Chapter 68: Greyline Partners

By Monday morning, Derek had enough information to ruin the peaceful mood of the weekend.

Greyline Partners was not a major company. It operated as a private consulting firm offering market research, acquisition intelligence, and corporate restructuring advice. Its public ownership had changed several times over the years.

The important part was hidden deeper.

One of Greyline's early directors had been Victor Shaw's younger brother-in-law.

"That's not proof Victor controlled it," Derek warned over the secure call.

"But it's another connection," Louis said.

Greyline had received money from Meridian Advisory years earlier. More recently, it had supplied intelligence through intermediaries to companies competing with Stone Holdings—including Hale Corporation.

Freya sat beside Louis taking notes.

"So the same network your grandfather and my father were looking at may have survived all this time."

"Possibly."

Derek continued. "There's more. Greyline purchased a small stake in several companies after Stone Holdings collapsed. The investments were made through funds that also contain Knox money."

Freya frowned. "Marcus?"

"Not directly. Knox Group investment vehicles."

Louis's expression hardened. Knox might have benefited without knowing Greyline's history, or Marcus could be far more involved than they believed.

They returned to the city that afternoon.

Freya immediately resumed her work schedule, partly because she needed something normal. Her novel had climbed another ranking position over the weekend, and the audio team had selected a narrator after considering her feedback.

Chloe also sent a new design project.

Ordinary work steadied her.

That evening, Louis found the wooden lighthouse on the living-room shelf instead of Freya's desk.

"You moved it," he said.

"It looked better there."

He didn't mention that placing it in the shared living room made the souvenir belong to both of them.

Derek arrived later with printed ownership charts. Freya joined them for only part of the discussion before returning to her manuscript. She had no intention of allowing Victor's secrets to consume every part of her life.

Near midnight, Derek discovered another detail.

Greyline's current managing director was Daniel Mercer.

Louis recognized the surname.

"Mercer worked for Stone Holdings," he said.

Derek nodded. "Daniel's father did. Robert Mercer was head of procurement under your grandfather."

Freya looked up from across the room.

"Was he involved in the old property projects?"

Derek checked.

Yes.

The same names kept circling back through generations: Stone, Shaw, Mercer, and now Freya's family.

Louis closed the ownership chart. "Find Daniel's connection to Victor."

Freya watched the two men work and felt the familiar sensation of a plot expanding beyond its original boundaries.

Only this wasn't fiction. There was no author guaranteeing that every clue would eventually fit neatly together.

Still, one thing had become clear. Louis's bankruptcy wasn't an isolated event. Someone had been building networks and preserving influence for years, perhaps decades.

And Greyline Partners had just become the next door they needed to open.

Before going to bed, Freya checked the living-room shelf once more. The lighthouse looked almost ridiculous beside Louis's restrained taste in furniture, yet he hadn't moved it. She smiled and switched off the light. Whatever waited behind Greyline's corporate records could remain until morning. Their home, at least for tonight, would not become another office.

There were still too many unanswered questions to draw a final conclusion. Each discovery clarified one part of the past while exposing another missing piece. For now, they agreed to preserve what they had found, verify every connection carefully, and avoid giving Victor any reason to suspect that the old records had resurfaced.