Chapter 2
Daniel recovered quickly.
At least he tried.
“That’s ridiculous.”
His voice was too loud.
“No money is missing.”
Caroline studied him.
“Our auditors disagree.”
“You can’t just show up at midnight and accuse me of stealing.”
My father stepped forward.
“Nobody used the word stealing.”
Daniel froze.
Dad’s eyes narrowed.
“But interesting that you did.”
Vanessa looked from Daniel to me.
She was no longer standing close to him.
“Daniel?”
He ignored her.
“Emma, tell them to leave.”
I stared at him.
Ten minutes earlier, he had thrown me into the rain.
Now he wanted my help.
“No.”
His jaw tightened.
“This is still my company.”
“Maybe.”
He stared.
“What does that mean?”
Caroline answered.
“It means we need to determine what remains of it.”
Dad’s security chief opened the rear door of the SUV.
“Emma should leave.”
I wanted to.
My back hurt.
My feet were swollen.
My heart felt destroyed.
But something kept me there.
“Where did the money go?”
Daniel looked at me.
“I don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“Three million dollars.”
“I heard her.”
“Then answer me.”
Vanessa suddenly spoke.
“Maybe someone in accounting made a mistake.”
Daniel turned toward her.
“Go inside.”
She blinked.
“What?”
“I said go inside.”
Her expression hardened.
“You invited me here.”
“And I’m telling you to go inside.”
Interesting.
An hour earlier, she was his future.
Now she was inconvenient.
Vanessa crossed her arms.
“I’m not going anywhere.”
Caroline looked at my father.
“We should preserve company records tonight.”
Dad nodded.
Daniel stepped down from the porch.
“You are not entering my office.”
Caroline remained calm.
“We do not need to.”
She held up a phone.
“Company servers are hosted by a Bennett subsidiary.”
Daniel stopped.
“We already restricted administrative access.”
For the first time, genuine fear appeared in his eyes.
I knew Daniel.
I knew the small muscle in his jaw that moved when he lied.
It was moving now.
“Daniel.”
He looked at me.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“You’re lying.”
“Emma, you’re emotional.”
My father’s expression darkened.
I lifted a hand.
“I can handle him.”
Daniel exhaled sharply.
“You’re seven months pregnant, standing in the rain while your father stages some corporate attack because our marriage failed.”
“Our marriage didn’t fail tonight.”
My voice surprised even me.
“You betrayed it long before tonight.”
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“This is pathetic.”
I looked at her.
She smiled.
“Daniel stopped loving you. Accept it.”
I almost answered.
Then Caroline’s phone rang again.
She listened.
“Understood.”
She ended the call.
“We found the destination account.”
Daniel stared.
“What account?”
Caroline looked at me.
“The missing funds moved through a consulting company called V&C Strategic Partners.”
Vanessa’s face changed.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
“What?” I asked.
She shook her head.
“Nothing.”
Caroline looked at her.
“Do you know that company?”
“No.”
Too fast.
I turned toward Daniel.
He looked away.
My stomach tightened.
“Who owns it?”
Caroline checked her phone.
“The listed owner is Vanessa Cole.”
Silence.
Even the rain seemed quieter.
I looked at Vanessa.
She stepped backward.
“That’s not what it sounds like.”
Three million dollars.
My husband’s mistress.
A company bearing her initials.
I almost laughed because crying suddenly felt too small.
Daniel moved toward me.
“Emma, listen.”
“Don’t.”
“It’s complicated.”
“You told me nothing was missing.”
“I didn’t know what they had found.”
“So you do know?”
He stopped.
Vanessa snapped.
“Daniel, say something.”
He turned on her.
“Shut up.”
Her eyes widened.
“Excuse me?”
“You said the company couldn’t be traced.”
Everyone went silent.
Daniel realized what he had said.
Caroline’s gaze sharpened.
My father looked almost satisfied.
I felt sick.
Vanessa’s face twisted.
“You idiot.”
That was when I understood.
They were both involved.
Not just in an affair.
In something else.
Something much bigger.
Caroline quietly activated her phone recorder.
“Mr. Carter, perhaps you should clarify.”
Daniel stepped backward.
“I misspoke.”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“No, you panicked.”
“Vanessa.”
“You promised me everything was protected.”
My father glanced at me.
I could barely process the words.
“What exactly was protected?” I asked.
Vanessa looked at me.
Then she smiled.
Cruel.
Desperate.
“You really don’t know anything about your husband, do you?”
Daniel grabbed her arm.
“Enough.”
She yanked free.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Go inside.”
“No.”
She pointed toward me.
“You told me she was useless.”
My throat tightened.
Daniel went pale.
Vanessa continued.
“You said she had no idea how the company actually worked.”
“Stop.”
“You said once the baby was born, you’d divorce her and keep control of everything.”
My hand instinctively covered my stomach.
My father moved toward Daniel.
I stepped between them.
“Dad.”
His fists were clenched.
I looked at Daniel.
“Was that the plan?”
He said nothing.
“Was our daughter part of some business plan?”
“No.”
Finally.
A word.
But I no longer trusted it.
Vanessa laughed.
“He wanted the marriage to last until the next financing round.”
Daniel spun toward her.
“You wanted the money too.”
“At least I never pretended this was love.”
That sentence cut through me.
Daniel looked at her in disbelief.
I realized something almost pathetic.
He had betrayed me for a woman who was already preparing to betray him.
Caroline received another message.
Her expression became serious.
“Emma, we should leave.”
“Why?”
“Our forensic team found transfers beyond the three million.”
“How much?”
She hesitated.
My father answered for her.
“Tell her.”
Caroline looked at me.
“Possibly another twelve million.”
My knees weakened.
James caught my elbow.
“Easy.”
Daniel stared at Caroline.
“That’s impossible.”
She ignored him.
“The transactions involve false vendor payments, inflated property purchases, and at least two offshore entities.”
Dad looked at his security chief.
“Notify federal counsel.”
Daniel’s head snapped up.
“Federal?”
Caroline nodded.
“If interstate fraud and investor funds are involved, this may go beyond civil litigation.”
Daniel stepped toward me.
“Emma, please.”
I had never heard him beg.
Not once.
Now he did.
“Please don’t do this.”
I stared at him.
“I didn’t.”
He stopped.
“You did.”
The words landed between us.
I turned toward the SUV.
Then Vanessa shouted.
“Wait.”
We all looked back.
She was holding her phone.
Her face had gone white.
“Daniel.”
He ignored her.
“Daniel!”
“What?”
She held up the screen.
“My accounts are frozen.”
Caroline gave a small nod.
“They should be.”
Vanessa stared at her.
“You can’t do that!”
“We did not.”
Caroline looked at Daniel.
“The bank did.”
Sirens sounded in the distance.
Daniel’s face changed again.
Police cars turned onto the road.
I looked at my father.
“Did you call them?”
“No.”
Caroline’s phone buzzed.
She read the message.
Then looked toward Daniel.
“Apparently one of your former employees did.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
The first cruiser pulled toward the mansion.
A second followed.
The officer who stepped out looked directly at Daniel.
“Mr. Carter?”
Daniel swallowed.
“Yes?”
“We need to speak with you regarding a complaint filed earlier tonight.”
“What complaint?”
The officer looked at me briefly.
Then back at him.
“Embezzlement, falsified contracts, and threats against a former employee.”
Daniel stared at the police.
Then at Vanessa.
May you like
Then at me.
And suddenly I knew the money was only the beginning.
