Chapter 4 - THE MARRIAGE THAT LOOKED LIKE A BUSINESS DEAL
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Nora had spent eleven years believing she and Camden had met by accident.
It had been a rainy Thursday evening at a charity fundraiser. She had been volunteering at the registration desk when a young entrepreneur arrived late, carrying a stack of documents and looking as if he had forgotten what a tie was for.
Camden had made her laugh.
He had asked about her work.
He had listened when she explained how small businesses could lose everything through careless contracts and poor compliance.
He had called her the smartest woman in the room.
For years, Nora had remembered that sentence as the beginning of their love story.
Now she wondered whether he had simply been collecting information.
Holly placed the photograph of Camden and her grandfather beside the marriage certificate.
“Let's establish the timeline,” she said.
Daniel opened a folder.
“Camden was introduced to your grandfather through Gideon Rourke, his maternal uncle. Gideon had business interests in shipping and private investment.”
“Was Gideon connected to Breakwater?”
“Very much so.”
Nora looked at the document.
“Why did my grandfather want Camden to marry me?”
“He believed a marriage would bring the company closer to the family trust.”
“Closer how?”
“Your grandfather wanted a trusted person managing the company. He believed Camden could become that person.”
Nora let out a slow breath.
“So Camden was selected.”
“Possibly.”
“And he approached me because he knew who I was.”
Daniel nodded.
Holly leaned forward.
“We need proof that Camden knew Nora's identity before the relationship began. Do you have correspondence?”
Daniel opened another folder.
“Some letters between Gideon and your grandfather. The originals are in the family archive.”
He handed Nora a photocopy.
The letter was dated two months before the fundraiser.
The young Rourke man has been informed that Eleanor's daughter may be alive. He understands the importance of locating her before the trust's ownership becomes uncertain.
Nora read it again.
Then she read the signature.
Gideon Whitmore.
Her grandfather's brother.
“Did Camden know I was the missing daughter?”
“We believe so,” Daniel said.
Nora pushed the paper away.
“Then he didn't fall in love with me. He found me.”
Holly shook her head.
“We don't know what he felt later. But we can establish whether he misrepresented his intentions.”
Nora looked toward the window.
“Does it matter?”
“It matters legally,” Holly said. “And it may matter to you emotionally, but you don't have to decide that today.”
Nora looked down at her stomach.
The baby moved.
She placed her hand over it.
“What if he wanted the child because of the trust?”
Daniel's expression darkened.
“There is a clause in the family documents concerning direct descendants.”
“What kind of clause?”
“If Eleanor's line produces an heir, that heir may become the next beneficiary under certain circumstances.”
Nora stared at him.
“So my baby could inherit?”
“Yes.”
“And Camden knew?”
Daniel nodded.
Nora closed her eyes.
The anniversary gala replayed in her mind.
You were useful when I needed you.
Perhaps he had already decided she was no longer useful.
Perhaps he had only been waiting for the baby.
Holly's phone rang.
She listened, then looked at Nora.
“Camden's attorney has filed an emergency petition.”
“What does he want?”
“Temporary control over your marital assets. He's also claiming you removed confidential company records.”
Nora looked at the documents on the table.
“Then he's afraid of what I have.”
May you like
Holly nodded.
“And that means we need to move quickly.”
