Chapter 8: What Chloe Knew
I called the number back immediately.
It rang four times.
Then Chloe Price answered.
"I wasn't sure you'd call," she said.
"What haven't I found?"
A pause.
I heard her exhale slowly, as though she'd been holding her breath since she sent the text.
"Can we meet?" she said.
"Not at Vanguard.
Somewhere neutral."
"Tell me what it is first."
"Helena, I need you to understand something before I say this.
I didn't know about the vendor payments.
I didn't know about the shell companies.
What I knew was — different.
And I've been trying to decide for three weeks whether to tell you."
"Tell me now."
Another pause.
"Jason has a second set of acquisition documents," she said.
"A version of the Vanguard-Meridian purchase agreement with different terms.
He had them drawn up six weeks ago by a private attorney in Chicago.
Not Reeves — someone else.
The version he has shows Vanguard acquiring only forty-one percent of Meridian, not fifty-eight percent.
And it shows a different signatory on the Vanguard side."
The back of my neck went cold.
"What signatory?"
"A man named Daniel Cho.
He's listed as Vanguard Capital's managing director."
"Daniel Cho has never worked for Vanguard Capital."
"I know," Chloe said.
"That's why I'm calling you."
I stood up from my desk.
"Jason fabricated an alternate version of the acquisition agreement," I said.
"With a false Vanguard signatory.
Showing a minority stake instead of a majority."
"Yes."
"And he was planning to file that version."
"He already filed it," she said.
"In Delaware.
This afternoon.
It's part of the injunction package."
I called Grace before Chloe had finished her sentence.
Grace answered immediately.
"The document package Reeves filed in Delaware," I said.
"The acquisition agreement attached to the injunction — is it the executed version with my signature?"
I heard Grace typing.
A pause that lasted too long.
"Helena," she said carefully.
"The agreement attached to the Delaware filing shows a forty-one percent acquisition.
The signatory on the Vanguard side is listed as Daniel Cho, Managing Director."
"It's a forgery."
"I'm looking at it right now.
The formatting matches our documents exactly.
The letterhead, the clause structure, the exhibit numbering — whoever created this had access to the real agreement."
"Or a very good copy of it."
"Helena, if the Delaware judge accepts this version as authentic, our entire majority position is in question."
"How long do we have before the nine a.m.
hearing?"
"Eight hours."
"I need the original executed agreement — the real one — with the original wet signatures, filed with the Delaware court as a competing exhibit before that hearing opens.
Can you do that?"
"I'll need the original document.
The physical copy."
"It's in the Vanguard safe.
I'll meet you at the office in twenty minutes."
I ended the call and picked up my coat.
Then I called Chloe back.
"I need you to give a sworn statement about what you just told me," I said.
"Tonight.
My attorney will come to wherever you are."
"If I do that," Chloe said, "Jason will know it was me."
"Yes."
A long silence.
"He told me last week that if I cooperated with you, he would make sure I was named in the fraud investigation," she said.
"He said he had emails that made it look like I authorized the payments."
"Did you?"
"No.
But he has my email signature.
He has access to my work account.
He's had it for months."
"Chloe.
If you give a statement tonight and we get it in front of the Delaware judge before nine a.m., Jason's forgery argument collapses and his threat against you loses most of its power.
If you wait, he controls the timeline."
The silence stretched.
"Where do you need me?" she said.
"I'll text you the address."
I was already walking toward the elevator when another call came in.
Unknown number.
Different from Chloe's.
I answered it.
A man's voice.
Smooth.
Unhurried.
"Ms.
Drake.
May you like
My name is Daniel Cho.
I think we need to talk about why my name is on a document I never signed."
