Chapter 351
Chapter 351:
Mr. Winters paused.
Paranoia flickered in his eyes.
“May I come in?” Skye asked. “I have a proposition. One that gets you your fifty million without relying on a bankrupt estate p>
Mr. Winters hesitated, then stepped back.
Skye walked into the dim hallway.
It smelled of dust and desperation.
“The lawsuit will take years,” Skye said as they walked into the living room. “You can’t sell a judgment. And Beatrice will die before she pays you p>
“So what do I do?” Winters demanded.
“You force a settlement now,” Skye said. “You demand collateral. Hard assets p>
Winters looked confused. “The accounts are frozen p>
“Not the jewelry,” Skye said with a smile. “The private collection. The vault. It’s not subject to the SEC freeze yet. It’s personal property p>
Winters narrowed his eyes. “Why would you help me p>
“Because,” Skye said, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper, “I want Beatrice bankrupt just as much as you do. I want her stripped of her crown jewels. And I need you to be the pressure p>
Winters looked at the folder in his hand.
A slow, greedy smile spread across his face.
“I’m listening p>
The Winters’ living room was a shrine to faded glory: threadbare Persian rugs and velvet curtains that hadn’t been cleaned in a decade.
Skye sat on the edge of a sofa that smelled of mothballs.
Mrs. Winters joined them, wringing her hands. “We need freedom, Skye. Lana’s legal bills… the fines… the hospital bills for the guards she attacked p>
“I understand,” Skye said. “Which is why you can’t accept a payment plan. You need immediate liquidity p>
“Exactly!” Mr. Winters slammed his fist on the table. “But Beatrice claims she’s broke p>
N𝗈 in𝗍𝘳𝘶𝘴𝗂𝘷𝖾 a𝘥s оn 𝘣𝖾lո𝘰𝘷𝘦l𝘀.со𝘮
“Here is the plan,” Skye said. She leaned forward, clasping her hands. “Tomorrow, you storm the manor. You demand the fifty million. When she says she can’t pay, you present her with an alternative p>
“What alternative?” Winters asked.
“A loan,” Skye said. “I have arranged for a private equity lender to be there. A representative from… a shell company I advise p>
She didn’t mention Oracle Holdings.
“This lender will offer Beatrice a bridge loan,” Skye explained. “High interest. Immediate payout. But the lender will demand collateral p>
“The jewelry?” Mrs. Winters asked.
“The Kensington Sapphire,” Skye nodded. “And her entire private jewelry collection. The vintage diamonds. The emeralds. Everything in the vault p>
Mr. Winters whistled. “That collection is worth a hundred million p>
“Beatrice is desperate,” Skye said. “She will sign anything to save face and keep you quiet, especially with the Arthur Sterling investigation breathing down her neck. Once she signs the loan, the money wires to you. You get your fifty million in cash p>
“The lender takes the jewelry p>