Chapter 6 - THE DEAL BEHIND THE BABY ANNOUNCEMENT
Next Friday.
Nine days after my birthday.
I called Naomi immediately.
Then I called Miriam Cole.
Miriam had been my professor at Georgia State and the first person to tell me I had a genuine talent for furniture design.
She was seventy now.
Silver-haired.
Sharp-eyed.
And entirely unimpressed by men who confused expensive watches with intelligence.
She arrived at my studio carrying two coffees and a folder.
“Tell me everything,” she said.
I did.
When I finished, she was silent.
Then she opened her folder.
“I was hoping I wouldn't need this.”
Inside was a copy of an email.
The sender was Hudson.
The recipient was an executive at a private investment group called Meridian Capital Partners.
The subject line read:
Acquisition Structure — Vale Atelier
I scanned the message.
Hudson had represented himself as the controlling owner.
He had described me as a minority creative consultant.
And he had promised that the company's intellectual property could be transferred as part of the sale.
My hands began to shake.
“Miriam.”
She nodded.
“I know.”
“How did you get this?”
“The recipient asked me to confirm certain design ownership details.”
I stared.
“Why?”
“Because he remembered that I helped you establish the original collection.”
I read the email again.
Then noticed the proposed sale price.
Eighteen million dollars.
I sat down.
Hudson had planned to sell the company for eighteen million dollars.
Without my authorization.
Without telling the board the truth.
And apparently without understanding that he did not own what he was promising to sell.
Miriam touched my shoulder.
“Serena.”
I looked up.
“He was going to take everything.”
She shook her head.
“He was going to try.”
May you like
Then she smiled.
“And he made the mistake of putting his intentions in writing.”
