“Answer me.”
Daniel’s smile disappeared.
“No.”
From the doorway came another voice.
“That’s unfortunate.”
Marcus Reed entered holding a tablet.
Adrien’s lieutenant was in his early forties, broad-shouldered, with silver beginning at his temples.
He placed the tablet on the desk.
“I found three.”
Daniel went pale.
Marcus looked at Elena.
“Three accounts under Elena Carter’s name. Combined transfers over fourteen months: thirty-one million, seven hundred and sixty-four thousand dollars.”
Elena felt the room tilt.
Daniel suddenly laughed.
“This is ridiculous.”
Marcus continued.
“Signatures match hers.”
Daniel’s eyes flashed toward Elena.
Adrien noticed.
So did she.
And in that tiny glance, Elena understood the plan.
Daniel was not surprised that her signatures were there.
He was surprised the accounts had been found.
Adrien folded his arms.
“Explain.”
Daniel exhaled slowly.
Then the man Elena had spent eight years loving made his choice.
He pointed at his wife.
“You should ask her.”
Elena stopped breathing.
Daniel continued.
“She handled the accounts.”
Adrien’s face remained unreadable.
Elena whispered, “What?”
Daniel looked directly at her now.
Almost apologetically.
Almost tenderly.
It was the cruelest expression she had ever seen.
“Elena, please don’t make this worse.”
Her mouth opened.
No sound came out.
He turned toward Adrien.
“My wife has had financial problems for years.”
“Daniel.”
“She owns a restoration business that barely makes money. She became obsessed with expanding it.”
“Daniel.”
“She asked me to structure investments.”
Elena stared at him in horror.
Daniel kept going.
“I didn’t understand where the capital came from until recently.”
“You bastard.”
His expression hardened.
“This is exactly what I was afraid of.”
Adrien asked quietly, “Afraid of what?”
Daniel sighed.
“That she would panic when somebody discovered it.”
Elena slapped him.
The sound cracked across the room.
Nobody moved.
Daniel slowly touched his cheek.
For one second, the mask vanished.
Hatred appeared underneath.
Pure.
Cold.
Then it was gone.
He whispered, “You shouldn’t have done that.”
Elena stepped closer.
“You’re right.”
Her voice trembled.
“I should have done it years ago.”
Chapter Two: The Perfect Scapegoat
Daniel had evidence.
That was the terrifying part.
Not merely forged signatures.
Emails.
Contracts.
Loan documents.
Copies of Elena’s identification.
Records showing money entering accounts connected to her conservation studio.
By midnight, the party had become irrelevant.
Guests were discreetly sent home.
Daniel, Vanessa, Elena, Adrien, and Marcus moved into a secure conference room on the mansion’s second floor.
Daniel produced emails supposedly sent by Elena.
One read:
Move the funds through Preservation. Daniel will handle the rest.
Another:
Do not put my real purpose in writing.
Elena stared at the screen.
“That isn’t me.”
Daniel leaned back.
“It came from your address.”
“You had my passwords.”
“Why would I have your passwords?”
“Because you handled our household accounts!”
He smiled sadly.
“There she goes again.”
Elena looked toward Adrien.
“You don’t believe him.”
Adrien didn’t answer.
That frightened her more than if he had.
Vanessa sat at the end of the table, pale and silent.
Elena pointed at her.
“Tell them.”
Vanessa looked up.
“Tell them what?”
“You were with him.”
Daniel warned, “Vanessa.”
Elena slammed her palm against the table.
“You were in that office. You talked about the account.”
Vanessa’s eyes filled with fear.
But when she spoke, she destroyed Elena’s last hope.
“I was talking about an account Elena asked Daniel to create.”
Elena stared.
Vanessa lowered her eyes.
“I’m sorry.”
The room became silent.
Elena laughed once.
It sounded broken.
“Of course.”
Daniel and Vanessa had prepared this together.
Maybe years ago.
Adrien rose.
“Enough.”
Daniel stood too.
“I’ve told you what I know.”
“No,” Adrien said. “You’ve told me what you prepared.”
Daniel froze.
Adrien turned toward Marcus.
“Copies of everything.”
Marcus nodded.
Daniel protested.
“You can’t hold us here.”
