Chapter 8 - A CONTRACT WRITTEN BEFORE THE BETRAYAL|
The document's creation date was nearly three months before Ethan ended his engagement to Claire.
That detail changed the investigation.
Until then, Claire had assumed the financial deception began after the breakup, when Ethan and Madeline were already together.
Now it appeared that the disputed arrangement had been prepared while Claire was still planning a wedding.
Rebecca examined the metadata report.
“Creation dates can be misleading if files are copied or modified. We need the original device records and an expert's assessment.”
Claire nodded.
“Could Eleanor have created it?”
“Possibly. But we can't conclude that from the template alone.”
The report showed that the document had been assembled from several older files. One contained language from a legitimate C.W. Atelier proposal. Another included clauses copied from a Crowe Development loan agreement.
The signature page had been added later.
Claire felt sick.
Someone had taken the work her company had created and used it to make a fraudulent agreement appear legitimate.
She thought of the late nights spent refining proposals, the weekends her employees had sacrificed, and the trust clients placed in her.
Then she remembered Ethan saying that she was merely a party planner.
She had spent years proving her worth to a man who had never intended to see it.
That afternoon, Roman invited Claire to a meeting with his compliance director and external counsel.
The meeting took place in a neutral conference room, and Claire brought Rebecca.
Roman began with a simple statement.
“We will not proceed with any transaction involving Northstar until the disputed documents are resolved.”
His compliance director explained that the company had identified payments requiring additional review. The team was tracing the funds and documenting the approval chain.
Claire listened.
“Does Vale Meridian have a direct claim against my company?”
“Our current records do not establish a legitimate basis for one,” the counsel replied. “But we need to complete the review before reaching a final conclusion.”
“Then I want every communication involving my company's name preserved.”
“Agreed.”
Roman watched Claire as the meeting continued.
She asked precise questions, challenged assumptions, and refused to accept vague explanations. She was not trying to impress anyone. She wanted the facts.
When the meeting ended, Roman walked with her toward the elevator.
“You were right to insist on independent counsel.”
“I learned that lesson expensively.”
“Expensive lessons are still lessons.”
She gave him a skeptical look.
“Do you always turn everything into a business principle?”
“Only when I'm nervous.”
Claire stopped.
“Are you nervous?”
Roman looked at her.
“Yes.”
The admission surprised her.
“About what?”
“About getting this wrong.”
For the first time, she saw a crack in the controlled exterior he showed the world.
“You don't have to get everything right,” she said. “You just have to be honest when you don't know.”
He considered that.
“That's harder than it sounds.”
“I know.”
They stood in silence for a moment.
Then Roman asked whether she would like to have dinner with him sometime, away from the investigation.
Claire's first instinct was to refuse.
She had just escaped a relationship in which business and affection had become tangled in painful ways. She wasn't ready to become another person's romantic project.
“Not yet,” she said.
Roman nodded.
“Understood.”
“No offense.”
“None taken.”
She studied him.
“You're not going to ask why?”
“If you want to tell me, you will.”
The elevator arrived.
Claire stepped inside.
Before the doors closed, she said, “Perhaps after this is resolved.”
Roman smiled faintly.
“I'll leave the invitation open.”
That evening, Claire returned to her office and found a package waiting at reception.
Inside was a printed copy of her original business plan, including private notes she had written during the company's first year.
A note had been attached.
You should have stayed small.
Claire's hands tightened around the paper.
The package had been delivered without a sender's name.
Rebecca advised her to preserve it and report the threatening message through the appropriate channels.
Claire followed her advice.
But the words stayed with her.
May you like
Someone wasn't merely trying to steal her company's money.
Someone wanted her to regret ever becoming successful.
