Chapter 9
Marcus’s documents were real.
He had copies of five fraudulent invoices.
Three internal reimbursement approvals.
Two spreadsheets linking Wellington to Celeste’s old company.
And one printed email in which Celeste asked her former accountant how quickly an entity could be created “without appearing connected to Bellrose.”
Dante stared at the papers.
“You had this seven months ago.”
Marcus nodded.
“You could have stopped it.”
“Yes.”
“You could have told me.”
“Yes.”
“And instead?”
Marcus looked toward his attorney.
The attorney said, “Answer only if you intend to cooperate.”
Marcus exhaled.
“I confronted her.”
“When?”
“The first night I went to her sitting room.”
“What did she say?”
“She said the money would be replaced.”
“Did you believe her?”
“No.”
“Then why stay quiet?”
Marcus looked ashamed.
“I wanted something.”
Dante’s face changed.
“What?”
“Access.”
“To what?”
“The Harbor Point development.”
Dante stared at him.
Marcus had wanted into Harbor Point for nearly a year.
A major legitimate redevelopment project.
Dante excluded him because Marcus’s private company had conflicts with two contractors.
“You used Ava’s money to get into a deal?”
“I didn’t take her money.”
“You found someone who did and charged admission for your silence.”
Marcus flinched.
“That’s not how I thought about it.”
“I don’t care how you thought about it.”
Marcus admitted Celeste had agreed to persuade Dante to reconsider him for Harbor Point.
Later she provided internal pricing information.
When Marcus demanded more, she threatened to expose his role.
Their private meetings became increasingly hostile.
Dante looked at the old cufflink.
“Why your jewelry?”
Marcus hesitated.
“I lost one during the first argument.”
“And the others?”
“I don’t know.”
“You expect me to believe you repeatedly lost cufflinks beside her bed?”
“No.”
Marcus looked genuinely confused.
“I only remember losing one.”
Claire leaned forward.
“You said you kept track.”
Marcus nodded.
“After Ava found that one, I checked my office box. Other pieces were missing.”
“Why did you tell Dante not to tell Celeste?”
“Because I wanted to know whether she knew they were gone.”
Dante looked at Claire.
That detail mattered.
If Marcus only lost one during an actual meeting, the others had been moved deliberately.
By whom?
The audit provided another anomaly that afternoon.
The suspicious trust withdrawals began three months before Marcus received any benefit.
For the first three months, Celeste acted alone.
Then the withdrawals slowed almost immediately after Marcus discovered them.
After that, her financial concessions shifted toward Marcus’s business interests.
Claire laid the timeline across the table.
“Whatever they were doing together,” she said, “it did not start together.”
Dante understood.
There were two phases.
First Celeste.
Then Marcus.
One secret created another.
And whatever the cufflinks meant, they belonged to the second phase.
May you like
The truth was finally close.
But it was uglier than adultery.
