&&&
When Storm got to the office, Melissa, the assistant who took over for Dara when she was out, greeted him. Melissa was being groomed to take over when Dara eventually retired but he wasn't sure he could ever trust an assistant the way his father and Henry trusted Dara, especially after this. It also seemed he wouldn't be getting any of his questions answered today.
"Good morning Mr. Monsello," greeted Melissa. "Dara said your schedule has been modified and has been sent to your computer and the file you requested is on your desk."
"The file?" Storm asked a bit confused.
"Yes. If you need anything else, please let me know."
"Yes, I will. Thank you."
Storm immediately picked up then file when he saw the name, 'Salina A. Carter'. The note on it read, 'Get familiar with the information ASAP. You'll need it tomorrow.' Dara had been to the office already.
He wished he could speak with Dara directly, but knowing her and what he knew now, she was probably finalizing some pre-arranged arrangements. Somewhere, somehow, he was going to have patience. He settled in his chair and opened the folder. The first document that greeted him the will of Arthur Simon Carter, Salina's father. At first glance, it looked simple enough but as he continued reading, he realized it wasn't as simple as it seemed. Due the law not allowing the emancipation of minors, her father had worked around it. He broke the overall control of her estate into several sections with Salina holding the majority of the decision making power. Her guardian was the nanny but the money from the estate was in the hands of specific executives.
None of the executives could make a final decision about her money and the management of the estate without Salina's consent. She could replace anyone she wanted as along as the replacement took place in 30 day of the firing. However, regardless of the situation, she would always hold the controlling vote of the estate, always at 59%. She always had final say regarding her money and well-being. All except her health insurance, just as Madelyn had stated.
By all counts and means, the executives where only names on paper with no true power, and their salaries was a veil used to hide the emancipation of a fourteen-year-old child until her 19th birthday, when they would be removed. On her 23rd birthday she would inherit 75% of the full estate and the remaining 25% on her 25th birthday. Only one thing could interfere with her inheritance; if she was found guilty of a crime. Then she would lose a majority of the money in the estate but never the land and properties. The money would be distributed to various charities, a different one each year until it was finished. No one charity could or would get large sums. He had effectively tied the hands of anyone who thought they could get the money by falsely accusing her of a crime. His plan was brilliant and Salina followed the details exactly.
Next was the information on the investment, the one that he was also an investor and her actual inheritance. Another piece of brilliant work but by Madelyn. Salina's portion of the money was the largest to simulate only a portion of her inheritance. DEA's was 3.5 billion, his 3.5 billion and the rest plus all the interest was Salina's. The money had been in the investment since she was 15, and would mature on her 23rd birthday, which was tomorrow. Statements on the investment were in the file and from the looks of it, Madelyn had done an excellent job as always. The most impressive part of the investment was her actual inheritance. Her father had taken only a few hundred dollars turned it into billions over years and kept everything a secret. It truly was proof of his genius.
Next, was Salina's education and the physical estate. She was educated at the best private school with at least three tutors on payroll. At a very early age, she learnt the responsibility of having such wealth. She wanted for nothing as the estate itself was enormous. So how did a girl, who grew up in such luxuries, so calmly swallow her pride, hide her upbringing and work as a waitress in a strip club, when she had access to more than two billion dollars at her disposal if the need was absolutely necessary?
Storm got up and stretched. He had been reading and researching international investment laws and money transfers for the last three hours. As he looked out the window, he wondered how she was doing. It was useless to call her since he knew her phone would be replaced. Anything that could be used to trace her was gone.
His desk phone rang and Storm looked at it skeptically before deciding to answer.
"Hello?"
"Storm your bags are packed. The car is waiting for you downstairs to take you to your meeting and then to the airport," said Dara.
"Am I going to see you anytime today or tomorrow?"
"Yes. Get going. I'm almost finished here."
Storm sighed and hung up the phone.
&&&
Dara was sitting in the seat in front of him. They were on his private jet going to the Bahamas. She met him at the meeting and they drove to the airport together in silence.
"Are we going to talk about any of it?" Storm asked.
"Did you read the file?" asked Dara.
"Yes, and I'm impressed. But nothing in the file told me about how you got involved with all of this, and yes, I know my father and Henry trusted you more than anyone else in the company but it still doesn't explain anything."
