Chapter 5: The Groom Who Stepped Away
Chloe stared at Adrian.
“You searched my phone?”
“You left it open beside me last night.”
“So you betrayed me before we even married?”
“I saw Anna’s name and thought you were planning a surprise.”
He handed his phone to the officer.
Chloe tried to block him, but the security guards closed the space.
“Those are private messages,” Eleanor said.
“You cannot use them.”
My father’s attorney turned to her.
“Adrian was part of the conversation.
He may provide his own messages voluntarily.”
Adrian looked at me.
“Anna, I saw the plan.
I should have warned you.”
“Why didn’t you?”
“Chloe told me it was a loyalty test.
She said Daniel agreed and that no one would touch you.”
Chloe laughed.
“Now you are pretending to be noble?”
“No.
I am admitting I was a coward.”
He removed his suit jacket and held it out to Miriam, whose blouse had been splashed with champagne during the struggle.
“You protected the wrong person,” Miriam said.
“I know.”
She accepted the jacket anyway.
The officer scrolled through the messages.
“Who wrote, ‘Once she calls Bennett, take the black card’?”
Daniel looked at Chloe.
Chloe pointed at Eleanor.
“Mother did.”
Eleanor’s hand came up.
“You ungrateful little fool.”
“Do not blame me for following your plan!”
The officer stepped between them.
“Both of you need to stop.”
I picked up my black access card from the floor.
“This card cannot move money.
It opens restricted offices in my father’s buildings.”
Miriam looked at the card.
“Including the records archive?”
My father nodded.
“Including the archive containing the loan documents for Hartwell Care Group.”
Eleanor went completely still.
Daniel looked from her to Chloe.
“You wanted access to the original loan?”
“We wanted time,” Eleanor said.
“You wanted to remove the default notice,” my father replied.
Chloe folded her arms.
“You were going to take our company.”
“No.
Your company missed six payments.
I offered an audit and restructuring.
You refused both.”
“Because you wanted control.”
“I wanted to know why employee retirement money was disappearing.”
Miriam placed her copies on the table.
“Now you know.”
The officer separated the pages.
“Mrs.
Hartwell, you and Chloe will need to answer questions downtown.”
Eleanor’s voice hardened.
“No one is going anywhere until my attorney arrives.”
A man near the ballroom doors raised his hand.
“I am your attorney.”
Eleanor brightened.
“Harold, tell them this is a misunderstanding.”
Harold Price approached but stopped beside Miriam.
“I resigned this morning,” he said.
“Your instructions crossed a line.”
“You cannot resign during my daughter’s wedding.”
“I sent the letter before breakfast.”
Harold opened his briefcase and removed a sealed folder.
Chloe leaned toward him.
“What is that?”
“The original audit request you told me to destroy.”
Eleanor’s confidence returned.
“It proves nothing.
Daniel will confirm Anna offered to use her father’s influence against us.”
Daniel recoiled.
“She never did.”
“You had better remember who paid your university fees,” Eleanor said.
“And who can tell a court that your wife is unstable.”
The words struck harder than the torn silk.
Daniel looked at my stomach, then at his mother.
“What court?”
Eleanor smiled at me.
“The one that decides who is fit to raise a Hartwell child.”
My breath caught.
My father placed himself between us.
“You will never use Anna’s baby as leverage.”
“I already have Daniel’s statement,” Eleanor replied.
May you like
She opened her handbag and placed a notarized document on the table.
At the bottom of the page was my husband’s signature.
