Chapter 3 - The Woman Who Knew Too Much
The next morning, my phone rang before seven.
I was sitting at the breakfast table while Lily carefully arranged strawberries into the shape of a heart.
Isaiah was making coffee.
His phone had been ringing since sunrise.
But he hadn't answered a single business call.
He had promised Lily pancakes.
And Isaiah Bennett didn't break promises to his daughter.
My phone vibrated again.
The name on the screen made my stomach tighten.
Marcus Carter.
I ignored it.
A minute later, he called again.
Then again.
Isaiah glanced at me.
"Everything okay?"
"Marcus."
His expression changed.
"Do you want me to handle it?"
I shook my head.
"No. He's my past. I'll decide whether I speak to him."
Isaiah smiled slightly.
"That's my girl."
Lily looked up.
"I'm your girl too!"
Isaiah immediately lifted her into his arms.
"You're my favorite girl."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Excuse me?"
He grinned.
"One of my two favorite girls."
Lily giggled.
For a moment, the world felt perfect.
Then a message appeared on my phone.
Nia, please. It's an emergency. Richard is missing, and the auditors are accusing me of stealing millions. I need your help.
I read it twice.
Richard was missing?
I looked at Isaiah.
"Something happened."
He took the phone.
His smile faded.
"Richard Sloan hasn't responded to anyone since last night."
"You knew?"
"My security team informed me an hour ago."
I stared at him.
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because I didn't want to worry you before breakfast."
I looked at Lily.
She was licking strawberry juice from her fingers.
Isaiah lowered his voice.
"The situation is being handled."
But I knew him well enough to recognize concern beneath his calm expression.
After Lily left for preschool with Denise, Isaiah asked me to join him in his study.
His head of corporate security, Daniel Hayes, was waiting.
Daniel was a broad-shouldered man in his forties with a quiet voice and an extraordinary ability to notice things other people missed.
He placed several documents on the desk.
"Mrs. Bennett, we're investigating financial irregularities involving Carter Development."
I sat down.
"Isaiah mentioned eleven million dollars."
Daniel nodded.
"That's what we've identified so far."
Isaiah opened a file.
"Carter Development has been struggling for almost two years. The company borrowed heavily to finance projects that never produced the expected returns."
I frowned.
"Marcus never mentioned financial problems last night."
Isaiah gave me a thoughtful look.
"People who are drowning often spend the most time pretending they're swimming."
I glanced at the documents.
Several unfamiliar company names appeared beside large transfers.
One caught my attention.
Brooks Consulting Services.
My maiden name was Brooks.
I leaned closer.
"What's that?"
Daniel followed my gaze.
"A consulting company that received approximately two million dollars."
I felt uneasy.
"Who owns it?"
Daniel hesitated.
"We're still confirming beneficial ownership."
Something about the name bothered me.
It was too familiar.
Too deliberate.
"Can I see the registration?"
Daniel slid another page toward me.
I read the address.
Then I stopped breathing.
It was my old apartment.
The apartment Marcus and I had shared during our marriage.
The one I moved out of after the divorce.
"Isaiah."
He looked at me.
"That address."
"What about it?"
"I used to live there."
Daniel immediately reached for the document.
"Are you certain?"
"Absolutely."
Isaiah moved beside me.
"Was the apartment in your name?"
"Both our names originally. Marcus kept it after the divorce."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"Then we need to examine the incorporation records."
I stared at the page.
My heart was pounding.
"What exactly are you saying?"
Daniel spoke carefully.
"Someone may have created a business using information associated with you."
I shook my head.
"Why?"
"We don't know."
Then he turned another page.
There it was.
The registered manager.
Nia Brooks.
My maiden name.
My old address.
My date of birth.
I felt sick.
"That's impossible."
Isaiah took my hand.
"Sweetheart?"
"I never registered this company."
Daniel nodded.
"We believe you."
I stared at the documents.
"Marcus knows all that information."
Isaiah's jaw tightened.
"Yes. He does."
I looked at him.
"Do you think he used my identity?"
"I think someone did. And we're going to find out who."
My first instinct was anger.
Then fear.
If someone had moved millions through a company registered under my name, what else had they done?
How many people would believe I was involved?
The thought made my chest tighten.
I had spent years rebuilding my reputation.
My career.
My confidence.
I had finally become someone I was proud of.
And suddenly, my past was reaching into my present, threatening to destroy everything.
"I need to speak to Marcus," I said.
Isaiah shook his head.
"Not alone."
"I'm not afraid of him."
"I know."
He squeezed my hand.
"But this is no longer just about an arrogant ex-husband."
Daniel nodded.
"There may be criminal activity involved."
My phone rang again.
Marcus.
This time, I answered.
"Nia."
His voice was frantic.
"Thank God."
"What do you want?"
"I need you to meet me."
"Why?"
"Someone's framing me."
I looked at the documents.
"Interesting."
"Nia, I'm serious."
"So am I."
He lowered his voice.
"Richard disappeared last night. His office is empty. His assistant says he left with a woman."
"What woman?"
"I don't know."
"Then call the police."
"I can't."
I frowned.
"Why not?"
He hesitated.
"Because there's money missing."
I closed my eyes.
"Eleven million?"
Silence.
Then he whispered, "You know?"
"Marcus, did you create a company using my name?"
Another silence.
Longer.
My stomach dropped.
"Answer me."
He began breathing faster.
"Nia, it's not what you think."
My hands shook.
"What did you do?"
"I didn't have a choice."
I stared at Isaiah.
He was watching me carefully.
Marcus continued.
"The company was failing. Richard said he could move some funds temporarily and bring investors in later."
"Using my identity?"
"I thought the paperwork was harmless."
I couldn't speak.
He rushed on.
"I never expected anyone to look into it."
My throat tightened.
"You used my name to hide money?"
"Nia, please."
"Do you understand what you've done?"
"I was going to fix everything."
"That's what you always said."
His voice became desperate.
"I need you to tell Isaiah the company belongs to you."
I froze.
"What?"
"Just temporarily. If the auditors think you authorized the transfers, they'll stop treating them as suspicious."
I stared at the phone.
He wasn't asking for help.
He was asking me to take responsibility for his crimes.
Seven years after throwing me away, Marcus Carter still believed I existed to clean up his mistakes.
I laughed once.
It sounded unfamiliar.
Cold.
"No."
"Nia—"
"No, Marcus."
"You don't understand!"
"I understand perfectly."
He began pleading.
"If this goes public, I'll lose everything."
I looked toward the photograph of Lily on Isaiah's desk.
Then I remembered the woman I used to be.
The woman who would have sacrificed her own future to protect Marcus.
That woman was gone.
"Then perhaps you should have thought about that before you used my identity."
I ended the call.
Isaiah squeezed my hand.
"I'm proud of you."
I wiped my eyes.
"Why am I crying?"
"Because he hurt you again."
I shook my head.
"No."
I took a deep breath.
"I'm crying because this time, I didn't let him."
But before we could discuss what to do next, Daniel's phone rang.
He listened.
His expression changed.
"Understood."
He ended the call.
Isaiah looked at him.
"What happened?"
Daniel hesitated.
Then he turned toward me.
"Mrs. Bennett, someone has leaked the consulting company documents to the press."
My stomach dropped.
May you like
Daniel continued.
"And they're claiming you personally stole two million dollars from Carter Development."
