Chapter 6
The foundation account had been opened fourteen months earlier.
Fourteen months.
Before Graham proposed.
Before I chose a wedding date.
Before I spent six months sewing a gown I believed I'd wear while becoming his wife.
I stared at the records Charles Bennett had obtained through the foundation's authorized review.
The account was called the Sienna Hale Creative Futures Fund.
The name sounded harmless.
Even generous.
My sister had always talked about wanting to open a fashion business.
A charitable fund bearing her name could have been a legitimate way to support young designers.
But the transaction history told a different story.
Money had moved into the fund from Hale House.
Then out again.
Large payments to consulting companies.
Event vendors.
And businesses connected to Graham.
I sat across from Charles in his office.
My father was beside me.
"How much?" I asked.
Charles looked grim.
"Based on the records available, approximately four hundred and sixty thousand dollars passed through the account."
My stomach tightened.
"Four hundred and sixty thousand?"
He nodded.
"Not all of it necessarily represents a loss, but several transactions lack supporting documentation."
I stared at the numbers.
That money could have funded years of sewing classes.
Scholarships.
Repairs.
Equipment.
Opportunities for young women who couldn't afford expensive training.
I thought about Grandma saving scraps of fabric because she hated waste.
I thought about her personally repairing old sewing machines instead of buying new ones.
And Graham had apparently been moving enormous sums through accounts carrying my sister's name.
"Did Sienna sign anything?"
Charles nodded.
"Several account documents bear her signature."
I closed my eyes.
My sister hadn't simply worn my dress.
She had been connected to the financial scheme threatening Grandma's legacy.
My father looked at Charles.
"What happens now?"
Charles folded his hands.
"We preserve the records, notify the proper authorities, and pursue emergency protections over the foundation's assets."
I nodded.
"Can we stop Graham from selling Hale House?"
"We can seek court intervention while the ownership and authority questions are resolved."
I looked down.
For the first time, I realized how close I might have come to losing everything Grandma built.
Not just my wedding.
Not just the man I loved.
The one place in the world where I had always felt completely understood.
That afternoon, I received a message from Sienna.
CAN WE TALK?
I stared at it for several minutes.
Then I replied.
PUT IT IN WRITING.
She called immediately.
I declined.
Another message arrived.
I DIDN'T KNOW EVERYTHING.
I stared at those words.
Everything.
The same excuse my mother had used.
The same excuse Graham kept repeating.
Nobody knew everything.
Yet somehow everyone knew enough to hurt me.
I typed back.
TELL ME WHAT YOU DID KNOW.
For several minutes, nothing happened.
Then my phone buzzed.
GRAHAM SAID THE FOUNDATION MONEY WAS A LOAN.
I waited.
HE SAID IT WOULD BE REPAID AFTER THE WEDDING.
I stared.
Then another message.
HE TOLD ME YOU AGREED TO INVEST IN MY BUSINESS.
I felt sick.
I had never agreed to any such investment.
I typed,
DID YOU EVER ASK ME?
No response.
I sent another message.
DID YOU EVER CHECK WHETHER I KNEW?
Still nothing.
Then finally,
NO.
I put down my phone.
That one word hurt more than an elaborate lie.
Because Sienna knew she had chosen not to ask.
She knew there was a chance Graham was deceiving me.
And she decided that chance was acceptable.
As long as she got what she wanted.
An hour later, my phone rang again.
This time, it was Sienna.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
"What?"
She was crying.
"Juliet, please."
I stared out the window.
"Tell me the truth."
She took a shaky breath.
"Graham said he was going to leave you."
My chest tightened.
"When?"
"Before Christmas."
Christmas had been nearly six months earlier.
I closed my eyes.
"So you knew?"
She began sobbing.
"I thought he loved me."
I laughed bitterly.
"And that made it okay?"
"No."
"Then why did you do it?"
She was silent.
I waited.
Finally, she whispered,
"Because I was tired of being second."
My heart stopped.
"Second?"
She cried harder.
"Everything was always about you."
I stared at the wall.
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"You were tired of being second?"
She swallowed.
"Grandma always praised you."
I felt something break.
"Because I worked with her."
"She left Hale House to you."
"Because I promised to keep it open."
Sienna began crying.
"Mom always said you were the responsible one."
I closed my eyes.
There it was.
All those years of competition.
All the resentment.
All the jealousy.
My sister had built a story in which every accomplishment I earned was something stolen from her.
I took a slow breath.
"Sienna, I never took anything from you."
She said nothing.
"You were loved. You were supported. Mom defended you no matter what you did."
Her voice cracked.
"I know."
I stared at the floor.
"Then why wasn't that enough?"
She whispered,
"I don't know."
For the first time, she sounded genuinely lost.
But I wasn't ready to comfort her.
I couldn't.
Not after everything.
"Did Graham tell you what would happen to Hale House?"
She hesitated.
Then whispered,
"Yes."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"He said part of it would be sold."
I stopped breathing.
"Sold?"
"He said the money would fund our new business."
I stared at my phone.
"Our?"
Sienna began crying again.
"He promised we'd open a luxury bridal company."
I felt dizzy.
My dress.
The salon.
The wedding.
The foundation.
Everything connected.
Graham wasn't simply replacing me with Sienna.
He was using both of us in different ways.
I had access to Hale House.
Sienna had the desire to become someone important.
My mother had access to family records.
And Graham had learned exactly how to manipulate all three.
I took a breath.
"Sienna, I need every message you have."
She hesitated.
"Why?"
"Because if you want anyone to believe you're sorry, you need to stop protecting him."
She was quiet.
Then whispered,
"Okay."
Two hours later, she sent me hundreds of messages.
I forwarded them to Charles.
Some were romantic.
Some discussed wedding plans.
Others contained financial instructions.
But one message stopped me cold.
It was from Graham to Sienna.
Make sure Juliet signs the final authorization before June 7. After that, she won't be able to stop the property transfer.
I stared at the screen.
The final authorization.
I remembered Graham mentioning paperwork we needed to complete before the wedding.
He'd said it was routine.
I had planned to sign it during our rehearsal dinner.
My hands began trembling.
If I hadn't walked into the bridal salon that afternoon, I might have signed away the future my grandmother left me.
And I would have done it while believing I was marrying the man who loved me.
That evening, Charles called.
He had reviewed the messages.
"Juliet, this is significant."
I sat upright.
"What happens now?"
"We're moving forward with emergency filings."
I closed my eyes.
"Can we protect Hale House?"
"We have grounds to ask the court to preserve its current status while the dispute is examined."
I exhaled.
Then Charles continued.
"There's something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Sienna's messages indicate Graham had another investor."
I frowned.
"Who?"
Charles hesitated.
"A woman named Celeste Warren."
The name meant nothing to me.
"Who is she?"
"She's connected to Ashcombe Development Partners."
I stared at the wall.
"And?"
Charles took a breath.
"According to the messages, she expected to take control of Hale House after the wedding."
I felt cold.
"Why?"
He paused.
"Because she believed Graham had already secured the signatures necessary to transfer it."
I gripped the phone.
Then he said,
"Juliet, there's a chance Graham was planning to betray Sienna too."
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
My sister had destroyed our relationship for a man who might never have intended to marry her.
And suddenly I realized something.
May you like
Graham wasn't choosing between two sisters.
He was using both of us to steal something neither of us fully understood.
