Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN WHO WANTED EVELYN SILENT|
Roman reached Mercy General in less than twenty minutes.
Claudia Ferrara stood outside Evelyn's room, wearing a dark wool coat and the expression of a woman who had never been told no in her life. Two private security officers stood behind her.
When Roman approached, she lifted her chin.
“You need to calm down.”
“Why are you here?”
“To discuss your marriage.”
“My wife is recovering from surgery.”
“And she will recover more peacefully if you stop encouraging her delusions.”
Roman stared at her.
“What did you say to her?”
“Nothing she hasn't heard before.”
He pushed past her and entered the room.
Evelyn was awake, but her face had gone white. The hospital blanket was twisted around her hands. On the bedside table lay a legal envelope bearing the seal of a private trust.
She looked at Roman.
“She wants me to sign something.”
Claudia followed him inside.
“It's a straightforward settlement. Evelyn will receive a generous payment, withdraw her claims concerning the workshop, and agree not to discuss private family matters publicly.”
Roman picked up the document.
The settlement required Evelyn to surrender all rights to her father's property, waive any future claim against Ferrara Holdings, and sign a confidentiality agreement covering the Pier 14 fire.
A clause near the bottom stated that she had received full compensation for her injuries.
She had received nothing.
Roman looked at Claudia.
“You brought this to a hospital?”
“I brought it to a woman who has been trying to destroy this family.”
Evelyn spoke quietly.
“I don't want your money.”
Claudia laughed.
“Of course not. You want Roman. You always have.”
Evelyn's face tightened, but she didn't answer.
Roman placed the papers on the table.
“She isn't signing anything.”
Claudia's eyes hardened.
“You don't understand what you're doing.”
“Then explain it.”
“Your father built this empire through sacrifice. He understood that certain truths had to remain buried. Your wife is digging up old scandals she doesn't understand.”
“Did my father know about the disabled ventilation system?”
Claudia went still.
Roman stepped closer.
“Did he know?”
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“Thomas Hayes recorded your name.”
For the first time, fear appeared beneath Claudia's composure.
Then it vanished.
“Your wife's father was an angry little man who wanted to blame everyone for his failures.”
“He was murdered six months after the fire.”
The room fell silent.
Evelyn turned toward Roman.
He had not known that she had never been told the official cause of her father's death. Thomas had died in a single-car crash on a country road. The police had ruled it accidental.
But Roman now remembered a report he had seen years ago. Thomas's car had been found with damaged brakes.
Claudia folded her hands.
“Be careful, Roman.”
“Why? Because I'll discover something unpleasant?”
“Because there are people who will use your wife's condition to manipulate you. If you give her everything she wants, you'll lose the company, your father's legacy, and your position.”
Roman looked at Evelyn.
“What do you want?”
She stared at him in disbelief.
“Nothing.”
“Evelyn.”
“I want to breathe without being afraid that tomorrow will be worse than today. I want my father's name to stop being dragged through the dirt. I want to stop waking up wondering why the man I loved decided I was worth less than a lie.”
Her voice faltered.
“And I want you to stop asking me what I want as if you haven't spent two years making sure I couldn't have it.”
Roman absorbed every word.
Claudia reached for the documents.
“This conversation is over.”
Roman caught her wrist before she could take them.
“Not for me.”
He released her immediately, but his voice turned cold.
“You're no longer authorized to visit my wife without her permission. Your access to the company accounts is suspended pending an independent review.”
Claudia stared at him.
“You would humiliate your own family for her?”
“No,” Roman said. “I'm investigating what my family has done.”
She left without another word.
When the door closed, Evelyn turned her face toward the window.
Roman sat beside her.
“I didn't know about your father's accident.”
“You didn't ask.”
“I should have.”
“Yes.”
He waited for forgiveness that didn't come.
After a long silence, Evelyn reached for the hospital folder.
“Roman, there's something else you need to know.”
She opened it to a page he hadn't noticed before.
“My father wasn't the only person who kept evidence. Before the fire, your father gave me a key to a safety deposit box. He said it was insurance in case something happened to him.”
Roman stared at the key.
“Where is it?”
“Downtown. At the bank where your family keeps its oldest records.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
May you like
Evelyn's eyes met his.
“Because the last time I tried to protect you, you called me a liar.”
