Instead, her expression collapsed.
“My husband stole thirty-two million dollars.”
“We don’t know that yet.”
“I heard him.”
“You heard him say he moved it.”
“That is a very generous distinction.”
“I didn’t say it was innocent.”
Adrien walked toward a desk and picked up his phone.
“Marcus.”
His lieutenant answered almost immediately.
“Boss?”
“Close the west gates. Nobody leaves without my permission.”
Elena stared at him.
“You’re locking everyone inside?”
“Only the people who might run.”
“You mean Daniel.”
“I mean whoever becomes nervous when they discover the gates are closed.”
He ended the call.
Elena suddenly understood something.
“You already suspected him.”
Adrien said nothing.
“You did.”
“I suspected somebody.”
“And tonight?”
“Tonight was supposed to answer a few questions.”
Her pulse quickened.
“Was Daniel invited here because of the missing money?”
Adrien looked at her.
“Yes.”
The truth hit harder than she expected.
Daniel had told her this invitation could change their lives.
Apparently, he had been right.
Just not in the way she imagined.
“Why didn’t he know?”
“Because men like your husband are most honest when they think they are about to win.”
Elena turned away.
For eight years she had defended Daniel.
When friends said success had changed him, she blamed stress.
When her sister complained that Daniel talked down to Elena, she called it misunderstanding.
When Daniel forgot their anniversary but attended a developer’s birthday dinner, Elena convinced herself networking mattered.
She had turned warning signs into excuses because the alternative required admitting that the man sleeping beside her had slowly become someone she would never have chosen.
Now she whispered, “He used my name.”
Adrien’s voice softened.
“Maybe.”
“No. I know him.”
She laughed without humor.
“Apparently, I don’t know him at all.”
Adrien watched her carefully.
“Mrs. Carter—”
“Elena.”
He paused.
“Elena. If he forged your identity to move stolen funds, this becomes much larger than adultery.”
“I understand.”
“No. I don’t think you do.”
He moved closer.
“If federal investigators discover the account before we establish how it was created, you could look like the architect of the entire operation.”
Elena stared at him.
“How bad?”
“Bad enough that your husband may have spent years preparing to survive by sacrificing you.”
The words felt like a blade sliding between her ribs.
Then the library door opened.
Daniel stood there.
His face changed the instant he saw them together.
“Elena.”
She said nothing.
His gaze moved toward Adrien.
“What are you doing with my wife?”
Adrien’s expression remained calm.
“Interesting question.”
Daniel stepped inside.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”
“No, you haven’t,” Elena said.
Daniel stopped.
“What?”
“You spent the last twenty minutes in an office with Vanessa.”
His face hardened.
“Elena, you’re upset.”
“I’m becoming less upset by the second.”
“That doesn’t even make sense.”
“It does to me.”
Daniel glanced at Adrien.
“We need privacy.”
Adrien raised an eyebrow.
Daniel corrected himself.
“Please.”
Elena looked at the man she had loved for eight years.
His tie was slightly crooked.
His hair was perfectly combed.
His wedding ring gleamed beneath the lamp.
She wondered how many lies could fit inside something that looked so ordinary.
Then she asked one question.
“Daniel, is there a bank account in my name that I don’t know about?”
Everything stopped.
He blinked.
Only once.
But Elena saw it.
Adrien saw it too.
Daniel smiled.
“What are you talking about?”
Wrong answer.
Elena’s heart turned to stone.
“I asked whether there is an account in my name.”
“Of course we have accounts.”
“One I don’t know about.”
“Elena, where is this coming from?”
She almost admired him.
No panic.
No confession.
Immediate redirection.
Make her doubt herself.
He had probably done it a thousand times.
She simply hadn’t noticed.
