ, Corinne."
"Don't talk to me like that."
"She could have died!"
"I know!"
The words escaped before she could stop them.
Simon went silent.
For several seconds, they listened to each other breathe.
Then Corinne said, very quietly, "She caught the edge."
Simon felt sick.
"Did you help her?"
Corinne stared at the window.
"Adrian came."
"That's not what I asked."
She said nothing.
Simon lowered his voice.
"What happened between her catching the edge and Adrian coming?"
Corinne pressed a hand against her forehead.
"Nothing."
"Corinne."
"Nothing happened."
He didn't believe her.
For the first time in his life, Simon was afraid of his sister.
Not because she was unpredictable.
Because she sounded completely capable of convincing herself that whatever she'd done was somebody else's fault.
He looked down at the consulting agreement on his desk.
Six point four million dollars.
A number he'd spent months imagining.
A new house.
Paid-off debts.
A boat of his own.
He suddenly wanted nothing to do with any of it.
"Don't call me again," he said.
Corinne stared at her phone.
Then the line went dead.
That evening, Simon retained a criminal defense attorney.
He gave the attorney a complete account of his own consulting business and the conversation with Corinne.
He also showed her the call log.
His attorney explained that his account of Corinne's statements might be relevant to investigators, but cooperation would require careful handling.
Simon nodded.
For once, he wasn't thinking about how to make money.
He was thinking about the little girl he'd once watched chasing bubbles around Adrian's lawn.
He remembered Lila bringing him a plastic cup of imaginary coffee.
"Too hot," she'd warned him solemnly.
He'd pretended to burn his tongue.
She'd laughed so hard she'd fallen onto the grass.
Simon looked at his attorney.
"I think my sister did something terrible."
May you like
The attorney closed her notebook.
"Then we need to establish exactly what you know, and exactly what you don't."
