YOU ALMOST MARRIED HER: THE MILLIONAIRE'S WIFE MOCKED HER—UNTIL THE MAFIA BOSS ARRIVED

Rowan forwarded the email to the investigators before opening the attachment again.

The ledger page contained several entries linked to the old freight dispute. The amounts were substantial, but the page alone did not show who ultimately received the money.

The handwritten note was more troubling.

She called Callum.

"I received an email from Elise Cole."

He arrived at her office less than an hour later.

"Have you responded?"

"No. I preserved the message and sent it to the investigators."

"Good."

She showed him the ledger.

He read the note, and the color drained from his face.

"Did you know she was alive?" Rowan asked.

"No."

"Did you let Victor keep the money?"

Callum sat down.

"Yes."

The answer was so direct that she felt her stomach tighten.

He explained that after the old freight deal collapsed, several companies disputed the ownership of funds held in a temporary account. Victor claimed the money belonged to investors who had advanced capital. Others believed some of it had been diverted through false invoices.

Callum had been a minority investor in one of the companies.

He had also been trying to prevent a larger shipping operation from collapsing.

"When the dispute began, I had a choice," he said. "I could freeze the entire operation and risk putting hundreds of workers out of a job, or accept a temporary settlement while the ownership questions were reviewed."

"And you accepted the settlement."

"Yes."

"Even though you suspected Victor had taken money?"

"I suspected that the records were incomplete. I didn't have proof that he had stolen anything."

"But you let him keep control."

"I allowed the settlement to proceed under an agreement that required an accounting afterward."

"Did the accounting happen?"

Callum looked down.

"Not properly."

Rowan felt something inside her sink.

"You knew the agreement hadn't been fulfilled."

"Yes."

"And you didn't tell the investigators?"

"I should have escalated the matter sooner. I believed the dispute had been resolved through the legal process, but I didn't follow up when the records failed to arrive."

She stood and walked to the window.

For months, Callum had been the man who asked questions before making decisions. He had been patient with her, respectful of her boundaries, and careful not to use his power to control her.

Now she was seeing the part of his history he had kept hidden.

"You told me you wanted the truth."

"I do."

"Then why did you wait so long to tell me this?"

"Because I was ashamed."

She turned.

"That isn't a good enough reason."

"No. It isn't."

Callum did not attempt to defend himself.

He explained that he had been younger, less experienced, and more concerned with protecting his business than exposing a powerful associate. He had not ordered anyone to threaten Elise or Grant, but he had accepted a settlement that allowed Victor to remain in control of money that should have been fully accounted for.

The decision had helped preserve the business.

It had also allowed unanswered questions to remain unanswered for years.

"I can't undo that," he said. "But I can cooperate with the investigation now."

Rowan studied him.

"Will you provide every relevant record, even if it damages your company?"

"Yes."

"Even if it damages you?"

"Yes."

She wanted to believe him.

But trust could not be restored by a promise alone.

"Then do it," she said.

Callum nodded.

He contacted his attorney and instructed the legal team to preserve the old settlement records, disclose relevant material through the proper channels, and cooperate with the investigation.

He did not ask Rowan to keep the information secret.

He did not demand that she protect his reputation.

He accepted that the truth might cost him something.

Over the following days, the records revealed that Victor had failed to provide a complete accounting under the old settlement agreement. Several invoices could not be matched to documented services, and money had moved through companies whose ownership remained unclear.

The findings did not establish every allegation, but they justified further investigation.

Then Elise sent another email.

This time, she included a short letter explaining that she had left the country after receiving threats connected to the freight dispute. She had spent years trying to obtain records that would support her complaint, but she had been afraid to return.

She had recently learned that Victor was using Meridian to pursue a new acquisition.

She believed the same financial structure was being used again.

At the bottom of the letter, she wrote:

I will testify if the investigators can protect my identity until the necessary arrangements are made.

Rowan felt relief.

They might finally learn what had happened eight years earlier.