"Henry knew her father. They were very good friends. The type that couldn't speak for years but with a phone call could pick up where they left off. Her father was the investor Henry used. So, when Henry found out what happed to him and then to Salina he helped. Henry fell in love with her almost instantly the first time he met her."
"How old was she?"
"About six I think. She was the daughter he never had. I met her at their second visit. Henry and your dad both loved that she always asked questions, but only to her father; she was shy, I believe still is." Dara smiled as she remembered. "Henry loved that she was razor sharp and tried to convince her father to make her study law, but he was good with figures and so was Salina, and he honed that skill in her. She was privately tutored in several subjects and languages but only Henry knew how many languages. The only two I know of are Spanish and Italian." Dara paused before continuing.
"When her father passed, Henry immediately went to see to her but Ian got to her first. The gardener was killed and her nanny went missing. Salina left clues on how to find her but by the time he found her, she had been beaten almost to death. Henry was able to find June, her nanny and hide her. Salina was brought here under the cover of darkness. DEA wanted the money off the record and he wanted to protect her. So he made the deal, the money would never be recorded and she was granted full citizenship in exchange for the location of the drugs that was scheduled to come in. It was the information Salina had been able to get when Ian kidnapped her. While she was in the hospital, two attempts were made on her life so she was placed in a coma and moved to Henry's mansion. He had underestimated how far Ian's reach was in the DEA. She was given a new identity by MI6 because at that point no one was trusted. It's why nothing shows up for her in our systems. When Henry read he father's will, he realized how to keep her safe; pretend she had the money and it was invested while her father was alive and placed in trust for her. Almost a carbon copy of her inheritance. None of them are any wiser that they could have gotten the money sooner. Everyone brought in to help knows only minute bits and pieces but almost nothing about her and the investment. Only Madelyn and I know the full scope of everything. In other words, she had to stay alive for them to get the money. Your father gave Ian's whereabouts to the cartel who had him killed."
"My father would never..."
"The very minute a threat was made against yours and Ayasha's life. He never hesitated once." Storm looked on stunned. "Mercenaries paid to protect everyone, you, Ayasha and most of all Salina on this day, the day she gets everything."
"How did you get involved or do I need to ask?"
"I would have done anything for them. They saved my life and life of my children from a husband who was going to beat me to death one night. He thought I was having an affair with your father because he was helping me study for my paralegal exam. Your father gave me a chance when I was scared and no one else would. He knew I was being abused but that night my husband turned on my children. He had hit me so hard that I couldn't move to stop him from hitting my son. My youngest tried to stop him but he kicked him. A broken rib at age five not from playing with his friends or even sports but from his own father kicking him as if he was garbage. When your father knocked on the door, I gathered the last of my strength and yelled for help. It was the last thing I remembered before the kick to my head left me unconscious. Your father and Henry saved mine and my children's lives. This was nothing to do to repay them back." A tear ran down Dara's face as she looked out the window. She turned back to look at Storm after a few seconds. "I saw what Ian did to that child. I saw those doctors wonder if she would live."
Storm thought about Salina's nightmares.
&&&
Salina looked outside the window of her bedroom at the ocean. 'I wonder if I could go home today?' she asked her self silently. Today was her birthday and also the day she could die. 'No! Remember what Madelyn said? You have to live for them to get the money'. Turning around, she got her jacket from the bed. Her suit today was nothing like the one she had gotten on sale last year when she began looking about her internship. Thinking of that, she wondered how Mitch was doing. She had not spoken with him since the day she left. Her phone had been taken away and she had yet to receive the new one. It didn't matter anyway because she couldn't tell him anything. She didn't want to begin thinking of the lie she would have to tell him just to keep his friendship. As she buttoned her jacket, she thought about telling him the truth. How could she tell him that she was the person who paid his rent for the two months when he could not or paid her own way so there was enough money for him to go to the conference? No, she couldn't. It would have to remain a secret if she wanted to keep his friendship and at the moment, he was the only friend she had.
Her bodyguards were outside her door and another two by the elevator. The entire floor of the hotel was hers to guarantee her absolute safety. Inside the service elevator were another two bodyguards, a total of six followed her to the car and three vehicles would follow her to the meeting. Arriving at the bank, she was taken to the back entrance and up the private elevator to the floor where the meeting would take place. Madelyn greeted her at the elevator.
