Page 89 of Just a Plot Twist
He nods. “They raised Sophie and Claire.”
“I know. What is this?”
“This is stuff we needed before we file for an injunction.” Thomas’s mouth is a thin, hard line. Finally, he and HR confronted Peter Schiller with their claims and let him go. Time will tell what the fall-out will be.
Thomas shoots out a breath. “Here’s a line item from a public fundraiser a couple of months ago. There was a charity auction in Boulder that Peter was involved in. I got a copy of the donations—all public record, mind you. I recognized the name because of Sophie. So I dug a little deeper.”
“You dug into the Hansons?”
Thomas gives a curt nod. “Not only are the Hansons and Schillers long-time friends, but the Hansons were one of the main supporters of this fundraiser the Schillers had. And get this: the reason for the fundraiser was stated as ‘industry development.’ What does that even mean?”
I blink. Is he accusing the Hansons of being involved in this new business venture?
“Do you think Claire knows?” I ask.
His mouth twists to one side. “I wouldn’t doubt it. She’s the granddaughter of one of the Schiller’s benefactors and friends. If her grandparents are involved...”
I shake my head. “Claire would have said something if she knew her grandparents were involved.”
He gives me a look like, maybe, maybe not.“She could get us some information.”
“I’m not going to pit her against her grandparents, Thomas.”
“Not pit.Ask. That’s all, Benson.”
Claire’s grandparents contributed to a fundraiser for the Schiller’s new business? The one that’s setting out to harm my father’s company?
This is terrible.
I stare at the spreadsheet again. “The amount is…substantial.”
Thomas’s face is grim. “I didn’t want to say it, but it’s on the level of a business partner situation.”
Are Claire’s grandparents partnering with the Schillers in their new business venture?
You’ve got to be kidding.
Thomas’s face sours even more. “I’m looking into rescinding my donation to the city of Longdale for their hiking paths. I was happy to do it before, but under the circumstances…”
He trails off and I ask him to reconsider. “You can’t do that. Claire has nothing to do with the Schillers.”
“We can’t be too sure about that, can we?”
Chapter 28
Claire
A call comes in from Sophie the morning after the big Tate family dinner.
My stomach is still full and tender from the meal—I ate steakandsalmon. I gingerly answer the phone. “Soph? Why is it still dark outside?” I say with a croak.
“It’s not dark, the sun is rising,” Sophie offers cheerfully. Doesn’t she remember that it’s bad manners to be so chipper in the morning? “Elizabeth has been waking up at 5:55 on the dot every morning, so I’ve been awake for a while.”
“You don’t have to sound so excited about it,” I grumble.
“Obviously, you’re not in the mood to talk, so I’ll get right to it. Grandma and Grandpa called—they’ve probably been up for hours. Anyway, do they know you’re dating Benson?”
Crap. About that.
