Page 80 of My Ex-Fiance's Best Men
Dominic glances at me, then nods to Penny. “What’s the damage, specifically?”
“Well, over the past eight years there are numerous inconsistencies in their SEC filings, but never severe enough to warrant an investigation,” Penny explains. “Their IRS filings are also murky, to say the least. Shell companies, money movingaround in a chaotic sense, no order or structure whatsoever. Entire departments left close to collapse while the CEO and the executive board have consistently awarded themselves with performance bonuses.”
“You’re joking,” I gasp.
“I wish,” she says with a sigh. “Phoebe, Baldwin Corporation was worth 48.7 billion dollars eight years ago. It has consistently dropped to 32.4 billion dollars, and there are rumors of stock market underhandedness designed to uptick the shares just long enough forForbesto do a glowing profile before it heads back down again.”
“Along with rumors of funds being misplaced and layoffs in departments that need more people, not less,” Dominic adds. “The overall general picture isn’t a pretty one.”
“We’re talking about potential embezzlement and misappropriation of funds, among other things,” Penny adds. “I’ve flagged everything I could during this investigation, and I’ve got a team of paralegals working to corroborate each of our concerns. The Baldwin attorneys haven’t responded to any of our requests. There’s an actual embargo on their entire office as far as external communications are concerned.”
I scoff. “They’re tightening their ranks.”
“They probably smell blood in the water and they’re trying to minimize the incoming damage,” Penny says. “I also have a line open with someone in the finance department. Took some arm twisting and what would traditionally be considered bribery, but they’re giving me accurate information. Crystal and her team of executives have been mismanaging the corporation’s expenses on a regular basis. Their accountants are practically twitching,close to a meltdown because of a throng of unjustifiable expenses.”
“My God.”
“It gets even worse,” she warns me. “A good chunk of the executive board is trying to push Helen out so they can salvage the company. That’s probably why she’s so desperate to take your shares. With hers, Crystal’s, and your twenty-five percent combined, they would overrule the executive board. They could even dissolve the board and get a fiduciary of their own choosing involved.”
“All this, just to cover their asses,” Dominic adds.
“And to keep doing what they’re doing until there’s nothing left to skim from the corporation,” I say. “Until a bigger fish steps in and offers Mom a ludicrous amount of money, well below the corporation’s market value, to buy. Because she doesn’t really care about what happens to Baldwin Corporation, does she?”
Penny shakes her head slowly, a sad look in her eyes. “I doubt she cares about anything other than having money to spend. The same goes for Crystal. Her executive performance has been repeatedly described as lackluster, inexperienced, and preferential. They’ve dubbed her ‘the nepo baby’ at every water cooler. Nobody takes her seriously.”
“That doesn’t come as a surprise, but at least I now understand why they wouldn’t let me anywhere near the finance department,” I say. “My mother’s behavior is what really concerns me. What the hell is she thinking?”
Dominic offers a shrug. “She isn’t thinking, not in the long term, anyway. She can’t, given her own personal predicament.”
“Personal predicament?”
My stomach tightens, and for a second, I’m worried it might be another bout of morning sickness, which makes me want to cradle my belly for comfort. I take a deep breath and ride it out as Dominic tells me more.
“We’re not only investigating the company,” he says. “We’ve had eyes on every big player in the Baldwin Corporation, your mother and sister included.”
My blood runs cold. “Whoa…”
“I know, and I’m sorry. But we didn’t feel like we had a choice.”
“I don’t think it’s something you need to apologize for,” I say as his hand covers mine on the armrest. “I’m the one who’s been having a hard time coming to terms with what kind of people my family are. I need to accept the truth, once and for all.”
Penny gives me a pained look. “Then Dominic definitely needs to show you something else.”
“We have to go for another drive,” he says.
Whatever it is, I’m ready for it. There’s a storm coming, and I’m straight in its path. If I wish to survive the road ahead, I need to be prepared. I need to see my enemies clearly for who they really are.
My future depends on it.
25
DOMINIC
“Ok, I definitely wasn’t ready for this,” Phoebe says.
We’re parked across the street from the Jade Dragon; an upscale Chinese restaurant nestled between two major Asian retailers on Broadway. It’s late at night, so there shouldn’t be any customers left at this hour, yet the place seems to be bustling judging by the lights and the music reverberating from inside.
“Staking out a restaurant where my mother is supposedly gambling is not something I had on my bingo card for the week,” she mumbles. “Though I didn’t exactly have several other equally shocking discoveries on it, either.”
