Chapter 5

"Harsh?" Victoria waves her hand dismissively. "Klaus, you have to be firm with these people, otherwise they think they can take advantage."The other German is already standing, picking up his briefcase. "We should go. Our flight—""But we haven't finished!""We finished last week, Victoria." Klaus's voice is cold. "We told you no. We only stopped by to be polite."They shake her hand quickly, professionally, and leave.Victoria stands alone in the lobby, watching them go. A small frown crosses her face. Then she shrugs, pulls out her phone, and texts her assistant: That investor who just left, Cole something. Make sure his information is deleted from our system. Don't want his type thinking they can waste our time again.She has no idea that "his type" is the only person who was actually going to save her company. And in less than three hours, she's going to find out exactly who Darien Cole is.10:30 in the morning, Victoria's office on the forty-second floor. She's already forgotten about Darien Cole. Her assistant, Jenny, knocks and enters holding a tablet. Her face looks pale."Ms. Ashford, I need to ask you something."Victoria doesn't look up from her laptop. "Make it quick. I have a call with the board in twenty minutes.""The man at the Four Seasons this morning... the one security escorted out.""What about him?""You told me to delete his information from our system, but I wanted to confirm first. That was Darien Cole, right? From Cole Ventures."Victoria's fingers stop typing. "So?""Ms. Ashford..." Jenny's voice shakes slightly. "Did you... did you Google him?"Something cold forms in Victoria's stomach. "Why would I need to Google some random guy trying to crash my meeting?"Jenny sets the tablet on Victoria's desk. The screen shows a Forbes article. The headline reads: Darien Cole: The Billionaire Investor You've Never Heard Of.Victoria stares at the photo. Same face. Same calm expression. Same person she had thrown out of the hotel an hour ago.Her eyes scan the article. The words blur together at first, then snap into sharp focus:

CEO Refused to Shake Black Investor's Hand — Next Day, She Was Begging for Meeting

A Stepmother Cut Up the Pink Dress a Girl Had Waited Years to Wear — Then Her Father Picked Up the Same Scissors

A Little Girl Was Crying Beside the Dog’s Bowl — Then Her Father Walked Into the Kitchen Early

A Little Girl Clung to the Man She Called Dad While a Police Officer Ordered Him Back — Then Someone Stepped Off the School Bus

A Police Officer Stopped a Little Girl Over Two Ice Cream Cones — Then Her Grandmother Asked for Her Badge Number

A Police Officer Held Up a Bag He Said Came From Her Car — Then She Asked Him to Read the Evidence Number

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CEO Refused to Shake Black Investor's Hand — Next Day, She Was Begging for Meeting