“I know what you are!” he yells, then calms himself again. “I know what you can do with money. If you want me to roll over on this deal, then I want you to agree to take me on as one of your top tier clients.”
I sit back. In all honesty, Telfair isn’t asking a lot. Not really. I handle only a select few clients, and adding one more wouldn’t be a burden.
“If this is what you want, I should warn you, Telfair. You give me the accounts and the money, and I make the decisions. I don’t consult with you, and I certainly don’t explain myself to you. Either you trust me or you don’t–much the same as in any other business arrangement. That’s the only way this works.”
“Done.” He sounds relieved. “I’ll push the merger through at the next board meeting. You have my word.”
I end the call. That’s all I needed.
Linn gives me a direct look, one I know well. She finished with her research.
“Out,” I bark at the executives still lingering in the board room.
They scurry like rats fleeing a sinking ship. Good. Instilling fear in my employees is one of my favorite tasks.
Once the door closes, Linn takes a seat beside me and spreads out her file. “I’ve gotten all the details on the boarding school. It’s a purely private institution, no religious affiliation, and its tuition has been rising faster than the state average while the student/teacher ratio has been steadily getting worse. They’ve also cut a great deal of extracurriculars, and lately they’ve lost their reputation as being a breeding ground for Ivy League candidates.”
“A school in decline.” I smirk. “If only there wasn’t someone who wanted to buy it and fucking raze it to the ground.”
“Not so fast.” She points to a report on the top of her stack. “It’s run by a family called the Cankertons. It’s supposed to be primarily funded from their family endowment and tuition. However, their endowment ran dry at least a decade ago, though they never tell anyone that. But the numbers bear it out. Now, they’re simply using the place as a piggy bank to fund their lavish lifestyle. They have zero interest in the school or its students.”
“Ah. That will make this more difficult.” I hate dealing with trust fund assholes, and these people sound like they fit that bill to a T.
“The family member with the controlling interest, Edgar Cankerton, is the one we’ll be dealing with. He’s known for running up huge gambling debts.”
“Does he pay them off with tuition hikes?” I ask.
“You’ve got it.” She taps another page. “He’s running the place into the ground.”
“Good to know. Get me a file just on him, then set a meeting. I want to own that festering shithole before the week is out.”
“Will do.” She stands and gathers her materials.
I help her to the door. “I think I’ve cleared my schedule for the day. The merger is going through, and I don’t have another meeting until the morning.”
“Already missing Vivian, are you?” She waggles her brows.
“I won’t have to miss her for long. She’s waiting for me in my office.”
“No, she’s out and about somewhere.” She shakes her head. “I didn’t see her. I checked in there for you when I arrived. Your office was empty, though I did see her Kindle and her phone.”
My stomach does a strange twist, and I hasten my steps. All the while, I counsel myself to stay calm. After all, she probably just went to the restroom. That makes total sense even if my gut doesn’t believe it for a second.
“Vivian?” I push into my office. She’s not there.
“You don’t know where she went?” I hurry back to Linn.
“No, sir.”
I move down the hallway and stop the first secretary I see. “Vivian Shelby. Have you seen her?”
She pales. “I–I–I don’t know?”
“Ugh.” I move past her and ask another, then another. No one’s seen her.
I stop at the elevators and raise my voice. “Has anyone seen Vivian Shelby?”
The entire office seems to halt, the place going silent. From a cubicle two rows over, I see a hand slowly go up.