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

Callum wanted Rowan to stay away from him until Victor Raines had been located.

Rowan refused.

"I am not going to disappear because a man from your past has decided to become a problem in my present."

"I'm not asking you to disappear."

"You're asking me to stop working, stop seeing people, and let you handle everything."

"I'm asking you to take the threat seriously."

"I do take it seriously. That's why I hired an attorney, contacted the police about the suspicious messages, and secured my company records."

Callum stared at her.

"You've done all that already?"

"Did you think I spent eight years building a business by waiting for someone else to save me?"

He exhaled slowly.

"No."

"Then stop treating me like a package you need to move somewhere safe."

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Callum nodded.

"Tell me what you need."

The question surprised her.

"I need you to stop making decisions about my life without asking me."

"Agreed."

"I need to know whether your legitimate businesses are connected to Meridian."

"My legal team is reviewing that."

"And I need to know if you have any reason to believe Grant helped Victor."

"At this point, I don't."

Rowan accepted the answer.

It was not certainty, but it was honest.

The next morning, she met with her attorney and Martin Keller to review Pierce Catering's internal controls. They changed account permissions, required additional verification for ownership changes, and established a documented process for approving major contracts.

Rowan also contacted her employees.

She did not share every detail of the investigation, but she told them that an unauthorized filing had been challenged and that the company's operations would continue.

"I know people are worried," she said during a staff meeting. "I can't promise that every day will be easy. I can promise that I will not gamble with your jobs, your wages, or your trust."

Her kitchen manager, Luis, raised his hand.

"Are we still doing the hospital fundraiser next month?"

Rowan smiled.

"Absolutely."

The answer lifted the room.

For the first time in days, she felt like herself again.

Then Vanessa Holloway called.

Rowan nearly ignored the number.

Instead, she answered.

"What do you want?"

"I need to see you."

"Why?"

"Because Grant has been lying to me."

Rowan sat down.

"About what?"

"Everything."

Vanessa's voice trembled, but Rowan refused to mistake emotion for innocence.

"Be specific."

Vanessa explained that Grant had told her the Meridian proposal was a routine investment opportunity. He had claimed that Rowan had voluntarily agreed to sell her company and that the paperwork was simply being finalized.

Vanessa had believed him.

She had also believed that Callum's presence at the gala meant Grant was about to secure a major shipping partnership.

Instead, Grant's business partners were questioning his judgment, and his attorney had advised him to stop discussing the disputed filing.

"Why are you calling me?" Rowan asked.

"Because I saw something in his office."

"What?"

"A folder with your name on it. There were photographs of your catering van, your kitchen, and the apartment building where you live."

Rowan felt cold.

"Did you take anything?"

"I photographed the folder."

"Why?"

Vanessa was silent.

Then she said, "Because I realized he was willing to destroy you to get what he wanted."

Rowan remembered Vanessa laughing beneath the chandeliers, calling her the help, threatening to withhold payment.

"You were willing to humiliate me when you thought he was telling the truth."

"I know."

"You wanted everyone to laugh at me."

"Yes."

"And now you want me to trust you?"

"No." Vanessa's voice broke. "I want you to have the photographs."

She sent them while they were still on the phone.

The images showed internal correspondence and a draft ownership agreement. One page contained a list of people who had been identified as potential witnesses to the transfer of Rowan's business.

Grant's name appeared beside Rowan's.

Another name appeared below it.

Victor Raines.

Rowan forwarded the photographs to her attorney and the relevant investigators.

"Vanessa, don't delete the originals. Preserve your messages and speak to your own lawyer."

"Do you think Grant will come after me?"

"I don't know."

The answer frightened Vanessa.

Rowan continued.

"But if you have evidence, you need to preserve it and let the authorities assess it."

After the call ended, Rowan stared at the photographs.

Grant had known about Meridian.