Chapter 3 - The Price of the RingBy Friday morning, my phone was ringing incessantly. Adrian’s name flashed on the screen over and over again, followed by a barrage of increasingly desperate text messages.
Evelyn, please. We need to talk. Let's not throw away our future over a misunderstanding. Where is Rosa? If you are harboring her, you are committing a crime. Answer me, Evelyn.
I ignored them all. I sat in my office at the nonprofit, reviewing Rosa’s employment contract. As I expected, Adrian had hired her through a private agency, but he had paid her under the table through a corporate shell account linked to Cole Enterprises to avoid paying employment taxes. It was a classic, arrogant mistake of a wealthy man who thought the rules didn't apply to him.
Suddenly, the door to my office swung open.
My mother, Clara, stepped in, her face pale and tight beneath her elegant silk scarf. She carried a designer handbag like a shield.
"Evelyn!" she gasped, closing the door behind her. "What on earth is going on? Adrian’s mother called me this morning, hysterical! She said you canceled the caterers for the wedding and refused to answer Adrian’s calls. She said you're harboring a thief!"
"She's not a thief, Mother," I said, not looking up from my laptop. "She is Adrian’s housekeeper, and she is pregnant with his child. Adrian threatened to have her deported if she didn't get an abortion."
Clara sat down heavily in the chair across from my desk, her mouth slightly open. "What? No... that’s impossible. Adrian is a gentleman. He comes from a good family. There must be some mistake."
"I have it on video, Mother," I said, turning the laptop toward her and pressing play.
Clara watched the screen, her hand flying to her mouth as Adrian’s voice filled the quiet office. “Get rid of that baby. It will destroy my career.”
When the video ended, Clara stared at the dark screen, her face looking older, the polished high-society mask slipping away. "Oh, Evelyn... the shame. The wedding is in three weeks. The invitations have already been sent to everyone who matters. What are we going to tell people?"
"We are going to tell them the truth," I said, leaning forward. "The wedding is off. I am returning his ring, and I am filing a formal complaint with the Department of Labor and the state bar."
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"But your father’s investment in Adrian's firm..." Clara stammered. "If this scandal breaks, we’ll lose millions!"
"I don't care about the money, Mother," I said, my voice dropping into a hard, cold register. "And if Father is wise, he’ll pull his investments out of Cole Enterprises before the ship sinks. Because by next week, there won't be a company left to save."
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