Chapter 5
I brought the salon receipt to Angela the next morning.
She examined it carefully.
Then she compared it with the payment records Simone had provided.
The amount matched.
Five thousand dollars.
The transaction had been processed through a business account associated with Marcus's event management company.
I stared at the confirmation.
"Why would he pay that much for a salon appointment?"
Angela looked serious.
"That is something we need to establish. The payment alone doesn't prove the purpose, but it supports further investigation."
I nodded.
Then she showed me a copy of an email obtained through the salon manager's records.
The message had been sent from Vanessa to Tiffany.
It referred to a private bridal preparation session and requested that Evelyn be kept in the salon until a family document was reviewed.
My stomach tightened.
"Kept in the salon?"
Angela nodded.
"The language is concerning."
I stared at the email.
They had planned to isolate my mother.
Present the ownership document.
Pressure her to sign.
And humiliate her if she refused.
I felt sick.
Angela continued.
"We should document the incident and discuss the available legal options concerning the unwanted haircut and the attempted business transfer."
I agreed.
Then I asked about the wedding.
"What happens to the contracts?"
She reviewed the venue agreement.
Some deposits were nonrefundable.
Others might be recoverable depending on the circumstances.
I nodded.
I had spent nearly one hundred thousand dollars on the wedding.
The money hurt.
But not as much as the realization that I had almost married someone who viewed my company as an opportunity.
Angela asked whether I wanted to pursue reimbursement from Marcus.
I took a breath.
"Yes. But the business comes first."
She nodded.
"That's sensible."
We spent the morning preparing notices to clients and vendors.
The letters confirmed that Washington Design Studio remained independently owned and operated.
No merger had occurred.
No ownership transfer had been authorized.
And any claims suggesting otherwise were disputed.
I felt stronger with every document we sent.
I was no longer reacting to Marcus's decisions.
I was protecting what I had built.
That afternoon, Tasha called.
"Nia, Sterling wants a meeting."
My stomach tightened.
"Why?"
"Their legal team reviewed the conflicting proposals. They want clarification before proceeding."
I closed my eyes.
The Sterling contract could support my entire team for years.
Losing it would be devastating.
I agreed to meet them the following morning.
Then I sat alone in my office.
For the first time since the wedding, fear overwhelmed me.
What if Marcus had damaged my reputation beyond repair?
What if clients no longer trusted me?
What if years of work disappeared because I trusted the wrong man?
I looked at the framed photograph on my desk.
It showed Mom and me standing outside my first tiny office.
I had rented a single room above a bakery.
The walls were peeling.
The air conditioner barely worked.
But I was smiling.
Mom stood beside me, holding a homemade sign that read GRAND OPENING.
I remembered how proud she had been.
"You built this from nothing, baby."
I touched the frame.
Then I took a breath.
I wasn't going to let Marcus take that away.
The next morning, I met with Sterling's executives.
Angela accompanied me.
The conference room was filled with people wearing expensive suits.
I felt nervous.
But I kept my voice steady.
I explained that no merger had taken place.
I presented the company's ownership records.
The original Sterling contract.
And the formal notices disputing the unauthorized representations.
Then I looked at the development director, William Sterling.
"Washington Design Studio remains fully capable of delivering this project."
He studied me.
"Ms. Washington, we chose your firm because of your design vision and your team's work."
I felt my chest tighten.
He continued.
"We did not request a partnership with Marcus's company."
I nearly cried.
"Thank you."
He nodded.
"But we need assurance that our confidential information remains secure."
I explained the access incident and the steps we'd taken.
New passwords.
Revoked sessions.
An independent review.
Restricted project folders.
Angela confirmed that the investigation was ongoing.
William listened carefully.
Then he said something that made me exhale for the first time all morning.
"We intend to continue with your firm, subject to the agreed security requirements."
I smiled through my tears.
"Thank you."
When I left the building, I called Mom.
"Baby?" she answered.
"We kept Sterling."
She screamed.
I laughed.
Then she began crying.
"I knew you could do it!"
I stood on the sidewalk, smiling like a child.
For the first time since the wedding, I felt genuine joy.
But it didn't last long.
That evening, Marcus appeared outside my office.
Security called me.
I told them not to let him inside.
Then my phone rang.
It was Marcus.
"Nia, please. Just five minutes."
I hesitated.
Then I answered.
"Say what you need to say."
His voice sounded exhausted.
"I never wanted things to get this bad."
I closed my eyes.
"You paid for the salon room."
Silence.
Then he sighed.
"Vanessa handled the arrangements."
"The payment came from your company."
"I knew she wanted to teach your mother a lesson."
My stomach turned.
"A lesson?"
"Your mother kept interfering with our plans."
I stared through the office window.
"She refused to sign a document transferring my business."
Marcus's voice hardened.
"That agreement would have benefited both of us."
"Without asking me?"
"We were getting married!"
"Marriage doesn't give you the right to take my company."
He laughed bitterly.
"You act like I was stealing something."
I felt cold.
"You submitted documents claiming I approved a merger."
Silence.
Then he said, "You were going to approve it eventually."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
He sighed.
"Nia, we could have built something enormous together."
I stared at the phone.
"By lying to my clients?"
"By combining resources."
"By humiliating my mother?"
He didn't answer.
I took a breath.
"Marcus, this conversation is over."
His voice sharpened.
"If you keep pushing, Vanessa will file a complaint about what you did to her hair."
I looked toward the security camera above the office entrance.
"She has that right. And my mother has the right to report what happened to her."
Marcus went silent.
Then he said something that made my stomach drop.
"You don't know what Vanessa has on your mother."
I froze.
"What are you talking about?"
He laughed softly.
"Ask Evelyn about the money she took from your father before he died."
My chest tightened.
My father had died when I was seventeen.
His death had devastated us.
He had owned a small landscaping company.
Mom had struggled for years afterward.
"What money?"
Marcus didn't answer.
Instead, he said, "Maybe your mother isn't as innocent as you think."
Then he hung up.
I stood motionless.
For the first time since the wedding, Marcus had mentioned my father.
And I had no idea why.
I called Mom immediately.
When I repeated his words, she went silent.
Then she whispered, "Nia, we need to talk."
My stomach dropped.
"Mom?"
Her voice trembled.
"There's something about your father's estate I've never told you."
May you like
I stared at the wall.
And suddenly, I wondered whether Marcus had uncovered a family secret he intended to use against us.
