Chapter 1: The Empire Freezes
Chapter 1: The Empire Freezes
The silence lasted only a heartbeat.
Then Victor Whitmore's lead attorney stepped forward and handed Adrian a thick envelope.
"Effective immediately," he said, "Whitmore Capital is exercising its contractual rights to suspend all credit facilities pending an investigation into potential fraud and misconduct."
Adrian ripped the papers open.
His confidence vanished as he scanned the first page.
"No..."
Victor remained calm.
"Three of your largest developments are financed through us."
Margaret found her voice.
"You can't do this."
"I already have."
At that exact moment Adrian's phone began vibrating.
One call.
Then another.
His chief financial officer.
His general counsel.
The chairman of the board.
Every message carried the same news.
The banks were freezing scheduled funding.
Investors wanted emergency meetings.
May you like
Construction on multiple projects had been halted before dawn.
For the first time in years, Adrian realized money could not buy time.
