Chapter 3
The Blue Folder
The police arrived seventeen minutes after Arthur called.
By then, Nia had stopped crying.
She stood near the rooftop entrance with her arms folded.
Her makeup had been repaired.
Her hair was still perfect.
And she was speaking to her father on the phone as though she were discussing an inconvenient business meeting.
I couldn't believe this was the woman I'd planned to marry.
Two officers approached Arthur.
He handed them his phone.
Then pointed toward the security camera.
"The full recording is preserved on the hotel's system."
One officer nodded.
"We'll need a copy."
Arthur looked toward me.
"I've already secured it."
Nia ended her call.
Then she walked toward the officers.
"I'm glad you're here."
I stared.
She continued.
"That server attacked my fiancé's grandmother."
Maya's face went pale.
One officer looked at Nia.
"We've received a different account."
Nia smiled.
"Of course you have. People love making accusations against successful women."
I felt disgust rise in my throat.
The officer remained calm.
"We'll review the evidence."
Nia's smile faltered.
Arthur handed him a tablet.
The video began.
I couldn't watch again.
I turned toward Grandma.
She sat beside Maya, holding her hand.
A paramedic had checked her for serious injuries and recommended hospital evaluation.
Grandma insisted she was fine.
But her hands still trembled.
I knelt beside her.
"We're going to the hospital."
She nodded.
"All right, sweetheart."
I was surprised.
Grandma rarely agreed so easily.
Then she leaned closer.
"Marcus."
"Yes?"
"Don't let Nia near my house."
My stomach tightened.
"Why?"
Grandma looked toward the officers.
"Because she knows about the folder."
I froze.
"The blue folder?"
She nodded.
My heart began pounding.
"What is in it?"
Her eyes filled.
"Proof."
"Proof of what?"
She squeezed my hand.
"That this wasn't an accident."
Before I could ask more, an officer approached.
"Mr. Williams?"
I stood.
"Yes?"
"We need your statement."
I glanced at Grandma.
She nodded.
"Go."
I told the officer everything.
What I'd seen.
How Maya saved Grandma.
What Nia said afterward.
And the strange phone call to her father.
The officer listened carefully.
Then asked, "Did Ms. Carter make any threats before today?"
I hesitated.
"Not that I know of."
Grandma spoke from behind me.
"She threatened me."
I turned.
"What?"
Grandma looked directly at the officer.
"Three days ago."
The terrace went silent.
Nia's head snapped toward us.
"That's a lie!"
The officer raised one hand.
"Ma'am, please remain where you are."
Grandma continued.
"She came to my house while Marcus was working."
My stomach tightened.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Grandma looked at me.
"Because I wanted proof before I broke your heart."
I felt tears rising.
"What happened?"
Grandma took a breath.
"She told me I needed to sign some papers."
"What papers?"
"Documents transferring control of part of the family trust."
My heart stopped.
The Williams Family Trust.
My grandfather had created it before he died.
It held several properties.
Investment accounts.
And shares in my company.
Grandma was one of the trustees.
So was I.
Nia had been asking about the trust for months.
I thought she was simply interested in our future finances.
Now I felt sick.
Grandma continued.
"When I refused, she became angry."
The officer asked, "Did she threaten you?"
Grandma nodded.
"She said I wouldn't be around forever."
A chill moved through me.
Nia shouted from across the terrace.
"You're twisting my words!"
Grandma looked at her.
"No, child."
Her voice was steady.
"I remember every word."
The officer wrote something down.
Then another officer approached Nia.
"Ms. Carter, we need to speak with you."
She stepped backward.
"My attorney is coming."
"You're entitled to legal counsel."
Nia looked at me.
"Marcus, say something."
I stared at her.
"What would you like me to say?"
Her expression softened.
"Tell them you know me."
I shook my head.
"I thought I did."
She began crying again.
Then two officers escorted her toward the elevator.
She didn't resist.
But just before the doors closed, she looked directly at me.
And whispered, "Your grandmother ruined everything."
The elevator doors shut.
I stood frozen.
Arthur approached.
"Marcus?"
I turned.
"Can you send someone to Grandma's house?"
He frowned.
"Why?"
"There's a folder I need."
Arthur nodded.
"I'll coordinate with the police."
Grandma reached for me.
"Sweetheart, listen carefully."
I knelt beside her.
"The folder is in my bedroom closet."
"Okay."
"Behind the old photograph of your grandfather."
I nodded.
She looked frightened.
"Don't open it alone."
My stomach tightened.
"Why?"
She swallowed.
"Because someone else in our family is involved."
I stared at her.
"Who?"
Grandma looked toward the elevator.
Then whispered a name.
"Your Uncle Raymond."
I felt the world tilt.
My father's younger brother.
The man who had helped me build my company.
The man who'd promised to walk Grandma down the aisle.
The man I'd trusted almost as much as her.
I shook my head.
"That's impossible."
Grandma's eyes filled.
"I wish it were."
She squeezed my hand.
"Marcus, that girl wasn't acting alone."
I looked toward the elevator doors.
Nia was gone.
But the danger wasn't.
And I suddenly realized something terrifying.
May you like
The woman I'd nearly married hadn't simply tried to remove my grandmother from our family.
She was helping someone steal everything my grandparents had spent their lives building.
