Chapter 8 - The Signature Page
They moved to the conference salon under crew supervision.
Claire ordered all exterior tenders disabled and the yacht's course changed toward the nearest U.S. Coast Guard rendezvous point.
Vivian objected immediately.
"This is kidnapping."
"No," Claire said. "This is a charter vessel responding to suspected theft and tampering. You're free to call counsel."
"I intend to."
"Good. Tell them we're preserving everything."
Maya sat at the long walnut table, still in the stained dress. She refused the robe a steward offered.
Let them look at the stain.
Let it stay visible.
Grant sat across from her.
"Maya, I swear I didn't know about your father."
"Did you know the papers weren't just a prenup?"
He looked down.
That was enough.
"What were they?"
"A consent packet."
"For what?"
"A merger."
"With who?"
"Northline Maritime."
Claire swore under her breath.
Maya looked at her. "You know them?"
"They're not a shipping company. They're an asset stripper with a nice website. They buy family firms, sell equipment, cut crews, and move the debt."
Grant said, "That's not fair."
Claire turned on him. "I've watched them gut three ports. Don't lecture me."
Maya leaned forward. "And my signature?"
Grant rubbed his face. "The trust language gives you a dormant voting interest if your identity is confirmed. The sale counsel wanted a blanket release from any possible heir."
"So you were going to have me sign away my claim without telling me."
"I was trying to protect the deal."
"From me."
"From uncertainty."
Maya laughed. "That's a clean word for fraud."
Vivian stood near the windows, arms crossed. "You were going to be taken care of."
Maya looked at her. "With what? A wedding?"
Vivian's silence was answer enough.
Brooke shifted in her chair.
Claire noticed.
"Where's the blue envelope?"
Brooke's face hardened. "I don't know."
"You were with Grant when his code was used."
"He left his phone on the table. Maybe someone cloned it."
Grant stared at her. "You knew my code."
Brooke's eyes flashed.
"You gave it to me."
"For the gym door, not the owner's safe."
"Same number, genius."
Maya leaned back, stunned by the casual stupidity of it.
Claire's phone buzzed.
A crew tech sent her a recovered printer log.
She read it once, then slowly placed the phone on the table.
"Someone printed one page from the missing trust document at 12:16."
Maya asked, "Which page?"
May you like
Claire turned the screen toward her.
"The signature page."
