Chapter 5: The Woman They Wanted Out of the Way
I read the subject line twice.
Elaine Bennett — The Remaining Obstacle.
My wife stood beside me, unaware of what the words meant.
I turned the page.
The email was short.
But every sentence made my hands tighten.
Celeste,
Richard is becoming suspicious about the transfers. Elaine is the bigger problem because she keeps asking questions and refuses to let Daniel make financial decisions independently.
Once they're officially married, Daniel can deal with his parents. We need to make sure Elaine stops interfering.
Vanessa.
I lowered the paper.
“Michael.””
He looked at me.
“Is this authentic?””
“The email was obtained from records voluntarily provided by a former employee of Vantage Event Solutions. We'll need proper forensic verification before drawing legal conclusions, but the account information appears consistent with other records.””
I looked at Vanessa.
She had gone completely still.
Celeste moved toward the table.
“Give me that.””
I held the paper away.
“Why?””
“It's private correspondence.””
“Then you should have kept it private.””
Vanessa's voice rose.
“Richard, you don't understand the context!””
I looked at her.
“Then explain it.””
She opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Daniel took the paper from my hand.
He read it.
Then read it again.
His face slowly changed.
“Vanessa?””
She stepped toward him.
“Baby, it's not what it looks like.””
He looked up.
“What does 'make sure Elaine stops interfering' mean?””
Vanessa shook her head.
“It was just a conversation. Your mother kept questioning everything.””
“She was asking about the money!””
“She was suspicious of me from the beginning!””
Daniel looked at her.
“Because you were stealing from my father?””
Vanessa slapped him.
The sound echoed across the ballroom.
“Don't you dare call me a thief!””
Daniel stepped backward.
For the first time all day, he looked at her without trying to protect her.
“You used my mother's name in an email like she was some kind of obstacle.””
Vanessa's eyes filled.
“Your mother never wanted us together.””
Elaine stepped forward.
“That's not true.””
Vanessa turned toward her.
“Oh, please.””
Elaine's voice remained quiet.
“I welcomed you into my home. I helped you choose your engagement ring. I spent three afternoons looking for the flowers you wanted because you said the wrong shade of white would ruin your photographs.””
Vanessa looked away.
“I never asked you to do that.””
Elaine nodded.
“No. You didn't.””
She paused.
“But I did it because I thought you were going to become my daughter.””
The room fell silent.
Elaine touched the stained front of her gown.
“And today, you pushed me into the mud because I tried to help you.””
Vanessa rolled her eyes.
“It was an accident.””
I stepped forward.
“You already said you moved her away with both hands.””
Vanessa glared at me.
“Are you going to keep repeating that?””
“Yes.””
I looked toward the guests.
“Because every person in this room deserves to know what happened.””
Celeste stepped between us.
“This has become a disgraceful spectacle.””
I stared at her.
“Your daughter helped create it.””
She lifted her chin.
“You have no proof of anything.””
Michael closed his briefcase.
“Mrs. Cole, there are financial records, correspondence, and witnesses. I would strongly recommend that you refrain from making further statements about matters you haven't discussed with your attorney.””
Celeste's face tightened.
“You can't intimidate us.””
“I'm not trying to.””
Michael glanced at me.
“Richard, I also need to explain something about the remaining wedding funds.””
I nodded.
“Go ahead.””
“The one hundred thousand dollar check you tore earlier was never deposited or delivered. I'll notify the bank that it should not be honored. We'll also review any outstanding payment commitments and contractual obligations before taking further action.””
I nodded.
“Do that.””
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“So you're just going to abandon us? After everything?””
I looked at her.
“Abandon you?””
“You promised to pay for this wedding!””
“I promised to pay for a wedding that I believed was being organized honestly.””
“You can't change the agreement just because you don't like me!””
“I can refuse to make a voluntary payment that I haven't delivered. Any existing contractual obligations will be handled properly.””
She turned toward Daniel.
“Say something!””
He looked exhausted.
“What do you want me to say?””
“Tell your father he's ruining our wedding!””
Daniel stared at the stage.
The flowers.
The decorations.
The enormous screen still showing the photograph of him with Olivia.
