Chapter 74: Fishing for Rumors

"I’m driving the car back downtown tonight, gentlemen," Jude said, nodding toward Anna. "My estate manager will take the toasts."

The executives had no objections; making a connection with Lawson Capital was all they cared about.

Anna kept her expression neutral, but her fingers tightened around the stem of her glass.

Under the expectations Jude had laid out, she couldn’t decline a directive in front of clients...

One after another, as partners and firm directors stepped forward, Anna accepted the drinks, taking down glasses of vintage champagne and single-malt scotch.

Her background had built up a solid tolerance, but after 45 minutes of back-to-back toasts from a dozen executives, the alcohol was clearly catching up to her.

Across the room, Silas watched from the perimeter, his eyes narrowed.

Walking across the room to pull Jude Lawson’s staff member away would expose their prior connection on the spot. He had to stand by and watch.

Jude knew exactly what Silas was thinking...

Every drink demonstrated clear control over Silas’s asset, while chipping away at the rigid professional distance Anna tried to maintain around him.

By 10:00 PM, a flush had settled across Anna’s cheeks, and her posture had relaxed considerably.

Jude checked his watch and stood up from the table. "That’s enough for tonight, Anna. We’re heading out."

Anna let out a quiet breath. "Understood, sir."

She stepped forward to clear the table, but her heel caught the edge of the carpet runner. She stumbled slightly, losing her balance.

"Looks like you’ve hit your limit," Jude said, looking down at her.

"I’m... fine to walk, sir," Anna murmured, reaching out to steady herself against his arm.

Instead of letting her lean on his sleeve, Jude stepped closer and put an arm around her waist, supporting her weight against his side.

Anna paused for a second at the contact, then let her shoulder rest against his frame as they moved toward the doors.

50 feet away, Silas watched them cross the floor together, his expression darkening with suspicion.

Is she managing him... or is he pulling her in completely?

As they passed through the double doors into the hall outside the ballroom, a young woman stepped out from the side corridor.

"Mr. Lawson. Do you have a moment?"

Jude stopped, keeping a steady hold on Anna.

It was the woman in the sapphire dress who had been sitting quietly near the back during the speeches. In the bright foyer lighting, her appearance was sharp and composed, carrying the understated confidence of someone from an old-money background.

"Good evening," Jude said.

"Pardon the interruption," she said, offering a handshake. "I’m Claire Kensington. I was inside when you outlined the open-ledger setup for the Lawson Sovereign Endowment. A fully auditable philanthropic structure is a model I’ve been researching for the past 3 years."

Jude recognized the name.

The Kensington family held major maritime freight assets across the East Coast and had donated the Riva yacht to the auction earlier that evening.

"You follow foundation management, Miss Kensington?" Jude asked.

"More than follow it," Claire replied directly. "I have the background and an operations team ready to deploy. I’d like to submit a proposal to direct the Lawson Sovereign Endowment."

Jude looked at her for a moment.

He needed someone independent and qualified to oversee the daily operations of the fund so it wouldn’t pull his attention from core acquisitions, but a hotel foyer at night wasn’t the setting for an interview.

"My associate needs to get home tonight, Miss Kensington," Jude said. "This isn’t the venue for an executive pitch."

"Understood," Claire said smoothly. "Could I get your office contact to send over our prospectus tomorrow morning?"

Jude gave her his direct office line. "Send the summary there. My assistant will set up a meeting next week."

"Thank you, Mr. Lawson. I’ll have the file over by 9:00 AM," Claire said, shaking his hand with a steady grip.

Jude gave a brief nod, turned with Anna, and walked toward the private elevator, while Claire remained by the archway, watching them head toward the exit...

Jude usually had no patience for unscheduled pitches in hotel hallways.

If Claire Kensington had been one of the junior fund managers inside, security would have stepped in before she finished her sentence.

But her background was clean, her family held real assets, and having an independent director handle the daily setup of a $1 billion endowment saved him time.

He turned with Anna toward the private elevator.

Before the doors opened, hurried footsteps echoed down the empty corridor.

"Mr. Lawson, wait... Please, just a moment!"

Gregory Vance rounded the corner alone, dabbing his forehead with a handkerchief.

Jude stopped, turning slightly. "Forget something on stage, Mr. Vance?"

Vance swallowed, forcing a smile as he stopped a few steps back. "I wanted to speak with you privately before you left. The charity circuit in this city is full of talk. If any rumors about the foundation’s accounting reached you tonight, I want to assure you they aren’t accurate."

Jude looked at him calmly.

Vance was fishing to see if Jude had actual proof or had just taken a lucky guess with the Harry Winston mention.

"Rumors, Mr. Vance?" Jude asked. "Like what?"

Vance glanced nervously at Anna, then back to Jude. "About how tonight’s pledges are allocated downstream. Has someone been giving you bad information?"

"Nobody briefed me on your ledger," Jude said evenly. "Why would they?"

A quick wave of relief crossed Vance’s face. He let out a breath. "Right. Of course. Just stress on my end. Forget I brought it up."

The elevator chimed, and the doors slid open.

Jude guided Anna into the cabin, then paused at the door, looking back at Vance.

"Though since you brought up allocations," Jude added, "donor capital for cancer clinics isn’t something to play with. If an administrator ever tried to route those funds through offshore accounts for personal purchases... the moment that paper trail hit a prosecutor’s desk, he’d lose his career and his freedom on the spot. Don’t you think?"

Vance’s smile vanished completely. "Yes... of course, Mr. Lawson. You’re entirely right."

"Have a good night, Gregory," Jude said as the doors closed.

In the hallway, Vance stood frozen against the wall.

Whether Lawson had a source or an actual recording didn’t matter... the warning was clear.

He pulled out his phone and canceled the offshore wire immediately.

Jude had avoided making a scene in the ballroom for a reason: starting a police investigation in the middle of the Sovereign Plaza would only disrupt a property he held equity in.

Forcing Vance to keep the $30 million in the clinic accounts resolved the problem cleanly without wasting legal hours.