Chapter 4: The Secret Inside Our Marriage
The boardroom seemed to tilt.
I gripped the edge of the table.
“Renee, are you certain?””
“Yes. The digital signature was extracted from the marriage trust agreement you signed three years ago.””
I looked at Daniel.
He stared at the table.
“Who had access to the original file?”” I asked.
“Your attorney's office, your personal archive, and the copy delivered to Daniel's family office after the wedding.””
Patricia's family office.
I closed my eyes for a moment.
When I opened them, Daniel was still avoiding my gaze.
“Did you give your mother the trust agreement?”” I asked.
He shook his head.
“No.””
“Daniel.””
“I didn't.””
“Then how did she get it?””
He swallowed.
“I don't know.””
Richard interrupted.
“Can we verify whether the document was accessed through our internal network?””
Renee answered through the speaker.
“I'm already working on that. But there's another issue.””
I felt my jaw tighten.
“What now?””
“The original marriage agreement contained a confidentiality clause. Anyone who accessed it for purposes unrelated to the administration of the trust may have violated the agreement.””
Daniel finally looked up.
“That's not what I intended.””
I stared at him.
“Then tell me what you intended.””
He opened his mouth.
Closed it.
Then he said, “Mom asked me for the document.””
A cold feeling moved through my chest.
“When?””
“About six months ago.””
“Why?””
“She said the family needed to understand how our assets were structured before the Westlake acquisition.””
“And you gave it to her?””
“I thought it was harmless.””
I laughed once.
Not because anything was funny.
Because the alternative was to scream.
“You handed her the document that protected my financial privacy.””
“I didn't know she would use it like this.””
“You didn't ask.””
Daniel looked away.
Patricia would have called me dramatic.
She would have said I was making a scene.
But this time, I wasn't interested in being reasonable.
“Daniel, did you read the document before giving it to her?””
He hesitated.
“Yes.””
“Then you knew it prohibited disclosure.””
“I didn't think it applied to my mother.””
I looked at him.
“Your mother isn't an exception to my rights.””
Nobody moved.
For several seconds, Daniel looked as though he wanted to say something else.
Instead, he lowered his head.
Richard broke the silence.
“We need to suspend Daniel's access to the acquisition records until this is investigated.””
Daniel looked up sharply.
“What?””
“It's a standard precaution.””
“You can't suspend me based on an accusation.””
Margaret spoke calmly.
“Your signature appears on the asset investigation request. You acknowledge providing confidential documents to an individual connected to a disputed acquisition. We have grounds to review your access.””
Daniel turned toward me.
“Nia, tell them this is getting out of hand.””
I looked at him.
“You gave my private agreement to the woman trying to take my shares. What would you like me to tell them?””
His face tightened.
“I'm still your husband.””
“And I'm still waiting for you to act like one.””
At 1:30 that afternoon, I returned to my apartment.
The apartment had always felt like our home.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked Central Park. A cream-colored sofa sat opposite the fireplace. On the bookshelf were photographs from our wedding, vacations, and quiet Sunday mornings.
I had chosen almost everything in the apartment.
Daniel had chosen the wine refrigerator.
Now the place felt strangely unfamiliar.
I removed my coat and placed it on the chair.
My phone rang.
It was my mother.
“Sweetheart, are you okay?””
I closed my eyes.
“I don't know.””
“Have you eaten?””
“Not yet.””
“Then come home tonight. I'll make something.””
My mother, Evelyn Hayes, had never liked Patricia.
She had been polite about it.
But she had once told me that a person who needed to remind everyone of their importance probably wasn't as important as they believed.
I smiled faintly.
“Mom, I may need you to help me with something.””
“Anything.””
“Do you still have the original trust records from Dad's estate?””
There was a pause.
“Of course. Why?””
“I think someone has been trying to interfere with them.””
Her voice changed.
“Who?””
I looked toward the family photographs.
“Daniel's family.””
My mother exhaled slowly.
“Then I think it's time you learned something your father asked me not to discuss until you were ready.””
I sat down.
“What?””
“Come home. Bring Renee if you can.””
Before I could respond, the front door opened.
Daniel walked in.
He looked exhausted.
His jacket was missing, and his shirt sleeves were rolled to his elbows.
“Nia?””
I ended the call.
“What are you doing here?””
“Trying to talk to my wife.””
“You could have called.””
“I did. You didn't answer.””
I looked at my phone.
Seven missed calls.
I hadn't noticed.
Daniel moved closer.
“Can we sit down?””
I pointed toward the chair.
