"That way, the follow-up costs will be covered too."
Naomi might have disgusted me, but at the end of the day, a man's life hung in the balance.
Besides, I was an orphan. From the day I married Naomi, her parents had treated me like their own son.
Margaret hesitated before asking, "But that company—it's everything you've built over all these years. Can you really bear to let it go?"
"It's a lot better than standing by and watching, helpless to do anything."
I went home and started pulling together all the company's documents.
Halfway through, the absurdity of it all hit me.
This company had started with a little over a million dollars in seed money from my father-in-law. From there, I'd clawed my way through project after project, grinding and hustling until Stellar Tech grew into what it was today. No one knew what that had cost me.
Now, to save a life, it had to go—just like that.
The next day, I reached out through a broker and connected with several potential buyers. The process went more smoothly than I'd expected, probably because the company's books were clean and the revenue was steady.
In the end, I settled with a buyer at eighteen million dollars.
It was lower than I'd hoped, but he could pay in full upfront.
I went straight to the hospital to tell Margaret.
"I found a buyer. We're signing the contract tomorrow. The paperwork might take a few more days, but the money will come through soon."
I kept my voice as steady as I could.
Margaret looked at the sealed doors of the ICU, then back at me. Tears slipped silently down her cheeks.
"Grant... I'm so sorry... You worked so hard to build that company..."
I cut her off. "Mom, it's fine."
"A company can be rebuilt. A person can't."
"No matter what, let's get Dad better first. We'll figure out the rest later."
She gripped my hand and nodded, gratitude written across her face.
The following afternoon, I scheduled the signing at a law office for the letter of intent.
The buyer's representative and attorney were already there. On my side, I'd brought a friend I trusted to look things over.
The preliminary discussions went smoothly. All the documents were in order.
Just as I was about to put pen to paper, the buyer's attorney took a phone call.
When he hung up, his expression had turned strange.
He stepped aside and exchanged a few hushed words with the buyer.
The buyer's brow furrowed immediately.
My friend sensed something was off too. He leaned in and whispered, "Grant, what's going on?"
The buyer's attorney walked over.
"Mr. Gilbert, I'm sorry, but we may need to suspend the proceedings."
"I just received a call, along with a faxed document."
"The equity in Stellar Tech, registered under your name, underwent an ownership transfer three days ago."
"The current legal representative and sole shareholder is listed as a Robert Matthews."
I froze where I stood.
"I'm the sole shareholder and legal representative of that company. An equity transfer can't go through without my signature and authorization—it's impossible!"
The buyer's attorney showed me the faxed document on his phone.
"The amendment record we received shows exactly that."
"The reason listed for the transfer is a gift. The gifting party—Naomi Fox."
Naomi?
I stared at the document, eyes locked on every word.
There it was, in the legal representative field.
My name had been replaced—by Robert Matthews.
The shareholder information had been changed to Robert Matthews.
Right then, the conference room door swung open.
Naomi strode in on stiletto heels, her posture immaculate, her expression glacial and dripping with contempt.
"Well, well. Quite the little gathering in here."
She let out a soft, mocking laugh and walked to the conference table.
"I was wondering where some of the company files had gone. So this is what it was—trying to sell my company behind my back?"
I didn't lose my temper. I just fixed her with a hard stare.
"Do you have any idea what you've done? That money is your father's lifeline!"
