Chapter 82: I’m Not Signing That

By Tuesday afternoon, Liam had read Frank’s information pack three times and learned very little about what the Millers actually earned. There were photographs of the facility, descriptions of its storage capacity, and figures showing how much product moved through it. None of that told him how much money remained after everyone had been paid. He sat across from Diane in the library, watching her move between the pages while he finished a coffee that had already gone cold. She had agreed to another paid assignment, though this one was mostly helping him understand what the documents didn’t say.

“This is something they give visitors.”

“I noticed.”

“You asked me to look at it.”

“I was hoping you’d find something I missed.”

Diane smiled slightly and turned the folder toward him. She pointed to the names printed beneath two of the photographs, then to a third name beside the transport information. Liam had noticed them before without thinking much about why they were different. He had been looking at the business as one thing owned by one family. Diane had separated the names onto a page and left space beside each.

“The company showing you the building might not own it. The company selling the fertilizer might not own the trucks either.”

“So if they offer me part of the business…”

“Ask which part.”

Liam leaned back, looking at the three names. He remembered Jeff mentioning suppliers, associated businesses, and acquisitions during their conversation at the facility. At the time, the lack of detail had made him cautious. Now he understood that even a specific offer could leave quite a lot unsaid. He took out his phone and photographed Diane’s page before she turned to the next section.

‘I know where AMD ends up. That doesn’t mean I know where these bastards hide their bills.’

They finished before her next class. Liam paid her, saved the notes, and returned to the apartment to change. Clara was sitting at the kitchen island when he came out of the bedroom, watching a dance video Megan had sent her. She paused it and looked him over, then stood to straighten his collar. He let her fuss with it while checking the address Erto’s assistant had sent.

“Are you coming back for dinner?”

“No. They’re feeding me.”

“Then eat properly. Don’t come home hungry and steal mine.”

“I’ve never stolen your food.”

Clara looked at him until he put his phone away.

“Fine. Once or twice.”

She smiled and kissed him before stepping aside. Liam collected the folder, then checked the spirit cradle before leaving. The screwdriver remained inside, quiet but responsive when he touched the connection. Lin still hadn’t sent the photographs of the inheritance case. Liam had no intention of chasing him tonight. The binding was a temporary measure, and Lin knew that. For now, he put the cradle away and headed downstairs.

Erto was waiting inside a private dining room when Liam arrived. He stood to greet him, glanced at the folder beneath his arm, and gave a small smile without asking what was inside. John sat near the far end of the table, with Jeff beside him and an empty chair across from them. There were no other guests. Liam felt some of the tension leave his shoulders when he realized Merilyn wasn’t there, then immediately disliked how relieved that made him.

‘You came to talk business. Sit down.’

“Good evening.”

John offered his hand before Liam took the empty seat. The greeting was polite, and for the first few minutes, the conversation remained ordinary. Erto asked about Princeton. Jeff mentioned that Frank had enjoyed showing him around the facility. Liam answered while a server poured water, keeping his folder closed beside his plate. Nobody had invited him here to discuss his classes, but he was willing to wait until they finished pretending.

John brought up California after the server left.

“Erto tells me you helped a friend with an unpleasant situation.”

“She needed someone to take her refusal seriously.”

“And Rudolf didn’t?”

“No.”

John watched him for a moment before reaching for his glass. Liam kept his hands relaxed beneath the table. He didn’t know how much Erto had told him, or whether somebody else had supplied the details about the hotel. Either way, explaining Megan’s life to three older men over dinner wasn’t something he intended to do.

“Is the matter settled?” John asked.

“For now. I’m grateful Erto answered the phone.”

Erto gave a small nod. Jeff remained quiet, but Liam noticed him watching John rather than looking at either of them. He had seen the same thing during the hunt. Even when Jeff appeared comfortable, part of his attention stayed on the man whose approval mattered most.

Their food arrived before John continued.

“I prefer knowing the people who use my family’s name.”

Liam lowered his fork.

“I asked Erto for help. I didn’t introduce myself as a Silverschild.”

A brief silence followed. Erto reached for his water, though he didn’t interrupt. John’s expression barely changed. Then he nodded once, apparently satisfied that Liam understood the difference.

“Good. Keep it that way.”

Liam returned to his food. The warning had been delivered without anyone raising their voice, and he understood it clearly enough. Erto could do favors, but John still expected to know when those favors reached outside the family. Helping Megan had brought Liam closer to the Silverschilds, just as he had wanted. Sitting across from John, he was reminded that being closer also meant being easier to examine.

Jeff waited until their plates were cleared before moving a folder across the table.

“Frank said you were interested in the distribution side.”

“I asked about it.”

“We have an expansion that may suit you.”

The proposal concerned a regional distribution company within the Miller network. It would use existing suppliers and expand deliveries to agricultural customers through additional storage and transport arrangements. Jeff explained it comfortably, describing the customers, the expected demand, and how Liam’s money would help the company take larger orders. Eight million dollars would buy a minority stake. The family would continue managing the operation.

