Seventy Million Reasons to Walk Away
Chapter 11 - Seventy Million Reasons to Walk Away
Claire sat at the head of Arthur's old conference table.
She hated the chair.
Everyone looked at her as though she had become Arthur overnight.
She hadn't.
She was still Claire.
A former public-school art teacher who had married a man she loved.
Now hundreds of employees were waiting to learn whether they still had jobs.
The easiest solution was obvious.
Sell the Cross Building.
A major investment company offered enough money to cover most of the immediate debt.
Vivian supported the sale.
Samuel supported it.
Even Ethan said he would understand.
Claire refused.
"Why?" Vivian demanded.
"Because the buyer plans to demolish half the block."
More than forty small businesses rented affordable space in the lower floors.
A bakery.
A tailor.
A family medical clinic.
A daycare center.
Selling would save the Cross family.
And destroy everyone else.
Vivian stared at Claire.
"This is business."
"No."
Claire looked around the table.
"This is exactly how this family got here."
Ethan almost smiled.
Claire proposed something radical.
Cross Development would sell its luxury assets.
Private aircraft shares.
Vacant investment properties.
Executive apartments.
Company vehicles.
Vivian looked horrified.
"You want to dismantle the company."
"I want to save the part that deserves saving."
Arthur's words.
The room became quiet.
It wouldn't eliminate the debt.
But it would buy time.
Vivian asked the question no one else dared.
"And your building?"
Claire looked toward the window.
"I'll use it as collateral."
Ethan stood.
"No."
"It's my decision."
"You could lose everything."
Claire looked at him.
"I came into this family with nothing."
She smiled faintly.
"I know how to survive without a penthouse."
Vivian stared at her.
For years, she had judged Claire for not coming from wealth.
Now that same freedom was the family's greatest strength.
The restructuring began.
Then, just when hope appeared possible, Daniel Mercer disappeared.
The CFO who had given Claire Arthur's flash drive emptied his office.
And seventy-two hours later, federal investigators arrived.
Daniel hadn't simply known about the fraud.
He had helped create it.
Now the government suspected Cross Development itself had been involved in money laundering.
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The company wasn't just facing bankruptcy anymore.
It was facing criminal investigation.