He remained standing.
“I didn't know Mom was planning to transfer your shares.””
“Did you know she was investigating my assets?””
He nodded.
“Yes.””
“Did you know she was working with Victor Hale?””
“No.””
“Did you know Northbridge was preparing a takeover proposal?””
He hesitated.
“I heard something about an investment company.””
I stared at him.
“Daniel, I need you to stop giving me pieces of the truth.””
He rubbed his face.
“I'm trying.””
“Then tell me everything.””
He finally sat down.
“Six months ago, Mom came to me with concerns about the Westlake acquisition. She said Carter Dynamics was becoming too dependent on outside investors.””
“Meaning Hayes Capital.””
“Yes.””
“She wanted more control.””
“She said she wanted to protect Dad's legacy.””
I crossed my arms.
“And what did she offer you?””
He looked up.
“What?””
“What did she promise you in exchange for helping her?””
His silence lasted too long.
Then he said, “She told me I could become chairman.””
I felt something inside me go very still.
“After Richard?””
“Yes.””
“And what was supposed to happen to the existing shareholders?””
“She said the company would be restructured.””
“By transferring my votes to Brielle?””
He looked down.
“I didn't know that part.””
“Daniel, your mother wanted to give your sister enough voting power to influence the company. Why would she do that?””
He swallowed.
“Brielle has always wanted a bigger role.””
“Brielle has never managed anything larger than her boutique.””
“That's not fair.””
I almost smiled.
There it was again.
His instinct to defend his family.
Even when they were wrong.
I stood and walked toward the windows.
“Do you remember our wedding?””
He nodded.
“You told me you wanted a marriage without secrets.””
“I meant that.””
“Then why have I spent three years discovering things you never told me?””
He stood behind me.
“Nia, I made a mistake.””
“Several.””
“I can fix this.””
I turned.
“Can you?””
He looked at me.
“Tell me what you need.””
I studied his face.
For years, I had believed that beneath his mother's influence was a good man who simply struggled to stand up to her.
Now I wasn't sure whether that man had ever existed.
“I need the truth about the money.””
He frowned.
“What money?””
“The payments Victor Hale made before he left.””
Daniel went completely still.
I watched him carefully.
“You know about them.””
He shook his head.
“No.””
“Then why did you just look like that?””
He sat down again.
“Because Mom told me Dad had authorized them.””
“Which payments?””
He opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Finally, he whispered, “There was a transfer of eight million dollars.””
“To whom?””
“Northbridge's predecessor company.””
I stared at him.
“Your father transferred eight million dollars to a company connected to Victor Hale?””
Daniel nodded.
“Mom said it was part of an emergency investment.””
“And did you believe her?””
“I was told the money had been recovered.””
“Was it?””
He looked at me.
“No.””
I took a step backward.
Eight million dollars.
An internal investigation.
A former executive.
A newly created holding company.
And my stolen signature.
The pieces were beginning to fit together.
Then Daniel said something I hadn't expected.
“Mom told me the money was yours.””
I froze.
“What?””
“She said the eight million came from an investment account connected to your family.””
I stared at him.
“That is impossible.””
“I know that now.””
“Why would my father-in-law have access to my family's money?””
Daniel looked miserable.
“He didn't.””
“Then why would she say that?””
“I think she wanted me to believe the money was part of your father's investment into Carter Dynamics.””
I slowly sat down.
My father had never invested eight million dollars in Carter Dynamics.
Not directly.
But there was something he had told me shortly before he died.
Something about a private loan to a struggling company.
I had never asked for details.
Because he had told me it was a matter of business.
I reached for my phone.
“Renee?””
“Yes?””
“I need the original records for every transaction involving Victor Hale and Northbridge's predecessor.””
“I'll have them ready.””
“And Renee?””
“Yes?””
“Find out whether my father ever had a financial relationship with Carter Dynamics.””
She went quiet.
Then she answered.
“I was hoping you wouldn't ask that question.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why?””
“Because I found a document this morning.””
“What document?””
“A private agreement signed by your father and Daniel's father.””
I looked at Daniel.
“What does it say?””
Renee took a breath.
“It identifies your father as the original controlling investor in Carter Dynamics.””
I couldn't move.
My father.
The man Patricia had once described as an unsuccessful small-town businessman.
The man she had claimed was beneath the Carter family.
He had been the original controlling investor.
But Renee wasn't finished.
“The agreement also contains a clause naming the person who would inherit his controlling rights.””
“Who?””
May you like
Her voice dropped.
“You.””
