Chapter 5 - THE MISTRESS’S PRICEVanessa Cole had always been good at understanding value.
She knew the value of a dress.
The value of a photograph.
The value of being seen beside the right person.
And apparently, she also knew the value of a lie.
The next morning, Rebecca obtained a copy of Vanessa’s sworn declaration.
I read it at the kitchen table.
According to Vanessa, I had admitted months earlier that I secretly controlled millions of dollars and funneled money into Cross Capital through private accounts because I wanted to “exercise influence without public disclosure.”
It was sophisticated.
Detailed.
And completely false.
“She’s been coached,” Rebecca said.
“By Adrian?”
“Or his lawyers.”
“Can she actually hurt me?”
“She can create questions.”
“That isn’t what I asked.”
Rebecca met my eyes.
“Yes.”
My father paced beside the windows.
“Then we destroy her credibility.”
“No,” Rebecca said.
Dad stopped.
“What?”
“We do not ‘destroy’ anyone.”
“You know what I mean.”
“I know exactly what you mean, Walter, which is why I’m saying no.”
Dad looked offended.
Rebecca continued.
“Evelyn is already being portrayed as the billionaire’s daughter using wealth to crush anyone who opposes her. The worst possible response is proving their narrative.”
I almost smiled.
Dad did not.
“So what do you suggest?”
“We prove Vanessa is lying.”
“How?”
“Facts.”
Dad muttered something about facts being slower than private investigators.
I looked at Rebecca.
“What do we know about the bank photograph?”
“Raymond met Vanessa yesterday afternoon.”
“Why?”
“We don’t know.”
Dad’s security team had followed Raymond only because his name appeared repeatedly in Sarah and Daniel’s records.
They had not expected him to meet Vanessa.
“Could they be moving money?” I asked.
“Possibly.”
My phone rang.
A blocked number.
I answered.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then a woman whispered, “I need to talk to you.”
I recognized her instantly.
“Vanessa.”
Dad turned.
Rebecca raised one finger, signaling me to keep her talking.
Vanessa’s breathing sounded uneven.
“Not on the phone.”
“You already gave a sworn statement.”
“I know.”
“You lied.”
Silence.
“Vanessa.”
“I didn’t have a choice.”
“There is always a choice.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Then explain it.”
“I can’t.”
Rebecca wrote on a piece of paper.
ASK WHAT ADRIAN PROMISED.
I said, “What did Adrian promise you?”
Vanessa stopped breathing for a second.
“How do you know about that?”
“So there was a promise.”
“I need to go.”
“Vanessa.”
“If you want the truth, meet me alone.”
Rebecca shook her head violently.
“No.”
Vanessa paused.
“What?”
“I won’t meet you alone.”
“Then forget it.”
“After what happened in my house, you don’t get to dictate safety conditions.”
“I’m the one who isn’t safe.”
I almost laughed.
“You sat on my sofa while my husband hurt me.”
“I know.”
“You laughed.”
“I know.”
“And now you want me to protect you?”
Her voice broke.
“Yes.”
That took some of the anger out of me.
Not the memory.
Not the disgust.
But enough to make me listen.
“Where?”
“A café near Waterfront Park. Two o’clock.”
“I’ll bring my attorney.”
“No police.”
“I can’t promise that.”
“Then don’t come.”
The line disconnected.
Rebecca immediately said, “You are not going.”
“I am.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Then come with me.”
“Evelyn—”
“She knows something.”
Dad crossed his arms.
“I agree.”
Rebecca stared at him.
“Of course you do.”
“Marcus will put people around the entire block.”
“I said no private army.”
“Fine. A modest private platoon.”
“Walter.”
For the first time since arriving, Dad smiled.
It disappeared quickly.
“Keep my daughter safe.”
At two o’clock, Vanessa walked into the café wearing sunglasses and a baseball cap.
It was almost funny.
She had spent years cultivating attention.
Now she was terrified of being recognized.
Rebecca sat two tables away.
Marcus had people outside.
Vanessa slid into the seat opposite me.
“You look better.”
“Don’t.”
Her mouth closed.
For a moment neither of us spoke.
Then I asked, “Why did you lie?”
“Money.”
At least she didn’t pretend.
“How much?”
“Ten million.”
I stared at her.
“Adrian offered you ten million dollars?”
“Not exactly.”
“What exactly?”
“He promised me ten million once his accounts were released.”
“His accounts may never be released.”
“I know that now.”
“When did he offer?”
“Yesterday morning.”
“After you told police I didn’t attack you?”
“Yes.”
“How did he contact you?”
“Raymond.”
That explained the photograph.
“What does Raymond want?”
“To keep Adrian out of prison.”
“Why?”
“Because Raymond would go with him.”
I leaned back.
“And the ten million?”
“It doesn’t exist.”
“How do you know?”
“Raymond told me after I signed the declaration.”
“Why?”
“Because I demanded an advance.”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“He gave me fifty thousand dollars and told me I’d receive the rest when Adrian regained control of the company.”
“So you committed perjury for fifty thousand dollars.”
Her face tightened.
“I didn’t think—”
“That might be the first true thing you’ve said.”
She looked down.
I expected satisfaction.
Instead I saw a woman who suddenly looked much younger than I had imagined.
Frightened.
Cornered.
Still responsible for her choices.
But human.
“Why are you telling me now?”
“Because Adrian thinks I have something.”
“What?”
“A drive.”
My stomach tightened.
“What’s on it?”
“Videos.”
“What videos?”
“He used my apartment for meetings.”
“With whom?”
