Grayson sat in his office at Vaughn Industries, staring at the skyline but seeing nothing. The morning meeting with the board had gone better than expected—most of the shareholders had agreed to hold their positions and resist Blackstone's buyout attempts. The FBI investigation was still ongoing, but his lawyers were confident the forged signatures would be proven fraudulent within weeks.

By all accounts, he should feel relieved.

Instead, he felt restless.

His phone sat on the desk, ...