Chapter 6 - The Trap is Set
Ricket Hail sat in the high-end lounge of the Metropolitan Club, sipping scotch and laughing with three of his wealthy associates.
"The guy was a complete joke," Ricket bragged, gesturing wildly with his glass. "Thought he was a big man because he had a name tag. My dad had him fired before midnight. He's probably out on the street looking for a handout right now."
"What about the Westbrook girl?" one of his friends asked. "She looked pretty shaken up."
"Camille?" Ricket sneered. "She's playing hard to get, that's all. She thinks that little defense company makes her untouchable. But my dad's group is buying up the commercial debt on her New Jersey manufacturing plant. By next month, we'll own her lease. She'll be begging me for a meeting."
What Ricket didn't know was that forty feet away, sitting in a private booth behind a decorative silk screen, Gabriel Vance was quietly listening to every single word.
Gabriel wore a sleek dark suit with an earpiece tucked discreetly into his left ear. He recorded Ricket’s conversation on an encrypted audio device connected directly to Camille's legal team.
Through the earpiece, Camille's voice came through crisp and clear from her office. "Did you catch that, Gabriel?"
"Every word, ma'am," Gabriel whispered into his collar mic. "He confirmed his father's firm is attempting a predatory acquisition of your New Jersey lease."
"Good," Camille said, her tone icy and focused. "They think they're playing real estate chess. They don't realize I've been preparing for this since the moment Ricket touched my dress."
"What's the next move?" Gabriel asked, standing up quietly and slipping out the club's side exit without drawing a single glance from Ricket's table.
"Hail Property Group is launching a public stock offering on Friday to cover their short-term liquidity debt," Camille explained. "They need twenty-five percent institutional backing to secure the underwriting. Westbrook Aeronautics holds a nine percent liquidity reserve through our sovereign wealth partners."
Gabriel walked down the steps of the club into the cool autumn air, where a black executive sedan was waiting for him. "You're going to short their stock?"
"No," Camille replied, a rare, lethal confidence in her voice. "I'm going to buy their debt, terminate their underwriting, and expose Ricket's assault to their lead board members five minutes before the bell rings."
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Gabriel opened the car door and sat in the back seat. "Do you need me at the board meeting?"
"I need you right beside me, Gabriel," Camille said softly. "I want Franklin Hail to see the man he tried to destroy standing next to the woman who is taking his company."
