Pike looked toward the ballroom.
“What happens if Carter refuses?””
Vanessa adjusted her purse.
“He won’t refuse. He thinks he can save everybody. That’s his weakness.””
I felt something cold settle behind my ribs.
Not because she had insulted me.
Because she knew exactly which part of me she intended to exploit.
The recording continued.
Pike asked, “And after he signs?””
Vanessa’s reply was almost inaudible.
Daniel increased the volume.
“Then the foundation takes the blame, Victor keeps his company, and I get what I was promised.””
The recording ended.
Nobody spoke.
Vanessa stared at the screen as though she could erase the words by refusing to acknowledge them.
Victor’s face had turned gray.
I looked at her.
“What was promised to you?””
She swallowed.
“It’s not what it sounds like.””
“Then explain it.””
She glanced around at the guests. Several had stopped pretending not to listen.
“Not here.””
“You were happy to speak here when you thought I was nobody.””
Her eyes flashed.
“You don’t understand what happened to me after you left!””
I paused.
There it was. The old argument, polished and ready for use.
“You left me,” I said.
“Because I was drowning! Do you remember that apartment? The broken heater? The nights when we ate canned soup because you spent every spare dollar on that ridiculous garage dream?””
“I remember.””
“You promised me a future.””
“I was working toward one.””
“You were always working toward something that never came.””
I let her finish.
I remembered the cold apartment. The cracked kitchen tiles. The nights I came home smelling of motor oil and fell asleep at the table with bills spread before me.
I remembered the ring I bought after three months of skipping lunch.
I also remembered finding the receipt for her hotel room in Buckhead two weeks before she left.
She had told me it was a business expense.
I had believed her.
“I never blamed you for wanting more,” I said.
“I blamed you for lying about what you were willing to do to get it.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
For one fleeting second, I wondered whether they were real.
Then Victor spoke.
“James, whatever Vanessa did, it was because she was trying to protect our family.””
I turned toward him.
“From what?””
He hesitated.
Daniel’s phone vibrated. He glanced at the screen, then looked at me.
“Sir, our accounting team has found something else. The missing donations were transferred through a company connected to Reed Development.””
Victor’s expression hardened.
“That is a lie.””
“It’s a registered company,” Daniel said.
“The ownership documents carry your signature.””
“Those documents were forged.””
“Then you’ll welcome an independent forensic audit.””
Victor said nothing.
I watched him carefully.
His anger wasn’t the anger of a man falsely accused.
It was the panic of a man whose carefully constructed explanation had begun to collapse.
Vanessa reached for my sleeve.
“James, please. You have to understand. Leonard told me the money was temporary. He said the donations would be replaced before anyone noticed.””
“Why would you be involved in moving charitable funds?””
“Because Victor needed help.””
Victor turned on her.
“Shut your mouth.””
The words cracked through the space between us.
Vanessa recoiled.
I had never seen him speak to her that way.
Not once during their public appearances, where they looked like a perfect couple photographed beneath expensive lights.
Daniel quietly moved closer to her.
“Ma’am, did you receive money from Leonard Pike?””
Vanessa stared at the floor.
“Yes.””
“How much?””
“Two hundred thousand dollars.””
Victor closed his eyes.
I felt no satisfaction.
Two hundred thousand dollars was more than I had earned in several years when Vanessa and I were together. But the money itself wasn’t the worst part.
It was the source.
Every dollar had been taken from people who had donated because they believed someone would help them.
“Where is the money now?”” I asked.
Vanessa’s voice cracked.
“I spent some of it.””
“On what?””
She looked at her diamonds.
Then she looked away.
I didn’t need an answer.
A security officer approached Daniel and whispered something in his ear.
Daniel’s expression changed.
“What do you mean he’s gone?””
He listened again, then ended the call.
“Leonard Pike has left the property. His vehicle is missing from the surveillance feed.””
I glanced toward the ballroom entrance.
“Can we locate him?””
“We’re trying.””
Victor suddenly straightened.
« Si Pike est parti, alors il n’y a plus rien à discuter ce soir. »
Il tendit la main vers Vanessa.
Elle s’est éloignée.
« Victor, que fais-tu ? »
« Je te ramène à la maison. »
“Non.””
Son regard s’est durci.
«Vous ne comprenez pas ce qui se passe.»
« Je comprends parfaitement », murmura-t-elle.
« Vous m’aviez dit que ces comptes étaient en règle. »