Then he looked at his mother.
Her dress was still muddy.
One earring was missing.
Her hands were trembling.
And suddenly, my son seemed to understand what everyone else had been trying to tell him.
“Vanessa,” he said quietly, “I don't think we should get married today.””
Celeste gasped.
“What?””
Vanessa froze.
“Daniel, don't be ridiculous.””
He shook his head.
“I can't do this.””
“You can't do what?””
“Pretend.””
She stepped closer.
“You're making a decision because your father is pressuring you!””
“No.””
He looked at me.
Then back at her.
“I'm making this decision because I don't trust you.””
Vanessa's expression hardened.
“You think you're so innocent?””
“I didn't say that.””
“You cheated on me!””
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“Yes.””
The admission seemed to surprise her.
He continued.
“I was wrong. I should have ended this months ago. I should never have agreed to marry you when I knew I wasn't ready.””
Vanessa's lips trembled.
“So you're throwing me away?””
Daniel looked at the floor.
“I don't want to marry you.””
For a moment, I thought she might cry.
Instead, she reached for the nearest champagne glass.
She lifted it.
And threw it against the floor.
The glass shattered.
“YOU USED ME!””
Daniel flinched.
“You used me first!””
Celeste grabbed her daughter's arm.
“Vanessa, we're leaving.””
But Vanessa pulled away.
“No! I'm not leaving until he understands what he's done!””
She turned toward me.
“You think you're safe because you have money? You think your wife is innocent? You have no idea what your family is hiding!””
I frowned.
“What are you talking about?””
Vanessa laughed.
“Ask your wife.””
I turned.
Elaine looked confused.
“What?””
Vanessa pointed directly at her.
“Ask Elaine why she was so interested in the wedding accounts.””
I stared at my wife.
“Elaine?””
She looked from Vanessa to me.
“I don't know what she's talking about.””
Vanessa stepped closer.
“Really? Then why did you visit the bank three weeks ago?””
Elaine went pale.
I looked at her.
“Sweetheart?””
She lowered her eyes.
“Richard, I was going to tell you.””
My stomach tightened.
“What happened?””
She glanced toward Daniel.
Then at Michael.
Finally, she reached into her small handbag.
She removed a folded piece of paper.
“I found something when I was sorting the old documents in your office,” she said.
I took it.
It was a photocopy of a bank statement.
At the bottom was a transaction I'd never seen.
A transfer of fifty thousand dollars.
The recipient wasn't Vanessa's company.
It wasn't Daniel.
It was a private account registered in my wife's name.
I looked up.
“Elaine, what is this?””
She took a trembling breath.
“Three weeks ago, I discovered that someone had been moving money using an account connected to our family trust.””
“Whose account?””
She swallowed.
“Mine.””
The room seemed to tilt.
I looked at Michael.
He studied the document.
Then his eyes moved toward the account number.
“Richard,” he said slowly, “this is important.””
“What?””
He pointed to the transfer reference.
“This money wasn't transferred into Elaine's account.””
I stared at him.
“Then where did it go?””
Michael turned the page over.
A second name appeared.
And when I read it, I felt the blood drain from my face.
*The beneficiary was Daniel Bennett.*
My son.
The same son who had spent the afternoon claiming he knew nothing about the missing money.
The same son who had stood motionless while his mother lay in the mud.
And the same son who had just called off his wedding.
I turned toward him.
“Daniel.””
He looked at me.
I held up the statement.
“Tell me why fifty thousand dollars was transferred using your mother's account information.””
Daniel's lips parted.
But before he could answer, Elaine whispered something that stopped everyone in the room.
“Richard, there's something else.””
She reached into her handbag again.
This time, she removed a small photograph.
It showed Daniel standing outside a bank.
Beside him was Celeste.
And in Celeste's hand was a document bearing my wife's signature.
Elaine looked at our son.
“I saw them together that morning.””
Daniel's face turned white.
Because suddenly, it wasn't just Vanessa's secret anymore.
May you like
It was his.
And I was beginning to realize that the woman who had shoved my wife into the mud might not have been the only person planning to take something from our family.
