Sarah swallowed hard. Her hands were shaking, but she gripped the phone tight. This was it. She was going to get fired. She might get arrested. But she could not let them win. “It was Mr. Vanderburg’s daughter,” Sarah said, her voice ringing clear in the silent restaurant. “Calling from a hospital in Vienna.” “And?” Adrian pressed. Sarah looked directly at Carter Banks. “She said the police found Stefan. He is safe.” Carter’s face went white. The blood drained from it so fast he looked like a corpse. “She also said,” Sarah continued, turning her gaze to Adrian, “that you shouldn’t sign the contract, because the American partner— she specifically used the word betrayer— is blackmailing her father.”
The silence that followed was heavier than the oak table they sat at. It was the silence of a bomb about to go off. For three seconds, nobody moved. The restaurant’s ambient music, a soft jazz piano, seemed deafeningly loud. Carter Banks broke the paralysis. He let out a forced, incredulous laugh. “This is insane. Adrian, are you going to listen to a waitress? She’s obviously deranged. She probably doesn’t even speak German. She’s looking for a payout.” He stood up, buttoning his jacket. “Give me the phone, sweetheart. You’re done here.” He reached for Sarah. Adrian Sterling’s hand shot out, grabbing Carter’s wrist before he could touch her. Adrian did not look at Carter. He kept his eyes locked on Sarah. “You speak German?” Adrian asked. “Yes, sir. Fluently,” Sarah replied. “My mother is Austrian.” Adrian released Carter’s wrist with a shove that sent the executive stumbling back into his chair.
Adrian then reached for the leather-bound contract on the table. He slid it across the white tablecloth until it rested in front of Sarah. “Read it,” Adrian commanded. “Sir, this is highly proprietary,” the balding lawyer squeaked. “Shut up,” Adrian said, not raising his voice. “Sarah, read the paragraph under asset liquidation and liability. Read it out loud. Translate it.” Sarah placed the satellite phone down. She picked up the heavy document. Her hands were still trembling, but as her eyes scanned the text, her academic training took over. The words were complex, but the meaning was clear. It was malicious.
“Paragraph four, section B,” Sarah read, translating on the fly. “Upon signature of this agreement, Sterling Vanguard assumes full liability for all toxic debt held by the subsidiary Vanderburg Limitless, amounting to four billion euros.” She paused, scanning further down. Her eyes widened. “And section C. Ownership of the Sterling Vanguard controlling shares.” She looked up at Adrian, horror in her eyes. “Sir, this clause says that in the event of the debt assumption, the voting rights of the CEO— that’s you— are immediately transferred to the acting chief operating officer as collateral.” Adrian’s face was a mask of stone. “The COO?” “That would be you, Carter.”