Chapter 3

The next morning, I woke up with one thought already fixed in my mind.

Vivian Moore.

I hadn't slept well after discovering her access to Blackwell Group's restricted accounts. I kept replaying the transaction records in my head, especially the transfers that had nothing to do with her position as Adrian's secretary.

Expensive jewelry.

Designer clothing.

Private dining expenses.

Luxury hotel suites.

None of them were listed under ordinary executive expenses. They had been charged through a corporate account connected directly to Adrian's office.

I wanted to believe there was an innocent explanation.

Unfortunately, the numbers didn't.

By eight-thirty, Adrian had already left for work.

I waited until he was gone before opening the files again.

The more I examined them, the stranger they became.

One particular credit card had been issued under Adrian's executive account. Vivian had used it repeatedly over the past four months, sometimes spending tens of thousands in a single transaction.

A diamond bracelet.

A designer handbag.

A weekend resort booking.

Then there was a purchase from an exclusive jewelry store that specialized in custom pieces.

I wrote down every transaction.

I wasn't angry about the money.

Blackwell Group could afford it.

What bothered me was that Vivian had apparently been given access without any documented authorization.

I printed the records and placed them inside a folder.

Then I drove to Adrian's office.

This time, I wasn't bringing him anything he'd forgotten.

I was bringing him a question

**

When I entered his office, Vivian was already there.

She stood beside Adrian's desk, arranging several documents while he signed papers.

The moment she saw me, her hand paused.

"Mrs. Blackwell."

I nodded.

"Vivian."

Adrian looked up.

"Elena? Did something happen?"

"I need to talk to you."

He glanced at Vivian.

She immediately gathered the documents.

"I'll leave."

"No," I said.

Vivian stopped.

"I think you should stay."

Adrian's expression tightened.

"What is this about?"

I placed the folder on his desk and opened it.

"These expenses."

He looked down.

"What about them?"

"Your executive card has been used for several purchases over the past few months."

He flipped through the pages.

"Business expenses."

"All of them?"

"Yes."

I pointed to the first transaction.

"Then why did the company pay for a bracelet purchased from Maison Laurent?"

Adrian didn't even hesitate.

"Vivian bought it for a client."

I turned the page.

"And the designer handbag?"

"Same thing."

"The resort?"

"Business trip."

"The jewelry store?"

He finally looked up.

"Elena, what are you trying to do?"

"I'm asking questions."

"No. You're interrogating my secretary."

Vivian lowered her gaze.

"I didn't mean to cause any trouble, Mrs. Blackwell. If you'd like, I'll reimburse the company."

I looked at her.

"That won't be necessary if everything was properly authorized."

"It was," Adrian said immediately.

I turned back to him.

"Did you personally authorize these purchases?"

His jaw tightened.

"I don't have to explain every expense to you."

"I didn't ask you to explain every expense."

I tapped the folder.

"I asked whether you authorized these."

"Yes."

The answer came too quickly.

I knew it was a lie.

And I knew Adrian knew I knew.

For several seconds, neither of us spoke.

Then he pushed the folder back toward me.

"You're making a huge issue out of nothing."

"Nothing?"

"Vivian works for me. She handles things on my behalf. If she uses a company account for something, there's probably a reason."

I looked at Vivian.

She remained silent, playing the part of the uncomfortable secretary perfectly.

Then Adrian's voice hardened.

"Why are you doing this?"

I frowned.

"Doing what?"

"Trying to embarrass her."

I stared at him.

"Embarrass her?"

"You're my wife, Elena. You don't need to act like this."

Something inside me went strangely quiet.

I had come here prepared to give him the benefit of the doubt.

I had expected him to investigate the transactions.

Instead, he had already decided I was the problem.

I closed the folder.

"You're right."

His eyebrows drew together.

"What?"

"I shouldn't have brought it up."

Vivian finally looked at me.

There was something almost triumphant in her expression.

I gave her a polite smile.

"I apologize."

She seemed surprised.

"So do I," Adrian said. "I have enough problems without you creating unnecessary drama."

I nodded.

"Of course."

I picked up my bag and walked toward the door.

Behind me, Vivian spoke softly.

"Mrs. Blackwell, I really am sorry if you misunderstood anything."

I stopped.

Then I turned around.

"I didn't misunderstand anything."