Liam opened the folder.

“Does this company own the storage site?”

“It has access through an associated company.”

“And the trucks?”

“Transport is contracted.”

He glanced at Diane’s notes before turning the page. There it was already. The company he would own part of needed other companies controlled by the same family to store and move what it sold. That didn’t automatically make the investment bad, but the profit figures meant less until he knew what those companies could charge.

“Are those charges fixed?”

“For the periods covered by the agreements.”

“I’ll need those agreements too.”

Jeff’s smile became slightly more restrained.

“Of course. Your advisers can review the full package.”

Liam nodded and continued reading. He wasn’t going to understand everything at the table, and there was no reason to pretend otherwise. He marked the names of the associated businesses and moved through the remaining pages until a reference near the signature section made him stop. It pointed to another document concerning a credit line used to purchase inventory.

“What does this guarantee cover?”

Jeff leaned forward.

“The lender requires support from the principal investors. It’s a standard part of the arrangement.”

“How much?”

“The facility can go up to twenty million.”

Liam looked at him.

“My share of that?”

“The guarantee terms are in the accompanying document.”

“Which isn’t here.”

Jeff reached toward the folder, then paused when Liam kept his hand on the page. Erto had stopped moving his glass. John watched the exchange without saying anything, giving Liam no indication whether this was a mistake he had expected someone to catch or an ordinary part of how they did business.

‘Eight million to get through the door. Then another paper tells me what standing inside costs.’

“I’m not signing that.”

“We’re discussing the opportunity,” Jeff said. “Nobody expects you to sign before your lawyers have reviewed it.”

“Good. Then send them everything together.” ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Liam closed the folder and slid it slightly away from his plate. His heart was beating faster than he liked, though he wasn’t sure whether it came from the proposal or from remembering how often he had accepted explanations from this family in his previous life. Back then, somebody had always been available to tell him that a document was routine and that asking too many questions made him look ungrateful.

John finally spoke.

“Do you object to the business or the guarantee?”

“I don’t know enough about the business yet. I object to being told the price before I’m shown all the obligations.”

John held his gaze for several seconds, then looked toward Jeff.

“Send the complete documents.”

“I will.”

The conversation moved on after that, but Liam didn’t relax completely. Jeff asked whether the AMD investment had closed, and he confirmed it without discussing the terms. When John mentioned introducing him to other people in the family’s business circle, Liam thanked him and said he wanted to understand one opportunity before collecting more. Erto laughed at that, easing some of the stiffness around the table.

They finished with coffee. Liam left with the proposal, a promise that the missing documents would be sent, and no agreement to invest.

Outside, Erto walked beside him toward the cars.

“You handled that well.”

“Was I supposed to sign?”

“No. But some people would have agreed to everything verbally just to keep him pleased.”

“John?”

Erto glanced back toward the entrance.

“Both of them.”

Liam looked at him, trying to decide how much of that was advice and how much was a warning. Erto had helped him, and Liam had given him something useful in return. That was a relationship he understood. Anything beyond it would take more than a few lunches and one conversation in a parking lot.

“Thanks for inviting me.”

“Read the documents. Then decide.”

Liam called Daniel from the Bentley before starting the engine. He explained the proposal, named the distribution company, and asked for the full package to be reviewed once it arrived. Daniel began asking questions almost immediately. Liam answered what he could, then admitted that he didn’t have enough information for the rest. Saying that aloud felt better than making an eight-million-dollar decision because three men had watched him read a folder.

At the apartment, Clara was still awake. She looked up from the couch when he entered, then glanced at the papers in his hand.

“Did you buy something?”

“No.”

“Good dinner, then.”

Liam laughed and set the folder down. Before he could sit beside her, his phone rang again. This time, it was Michael. Liam answered immediately, moving toward the window as his father began speaking over what sounded like several people talking in the background.

“The closing’s finished.”

Liam stopped.

“The house?”

“What else would I be calling you about? Your mother’s already arguing about where the furniture goes.”

Rachel’s voice came through faintly, telling Michael she wasn’t arguing. Emily said something farther away, followed by the sound of a door opening. Liam stood with the phone against his ear, looking at his reflection in the dark window while his father explained that the keys were finally theirs.

For a moment, he couldn’t think of anything to say.

Then he smiled.

“Send me a picture.”

“You’ve seen the house.”

“With all of you in it.”

Michael went quiet for a second before agreeing. They spoke for another few minutes, mostly about moving and the amount of work the land would need. Liam listened to every complaint. None of it sounded like trouble to him. When the call ended, he remained beside the window until the photograph arrived.

His parents stood near the front door with Emily between them. Rachel held the keys up, while Michael looked as though he had been told to smile a moment before the picture was taken.

Clara came over and leaned against his arm.

“They got it?”

“Yeah.”

Liam enlarged the photograph, looking at their faces before saving it.

John and Jeff could wait until morning.