“I did.”
“You said it wasn’t Aphrodite.”
“It wasn’t. I did it out in the fucking open. I also purchased the five percent from Aphrodite. That gives me fifteen percent.”
“And now the Butlers know it’s you.”
She nodded.
“They knew I was incapacitated,” I said, trying to fit the pieces together. “The rumor is that you took advantage of me?”
“I don’t listen to rumors, Van, and neither do you. The fact is that by moving those stocks around, combined with the McGraths’ current inability to do anything with theirs, the Butlers are scared shitless. They made a deal with GreenSphere. They want out of Dodge.”
“What did GreenSphere offer?”
Lena’s smile grew. “Fifty cents on the dollar.”
“Are they going to take it?”
“No.”
“Then what’s the fucking point?”
“The Butlers can’t take it. GreenSphere retracted their offer yesterday. The Butlers want a fire sale. They don’t know that I’m Aphrodite. Remember, Aphrodite ran when the numbers started to tank. Aphrodite Corporation was contacted this morning by a representative of Marlin Butler. The offer was to sell the entirety of their holdings at the great deal of seventy-five cents on the dollar.”
“Higher than GreenSphere?”
“They didn’t think Aphrodite was aware of the first deal. Aphrodite counteroffered. Their entire twenty-five percent of Wade stocks for thirty cents on the dollar.”
“That’s still a multi-million-dollar deal.”
Lena shrugged. “It’s not that much. Remember, Wade is at a low.”
“So has this deal been set?”
“Everything except signing on the bottom line.”
“Fuck,” I said as the realization settled within me. “The Butlers will be out of Wade.” I sat forward and grinned. “When are you selling me back my stock? I’ll pay double for the Butlers’ twenty-five percent.”
“Oh, they will be worth more than that.” Lena tipped the tumbler back, taking a sip of the bourbon. “Do you remember the recent inquiries by the SEC into Marlin Butler’s investments?”
“I do.” I had forgotten, but her question prompted me to recall. An anonymous tip was made.
“There’s an ongoing investigation regarding assets held by both Marlin and Gwen. The SEC is doing a deep dive into filings made by the Butlers that seem to have left out their connection to other investments. Specifically, a deal that Butler was brokering with Biogen.”
“He was brokering a deal with Biogen?”
“You were the one who sabotaged it.”
I nodded. “Butler was going to sell Wade to Biogen while Baby—Skylar,” I corrected, “and Julia were on their honeymoon.”
“Yes. Biogen recently got approval for their Alzheimer drug—Aduhelm. It has a mechanism of action similar to the drug that Wade is testing.”
I’d read some of the documents Julia had obtained from Wade. “I’m no scientist, but I thought Wade’s new drug prevented the buildup of amyloid in the brain.”
“Yes, and the Biogen drug removes amyloid. Much of the data is similar.”
“How did you see that?”