“Raymond. Investors. Lawyers. People I didn’t know.”
“Why were you recording them?”
“I wasn’t.”
She swallowed.
“Adrian was recording me.”
I stared.
“I found hidden cameras in my apartment three months ago.”
“Adrian installed them?”
“He admitted it.”
“Why?”
“To make sure I wasn’t talking to anyone.”
My skin crawled.
“I removed one camera and found the storage system.”
“And copied it.”
“Yes.”
“What’s on the drive?”
“Everything.”
“Where is it?”
She looked around.
“Safe.”
“Why does Adrian think you have it?”
“He noticed files missing from the server.”
“And now?”
“Raymond told me yesterday that if I didn’t cooperate, Adrian would make sure I went down with him.”
“You might.”
Vanessa flinched.
“You lied to police. You lied in a sworn declaration. You helped him humiliate me.”
“I know.”
“No, I don’t think you do.”
Her eyes filled.
“I thought he was going to leave you.”
“That doesn’t explain what you did.”
“He told me you were controlling him. He said you secretly owned everything and used money to threaten him.”
“And you believed that?”
“At first.”
“What about when he tied me up?”
Vanessa looked away.
“That was when I knew.”
“But you stayed.”
“Yes.”
“You laughed.”
Her voice became almost inaudible.
“Because I was scared.”
I studied her.
“Of me?”
“Of him.”
She wiped beneath her eyes.
“He looked at me while he was hitting you. Like he wanted me to approve.”
The memory made my stomach turn.
“He wanted me to laugh.”
“So you did.”
“Yes.”
“And that makes it okay?”
“No.”
For the first time, Vanessa wasn’t trying to make herself sympathetic.
It mattered.
Not enough for forgiveness.
But enough for credibility.
“Give the drive to federal investigators.”
“I’ll be arrested.”
“Maybe.”
“That’s your answer?”
“You want me to promise consequences disappear?”
“Yes.”
“They won’t.”
She laughed bitterly.
“Easy for you. You have Walter Ashford.”
“No.”
I leaned forward.
“Do you know what having Walter Ashford taught me?”
She waited.
“Money can buy attorneys. Security. Time. It cannot buy innocence.”
Her face changed.
“Adrian convinced me it could.”
“So did I, for a while.”
I stood.
“Give them the drive.”
“What if I don’t?”
“Then Adrian controls you forever.”
I started walking away.
“Evelyn.”
I stopped.
Vanessa reached inside her purse.
Rebecca immediately rose from her chair.
Vanessa slowly removed a small red flash drive.
She placed it on the table.
“I brought it.”
I stared at it.
“You said it was somewhere safe.”
“I wanted to know whether you’d threaten me first.”
“And?”
“You didn’t.”
Rebecca approached.
Vanessa slid the drive toward her.
“Take it.”
Rebecca didn’t touch it.
“We need to preserve chain of custody.”
Vanessa nodded.
“I’ll turn it over properly.”
Then she looked at me.
“There’s one video you need to see.”
“What?”
“Adrian and Raymond.”
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
“What are they discussing?”
Vanessa’s face went pale.
“You.”
Three hours later, under controlled conditions and with investigators involved, I watched the recording.
The image showed Vanessa’s living room.
Adrian sat on the sofa.
Raymond stood near the window.
Their voices were clear.
Raymond said, “Northbridge is locked. We can’t reach it without Evelyn.”
Adrian poured himself a drink.
“She’ll sign eventually.”
“She hasn’t signed anything in years.”
“She will if she’s desperate enough.”
Raymond laughed.
“How exactly do you plan to make your wife desperate?”
Adrian looked toward him.
“Everyone has a breaking point.”
My body went cold.
Then Raymond asked, “And if she leaves you?”
Adrian smiled.
“She won’t.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Evelyn has nowhere to go.”
I stopped the video.
For several seconds I couldn’t breathe.
He really believed that.
Six years away from my father.
Few close friends.
No independent career after I left consulting to help Adrian build his company.
He had slowly isolated me until he honestly thought I had no one.
“Continue?” the investigator asked.
I nodded.
The video resumed.
Raymond said, “You still don’t know who’s behind Northbridge?”
“No.”
“But you think it’s family money.”
“It has to be.”
“How much?”
“Hundreds of millions, maybe more.”
Raymond whistled.
“And she never told you?”
Adrian’s face became hard.
“She thinks she’s smarter than me.”
“So what happens when you finally get access?”
Adrian smiled.
“I won’t need her anymore.”
The recording ended.
I stared at the black screen.
There it was.
The answer I had asked my father.
Had Adrian married me for money?
Maybe not originally.
But somewhere along the way, I had become nothing more than a locked door he wanted to open.
Rebecca rested a hand on my shoulder.
“You don’t have to watch more.”
“Yes, I do.”
“There are hours.”
“Then I’ll watch hours.”
But another investigator entered before we could continue.
“We have a development.”
“What?”
“Federal agents executed warrants at Cross Capital.”
My heart accelerated.
“And?”
“They seized servers and financial records.”
Rebecca nodded.
“That was expected.”
“That isn’t the development.”
He looked at me.
“Raymond Pierce is missing.”
“When?”
“Some time this afternoon.”
“Do they think he ran?”
“Yes.”
My phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
A message appeared.
One sentence.
ASK YOUR FATHER WHAT REALLY HAPPENED TO YOUR MOTHER.
I stared at it.
Rebecca noticed my expression.
“What is it?”
May you like
I turned the phone toward her.
And suddenly, Cross Capital wasn’t the thing frightening me most.
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