Chương 7
That surprised me.
“Why?”
“Because if there is a way to save parts of the company, he wants to find it.”
I leaned against the counter.
The strange thing about Ethan was that even after everything, part of him still cared about what he built.
Maybe that was why this was so complicated.
A person could be selfish and still have responsibilities.
A person could make terrible choices and still feel attached to the consequences.
I hated that reality.
It would have been easier if he had been completely cruel.
“He wants to meet with you,” Marcus said.
“No.”
“Claire.”
“No.”
“He believes there are things you need to know.”
“I know enough.”
Marcus was quiet.
“You may not.”
I looked outside.
The neighbor across the street was bringing groceries inside.
A woman in a red coat was struggling with a stroller.
Normal things.
Normal lives.
“Where is he wrong?” I asked.
Marcus hesitated.
“That is what we are trying to determine.”
I knew that was not the whole answer.
“You think he is hiding something else.”
“I think everyone involved is hiding something.”
That stayed with me.
Because Marcus was right.
Ethan was not the only person in this story who had something to lose.
That afternoon, I went to the Mercer Trust office for the first time since everything happened.
The building felt different.
Not because anyone treated me differently.
Because I felt different walking through it.
Before, I entered as Ethan’s wife.
The person beside the successful executive.
Now I entered as someone making decisions.
I did not know if I wanted that responsibility.
I only knew I had it.
Daniel was waiting in the conference room with three folders open.
He looked tired.
“You slept?”
“A little.”
“That means no.”
He smiled faintly.
“Still my sister.”
I sat down.
“What did you find?”
He pushed one folder toward me.
“Northbridge Advisory.”
I opened it.
The company was registered eighteen months earlier.
Consulting services.
Strategic planning.
Nothing unusual on paper.
“Who owns it?”
Daniel looked at me.
“That is the problem.”
I turned the page.
The owner information had been shielded through another entity.
“Can we find out?”
“We can try.”
“Try?”
“Claire, wealthy people hide ownership structures every day.”
I closed the folder.
“So someone helped him hide money.”
“Maybe.”
“Daniel.”
“I said maybe because I do not want to accuse someone without proof.”
I looked at him.
“You are becoming very annoying.”
He smiled.
“That means you are feeling better.”
I almost denied it.
Then I stopped.
Maybe he was right.
Feeling anger was easier than feeling helpless.
At least anger gave me movement.
“What else?”
Daniel opened another file.
“This.”
I looked at the document.
It was a board communication from six months earlier.
A request for additional oversight.
Signed by one person.
Natalie Price.
I stared at the name.
“She reported concerns?”
“Apparently.”
I read the document again.
Natalie had raised questions about the Apex Tech projections.
She had requested an independent review.
Ethan had rejected the request.
My mind struggled to fit the pieces together.
“She knew.”
“Yes.”
“She knew something was wrong.”
“Yes.”
“Then why was she with him?”
Daniel leaned back.
“That is the question.”
I hated that answer.
Because I had already created a simple story.
Ethan cheated.
Natalie was the other woman.
They destroyed everything.
But reality was becoming messier.
And messier was harder.
“Do you think she was trying to expose him?”
Daniel shook his head.
“I do not know.”
“Do you think she was trying to protect herself?”
“Probably.”
That sounded more realistic.
People rarely acted from one reason.
They acted from fear, ambition, guilt, and self-interest all mixed together.
When I left Daniel’s office, I called Natalie.
I almost hung up before she answered.
“Hello?”
Her voice sounded cautious.
“This is Claire Grayson.”
Silence.
“I know.”
“You do?”
“Your number has been calling me from private records all day.”
I frowned.
“I have not called you.”
Another pause.
“Then someone else has.”
The statement bothered me.
“Why would someone pretend to be me?”
“I don’t know.”
There was something in her voice.
Not confidence.
Not arrogance.
Exhaustion.
“Did you report Ethan’s numbers?”
The silence lasted several seconds.
“Yes.”
The honesty surprised me.
“Why?”
“Because they were wrong.”
“You knew before I did.”
“I worked inside the company.”
“You were also sleeping with my husband.”
Her breathing changed.
“Yes.”
No excuse.
No defense.
That almost made me angrier.
“You knew he was hiding problems.”
“I knew he was scared.”
“That is not the same thing.”
“No.”
Her voice became quieter.
“It isn’t.”
“Then why stay?”
Another pause.
“Because I thought I could help him.”
I closed my eyes.
“That sounds like something you tell yourself.”
“Maybe.”
She did not argue.
“I thought if I stayed close enough, I could convince him to fix it.”
“And did you?”
“No.”
The answer came immediately.
“Why not?”
“Because Ethan does not like being saved.”
That sentence felt painfully accurate.
I leaned against my car.
“You loved him.”
Natalie did not answer.
She did not need to.
“I am not calling to forgive you.”
“I know.”
“I am not calling to become your friend.”
“I know.”
“Then why are we talking?”
Her answer came softly.
“Because whoever leaked those files wants both of us destroyed.”
I went still.
“What?”
“I found something yesterday.”
“What?”
“I think the leak did not come from Ethan.”
The city noise around me seemed to disappear.
“Then who?”
Natalie took a breath.
“I do not know.”
“Then why call me?”
“Because I think they are not trying to bring down Grayson Capital.”
A pause.
“I think they are trying to take control of it.”
I did not answer immediately.
May you like
For several seconds, I stood beside my car with the phone pressed against my ear, listening to the sound of traffic and Natalie’s breathing.
A week earlier, I would have considered it impossible that I would ever stand in a parking lot discussing my husband’s company with the woman who had been inside his office.
