Chapter 3 - THE AMBITION OF FOOLS
While I was preparing my response in Greenwich, Daniel was living in a nightmare of his own making in downtown Manhattan.
Inside the penthouse suite of the St. Regis Hotel, Victoria Hayes paced back and forth across the hardwood floor, holding a glass of champagne she had no intention of drinking. She wore a silk gown, her diamond engagement ring sparkling under the chandelier lights, but her face was twisted in deep anxiety.
Daniel sat on the edge of the velvet sofa, his tux jacket unbuttoned, desperately typing on his laptop, trying to access the Vance Capital investor portal.
"What do you mean the account is frozen?!" Victoria snapped, her voice sharp enough to slice through wood. "Daniel! The board authorized this merger based on your guarantee that the $2.5 million bridge funding was fully cleared! The press is waiting! The auditors are downstairs!"
"It's a temporary technical glitch, Victoria, I swear!" Daniel stammered, wiped cold sweat from his forehead. "My... my wife went crazy tonight."
Victoria stopped pacing, her sharp blue eyes narrowing into slits. "Your wife? What does that pathetic suburban housewife have to do with an institutional hedge fund?!"
"I... I used a joint account as a secondary collateral verification for the transfer paperwork," Daniel lied frantically, trying to protect his ego. "Maya saw a transaction alert on her phone, realized I was at the gala with you, and threw a hysterical fit. She called the bank's automated fraud hotline and put a freeze on my signature!"
Victoria let out a bitter, disgusted laugh. "Are you telling me that a multi-million-dollar corporate merger is being held hostage because your domestic little wife had a jealousy breakdown over a credit card alert?!"
"She's unstable, Victoria!" Daniel insisted, standing up and taking her by the shoulders. "You know how she is! She has no ambition, no vision! She’s been leeching off my salary for seven years while I worked eighty hours a week to build this company! She knew tonight was my biggest night, and she tried to ruin it!"
Victoria brushed his hands off her shoulders with obvious distaste. "I don't care about your messy domestic drama, Daniel. If that $2.5 million isn't in the escrow account by tomorrow night's gala, the board will cancel our merger. And if the merger fails, my position as CEO is gone—and your position as Senior VP goes with it."
"It will be there!" Daniel promised desperately. "I got a message from Vance Capital's legal team ten minutes ago!"
Victoria paused. "What did they say?"
"They said the primary equity partner of Vance Capital was disturbed by the sudden transaction freeze," Daniel said, a triumphant, foolish smile returning to his face. "The owner of the fund is personally attending the gala tomorrow night. They requested a private meeting with me in the VIP holding suite at 8:00 PM to re-authorize the transfer!"
Victoria let out a breath of relief, smoothing her silk dress. "The primary equity partner? You mean the elusive billionaire who owns the Vance family trust?"
"Exactly," Daniel bragged, puffing out his chest, completely convincing himself of his own fantasy. "They know I'm the brain behind Hayes Innovations. Once I sit down with them face-to-face and explain that my hysterical wife tried to sabotage the deal out of spite, they'll sign the $2.5 million release immediately."
Victoria looked at him, her eyes cold and calculating. She stepped forward, adjusting his bowtie.
May you like
"Make sure they do, Daniel," she whispered softly, her tone dripping with veiled threat. "Because if you fail... this ring comes off, and you'll be out on the street before midnight."
Daniel smiled, kissing her forehead, completely oblivious to the fact that he was walking straight into a trap designed to strip him of everything he owned.