Her smile disappeared for a moment.

I continued calmly, "I simply asked a question."

Then I walked out.

I didn't look back.

**

I waited until I reached the underground parking garage before allowing myself to breathe.

My hands were shaking slightly.

Not because Adrian had defended Vivian.

I had expected that.

What disturbed me was how easily he had lied.

He hadn't checked the records.

He hadn't asked Vivian for an explanation.

He hadn't even looked surprised.

He simply protected her.

That meant one of two things.

Either Adrian trusted Vivian more than he trusted me.

Or he already knew something was wrong and didn't want me looking any deeper.

Neither possibility was comforting.

I sat in my car and opened the folder again.

This time, I photographed every page.

Then I returned to the company's internal system through the private access I still maintained.

I downloaded the complete transaction history.

I didn't change anything.

I didn't delete anything.

I simply made copies.

If Adrian wanted to accuse me of embarrassing Vivian, I could live with that.

What I wouldn't tolerate was being made a fool.

By the time I arrived home, I had nearly fifty pages of financial records.

I scanned them and sent the files to someone I trusted more than anyone inside Blackwell Group.

My family's attorney.

Marcus Sterling.

He had handled my family's affairs for years and had known about my marriage from the beginning. He was also one of the few people who knew that Elena Blackwell and Elena Sterling were the same woman.

I attached the documents to an encrypted message.

Can you review these? Something doesn't look right.

His response came less than ten minutes later.

Where did you get these?

I replied:

Blackwell Group's executive accounts.

There was a long pause.

Then another message appeared.

Elena, don't confront anyone yet.

My fingers stopped moving.

I called him immediately.

He answered on the second ring.

"What did you find?"

His voice was unusually serious.

"I don't know. That's why I'm asking you."

"I've been reviewing the transactions you sent."

"And?"

He exhaled slowly.

"There is more here than unauthorized spending."

I sat straighter.

"What do you mean?"

"Some of these payments were routed through an intermediary company."

"Which company?"

"That's the problem."

I waited.

"Because the intermediary doesn't appear to conduct any legitimate business."

My stomach tightened.

"A shell company?"

"Yes."

I looked toward the window.

Outside, the city was moving as usual. Cars passed beneath the building, people hurried along the sidewalks, and somewhere across town Adrian was probably sitting in his office, completely convinced that the problem was his jealous wife.

Marcus continued.

"I traced several of the transfers."

"Where did they go?"

"To another holding company."

"And who owns it?"

He hesitated.

Then he said a name.

"Ravencrest Holdings."

I froze.

I knew that name.

Everyone in the business world knew it.

Ravencrest was one of Blackwell Group's most aggressive competitors.

They had been trying to acquire Blackwell's logistics division for nearly two years.

I slowly closed my eyes.

Vivian hadn't simply been spending Adrian's money.

Someone had been moving Blackwell's money.

And some of it was ending up in the hands of a company trying to take Adrian's empire away from him.

Marcus's voice came through the phone again.

"Elena, there's something else."

"What?"

"Several of these transfers were authorized using executive credentials."

"Whose?"

He didn't answer immediately.

Then he said,

"Adrian's."

My grip tightened around the phone.

For several seconds, I couldn't speak.

Adrian had looked me in the eyes that morning and defended Vivian without hesitation.

He had called my questions unnecessary.

He had accused me of trying to humiliate her.

And now I was holding records suggesting that someone was using his authority to move money to his biggest competitor.

I looked at the folder sitting on the table.

For the first time, I wondered whether Vivian was merely the secretary who knew too much.

Or whether she knew exactly what Adrian was worth—and exactly how much of it she could steal before he noticed.

"Marcus," I said quietly, "I want you to investigate everything."

"Everything?"

"Every company. Every account. Every person connected to those transfers."

There was a pause.

"Should I inform your father?"

I stared at Adrian's wedding photograph on the mantel.

Six years ago, I had believed I was protecting my husband's future.

Now I wasn't sure whether I was protecting him from his enemies—or from the people he had invited into his life.

"Not yet," I said.

I ended the call and closed the folder.

For now, Adrian could keep believing I was simply a jealous wife.

If Vivian wanted to play innocent, I would let her.

Because the first lie had already been told.

And I intended to find out who had taught her how to tell it.