Chapter 4 - THE FIRST LIE HE COULDN'T HIDE|
Grant didn't leave that night.
He went upstairs, shut the bedroom door, and spent nearly an hour on the phone. I heard fragments of conversation through the hallway.
“October eighteenth.”
“No, she wouldn't have filed without telling me.”
“I need to know what Daniel has.”
Then silence.
I slept in the guest room.
The next morning, Grant was already downstairs when I came into the kitchen. He had changed into a navy suit and looked as if he hadn't slept.
A cup of coffee sat untouched in front of him.
“Morning,” he said.
I opened the refrigerator.
“Is it?”
“Claire, I want to explain.”
I poured orange juice.
“Then explain.”
He stood.
“The payments were legitimate business expenses.”
“Eleven payments to a company owned by your mistress?”
His eyes narrowed.
“You're making assumptions.”
“I'm asking questions.”
“Savannah provided consulting services.”
“What services?”
“Market research. Acquisition analysis. Several introductions.”
“Where are the reports?”
He hesitated.
I put the juice carton down.
“That's what I thought.”
He rubbed his forehead.
“You don't understand how complicated the business has become.”
“I understand the company better than you think.”
“You've been away from daily operations.”
“I approved the budgets. I reviewed the accounts. I built the reporting system you're now trying to bypass.”
He looked away.
Then he said something I hadn't expected.
“I was going to tell you about Savannah after the baby was born.”
I stared at him.
“You planned to keep me in the dark for another four months?”
“I didn't want to destroy everything at once.”
“You already destroyed it.”
He walked around the island.
“Listen. I made mistakes. But we can resolve the business issue without turning this into a public war.”
“Business issue?”
“Yes.”
“You forged my signature, Grant.”
His expression hardened.
“I did not forge anything.”
“Then you won't mind having the documents examined.”
He stared at me for several seconds.
Finally, he sat down.
“What do you want?”
The question almost made me laugh.
Not How can I fix this?
Not How much have I hurt you?
Just: What do you want?
“I want the truth.”
“You want control.”
“I already have control. That's what seems to frighten you.”
He pushed his chair back.
“You're not going to ruin the company because you're angry about my personal life.”
I looked at him.
“You don't get to use the company as a shield for your affair.”
His phone rang again.
He ignored it.
I took my purse from the counter.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“To work.”
“Claire.”
I stopped at the doorway.
“Don't move money out of the company. Don't delete emails. Don't contact anyone about the investigation.”
He gave a short, bitter laugh.
“You think you can order me around?”
“No. I think the judge can.”
I left before he could answer.
At ten, Daniel called.
He had reviewed the consulting agreement.
There was something wrong with the signature certificate. The document had been authorized using a company administrator account assigned to Grant's office.
But that wasn't the worst part.
The agreement had been amended two months after its original approval.
The amendment increased Savannah's monthly fee and included a success bonus tied to a major property acquisition.
A deal scheduled to close on October eighteenth.
The same day as the hearing.
Daniel's voice became serious.
“Claire, I think the wedding date is the least of our problems.”
I pulled my car to the side of the road.
“What do you mean?”
May you like
“The acquisition could be connected to the missing funds.”
And suddenly, October eighteenth became much bigger than a date on a wedding invitation.
