Chapter 3 - THE CRIME RYAN ACTUALLY COMMITTED
Ryan wanted to go straight to Carter Freight.
His parole officer said no.
“You have a history with company personnel.”
Ryan stared across the desk.
“I’m the founder’s son.”
“You’re also on supervised release after aggravated assault.”
There it was.
The fact nobody needed to invent.
Four years earlier, Ryan had attacked Malcolm Voss outside a board meeting.
Ryan believed Malcolm was stealing through inflated supplier contracts.
Malcolm laughed at him.
Ryan hit him.
Malcolm went down.
Ryan hit him again.
A security officer ordered Ryan to stop.
He did not.
Malcolm’s jaw broke in two places.
Ryan pleaded guilty.
Jonathan refused to pressure prosecutors.
At sentencing, Ryan hated him for it.
Now he was not sure.
That afternoon, reentry attorney Rachel Penn reviewed Jonathan’s flash drive with him.
The files showed Carter Freight had nearly breached debt covenants eighteen months earlier after losing a major industrial customer.
Nearly nine hundred employees were exposed.
Patricia arranged emergency capital through North Bridge Holdings.
The money was real.
It prevented a liquidity crisis.
Ryan looked at Rachel.
“So she saved the company.”
“She helped save it.”
Then they examined North Bridge ownership.
Forty percent belonged to outside investors.
Thirty-five percent to an institutional fund.
Twenty-five percent to PC Family Ventures.
Patricia Carter.
Ryan stared.
“She loaned the company money through a vehicle she owns.”
“Yes.”
“Illegal?”
“Not automatically.”
The board approved the original rescue after disclosure.
Then the structure changed.
Later amendments gave North Bridge options to buy three logistics yards if performance targets failed.
The option price sat about thirty percent below the newest appraisal.
One amendment was approved under Patricia’s emergency voting authority.
Ryan felt anger rise.
Rachel stopped him.
“Remember your father’s first instruction.”
“Don’t attack Patricia.”
“Correct.”
Then she opened Jonathan’s private note:
Patricia was right that the company needed rescue.
She was wrong to let rescue become opportunity.
Ryan looked at the words.
May you like
His father had not left him a villain.
He had left him a problem.
