The Billionaire Heir Called Me a Freeloader-I’d Bankrolled His Family for 600 Years Chapter 05

Inside the box was an old document, yellowed and brittle around the edges.

I carried it over to the conference table.

“Since you think all I do is drain the company’s resources, and you’ve decided to stop working

with me, let’s terminate all the related agreements.”

I placed the document in front of Nathan.

“Take back my board seat. And hand back this building.

Nathan glanced down and frowned.

“You think one old piece of paper will make us hand over our headquarters? What kind of stunt

is this?”

I braced both hands on the table’s edge and met his eyes.

“You’re right. Times have changed, and authority needs something to back it

I smiled.

up.”

“Then let’s look at the proof. I bought the land beneath this building a hundred and twenty years ago. I signed the deed myself.”

Silence fell over the conference room.

Everyone stared at the yellowed sheet of paper.

Five seconds later, Vivian burst out laughing.

“A hundred and twenty years ago? Now you’re making up your birth year,

too?”

She pointed at the deed, laughing until her eyes watered.

“Claire, do you think you’re some movie heroine who’s been alive since then? This is New York, and an antique document won’t get you our headquarters. Next time you make props, at

least print out a convincing, up-to-date title report.”

People around the table joined in the laughter.

“She must have thought we’d actually believe her.”

“Buy some old paper at a flea market, then demand a whole building?”

“Call security. We don’t need to hear any more.

Nathan shook his head.

“I gave you a chance to walk away. Threaten this company with forged documents again, and

I’ll call the police.”

He reached for the intercom button.

“Please, wait.”

The general counsel rose from his seat near the back.

Martin Gray was in his fifties. He rarely spoke up unprompted at meetings.

Now he stared at the document on the table. Sweat began to bead on his forehead.

“Martin?” Nathan’s hand stopped short of the intercom. “What’s wrong?”

Martin came over and took reading glasses from his pocket.

He studied the notary’s seal, the parcel description, and the registration number. His fingertips

trembled slightly.

“This isn’t just some random piece of paper. It’s a New York land transfer deed registered a

hundred and twenty years ago. It also bears registry annotations for a later transfer into a trust, with the corresponding document references.”

He jerked his head up and looked at me.

Vivian cut him off.

“Even if that old deed is real, what does it prove? Does having the same name as the original buyer prove she owns the land now?”

“That’s why we need to check the current records.”

Martin returned to his computer and opened the land registry search page. He also pulled up

the group’s due diligence files on the headquarters’ title and lease.

He entered the parcel number for the Whitmore Building.

When the page refreshed, the color rapidly drained from his face.

“Nathan…”

“What did you find?”

Nathan finally stood.

Martin turned the screen toward the people at the table.

“The group holds rights to the building under a ground lease. It doesn’t own the land outright.

The roughly five acres of Manhattan commercial land beneath headquarters, about twenty thousand square meters, are registered to a separate, long-term family trust.”

He swallowed and opened another document.

“The trust documents in our files confirm that the sole beneficiary is also the person

authorized to exercise control. That person’s name is…”

He looked at me.

“Claire Bennett.”

No one at the table was laughing anymore. Vivian’s face went rigid, and for a moment she

couldn’t speak.

“Impossible.”

She rushed to the screen.

“It has to be someone with the same name, or you’ve opened the wrong file. That land is worth

several billion dollars now. How could it possibly belong to her?”

I straightened, took a current legal document from my bag, and threw it at her.

The pages brushed her face and landed on the table.

“Martin, please explain this to your director of strategy.”

Martin picked up the document, read it for a moment, and closed his

eyes.

“This is an authorization and confirmation of rights issued by the current trustee. Ms. Bennett

is authorized to exercise these rights on the landowner’s behalf. She is also confirmed as the

trust’s sole beneficiary.”

I looked at Nathan. He stood behind the table without another word.

“So you want to write off sunk costs that add no value? What a coincidence. I’m also done

bearing the cost of an old arrangement that isn’t worth keeping.”

I glanced at my watch.

“You have three days to move your staff and belongings out and hand the premises back. I’ll

have my lawyers send formal notice.

“Any floors you vacate early will have their water and power shut off once the handover is complete. If you haven’t handed the premises back after three days, I’ll begin proceedings to take them back. If lawful demolition becomes necessary, we’ll bring in the bulldozers, too.

“You don’t want to honor the old agreement anymore. Then don’t expect to keep enjoying everything it gave you for free.”