Chapter 5
I spent the next morning staring at my wedding photographs.
There I was in my white gown.
Smiling.
Laughing.
Holding Marcus's hand.
Beside us stood Richard and Evelyn Bennett, looking like proud parents.
Victor Hale wasn't visible in the photographs.
But I wondered whether he had attended under another guest's invitation.
I wondered how many people at my wedding knew what was coming.
And I wondered whether Marcus had ever loved me at all.
The question hurt more than the money.
I could rebuild a company.
I could recover from financial loss.
But how was I supposed to recover from realizing my marriage might have been planned before I even met my husband?
I heard a knock.
Angela entered my sitting room.
"Simone, there's something we need to discuss."
I put down the photograph.
"What now?"
She sat across from me.
"The lender has responded."
My stomach tightened.
"And?"
"They've acknowledged our dispute and suspended further action involving the claimed Whitmore collateral while they review the documentation."
I exhaled.
"That's good."
"It is."
She hesitated.
"But they've also provided information about the borrower."
I frowned.
"Bennett Capital?"
"Not exactly."
She handed me a document.
The borrowing entity was called Meridian Development Partners.
I had never heard of it.
But when I read the ownership section, my heart began racing.
Marcus Bennett held thirty percent.
Richard Bennett held thirty percent.
Victor Hale held twenty percent.
The remaining twenty percent belonged to a holding company controlled by Evelyn.
I stared at the page.
"They all owned it."
Angela nodded.
"This entity appears to have been created to acquire or control assets related to Whitmore Holdings."
I looked up.
"How long ago?"
"Eleven months."
My stomach dropped.
Eleven months.
Marcus proposed to me ten months ago.
I remembered the night perfectly.
He took me to the rooftop restaurant where we had our first date.
He knelt beneath a sky full of stars.
He cried when I said yes.
The company had already been formed.
The trap was waiting.
I stood.
"I want to confront him."
Angela shook her head.
"Not alone."
"I need to hear him admit it."
"I understand."
"No, Angela. I married this man."
My voice broke.
"I promised to spend my life with him."
She stood beside me.
"And now you need to protect your life from the consequences of his deception."
I covered my face.
For a moment, I allowed myself to cry.
Then I wiped my cheeks.
"What's next?"
Angela explained that the disputed financing documents had been referred for further investigation.
The board had retained independent forensic accountants.
The trustees were reviewing every recent transaction.
And the company had temporarily restricted access to sensitive systems.
I nodded.
"Good."
Then she asked, "Have you checked your personal financial accounts?"
I frowned.
"Why?"
"Because Marcus may have obtained access to more than company information."
My stomach tightened.
I opened my banking application.
At first, everything looked normal.
Then I checked a secondary investment account.
There were several recent authorization requests.
One involved a proposed transfer of seven hundred and fifty thousand dollars.
The request had not been completed.
But the recipient information made me feel sick.
Meridian Development Partners.
I stared at the screen.
"Angela."
She leaned closer.
Her expression hardened.
"We need to notify the financial institution immediately."
My hands shook as I called.
The bank confirmed that the request had been submitted using credentials associated with my account.
I disputed it.
I changed my passwords.
I requested additional security.
And I realized that the man I trusted with my heart had attempted to reach into almost every part of my life.
Later that afternoon, I received a call from my best friend, Tasha Monroe.
She had been my maid of honor.
We had known each other since college.
"Simone, are you okay?"
I tried to answer.
Instead, I started crying.
She was at my house twenty minutes later.
The moment she saw me, she wrapped her arms around me.
"Oh, honey."
I held her tightly.
"I married a stranger."
She guided me to the sofa.
"Tell me everything."
I explained the folder.
The transfer.
The forged signature.
The financial arrangements.
The threats.
Tasha listened with growing horror.
Then she said something unexpected.
"Simone, I need to tell you something."
I looked at her.
"What?"
"Marcus asked me questions before your wedding."
My stomach tightened.
"What questions?"
"About your grandmother's estate."
I stared at her.
She looked ashamed.
"He said he wanted to surprise you with an anniversary investment plan."
I felt sick.
"What did you tell him?"
"Nothing specific. I told him I didn't know the details."
She hesitated.
"But he asked something strange."
"What?"
"He wanted to know whether you had ever considered changing the trust."
My heart dropped.
Tasha continued.
"He asked whether you trusted Margaret."
I closed my eyes.
Marcus had been collecting information.
Not just from me.
From the people closest to me.
Tasha began crying.
"I'm sorry."
I shook my head.
"You didn't know."
She squeezed my hand.
"But I should have told you."
I looked at her.
"You're telling me now."
She nodded.
Then her expression changed.
"There's something else."
I felt my stomach twist.
"What?"
"At the wedding reception, I saw Marcus arguing with his father."
I leaned forward.
"About what?"
"I couldn't hear everything."
She paused.
"But Richard said, 'It has to be completed tomorrow morning.'"
My blood ran cold.
"Did Marcus answer?"
She nodded.
"He said, 'She'll sign. She trusts me.'"
I stared at the floor.
There it was.
The truth I had been trying not to face.
Marcus had used my love as part of his business plan.
Tasha held my hand.
"I wish I'd understood."
I shook my head.
"So do I."
That evening, Samuel Brooks, a senior investigator retained by the company, joined Angela and Margaret to review the evidence.
He examined the security footage.
The financial records.
The messages.
The missing binder.
Then he asked a question.
"Has anyone checked whether Victor Hale entered the wedding venue?"
I looked up.
"No."
Samuel nodded.
"We should preserve the venue's recordings before they're overwritten."
I contacted the hotel.
They agreed to secure the footage.
The next morning, Samuel called.
His voice was serious.
"Simone, we found Victor."
My heart pounded.
"At the wedding?"
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
"Where?"
"He entered through a service entrance shortly before the ceremony."
I frowned.
"Why?"
Samuel hesitated.
"Because he met with Marcus."
My stomach tightened.
"What happened?"
"They exchanged a document envelope."
I stared at the wall.
Then Samuel continued.
"And Simone, the envelope carried the logo of Whitmore Holdings."
I stopped breathing.
"That's impossible."
He paused.
"Someone inside your company may have been helping them."
I looked toward Grandma's portrait above the fireplace.
A betrayal inside my marriage.
May you like
A betrayal inside my company.
And suddenly, I realized that the people trying to steal my grandmother's legacy might be much closer than I ever imagined.
