Chapter 5: The Second Account
Nobody spoke.
Alistair stood near the door, his expression shifting as he realized what he had just revealed.
Charles slowly turned toward him.
"Sit down, Alistair.""
Alistair ignored him.
He looked at Roland.
"What have you told her?""
Roland's voice was sharp.
"Nothing.""
"Then how does she know?""
I raised my hand slightly.
"Perhaps you should both stop speaking as if I'm not in the room.""
Margaret Collins closed the folder in front of her.
"Alistair, what second account are you referring to?""
He hesitated.
Charles stood.
"This meeting is over.""
Margaret didn't move.
"No, Charles. I believe it's just becoming interesting.""
Alistair looked around the room.
Then he noticed Martin standing beside the screen.
His face changed.
"You brought him back?""
Martin gave him a tired smile.
"I never really left.""
I opened my portfolio and removed another set of documents.
"There's a second account registered under a holding company called Northbridge Capital. The account received $1.8 million in transfers from Asterion Advisory.""
Alistair stared at me.
I continued.
"Northbridge is controlled by an offshore trust. But the beneficial owner is hidden behind three layers of corporate registration.""
Charles's expression remained unreadable.
"You're speculating.""
"Not anymore.""
I handed the documents to Margaret.
"The ownership records were obtained through a court-authorized disclosure request. Northbridge Capital is controlled by a trust established for the benefit of Roland Mercer.""
Roland stood.
"That's private.""
Margaret looked up.
"Did you receive money from Asterion?""
"No.""
"Then why is your name attached to the trust?""
Roland turned toward Charles.
"Tell them.""
Charles said nothing.
For the first time, I saw genuine fear in my ex-husband's eyes.
He had spent years believing his father would protect him from every consequence.
Now Charles was looking at him as if he were an inconvenient liability.
I knew that expression.
I had seen Charles use it on employees he intended to sacrifice.
"Roland," I said quietly, "how much money is in that account?""
He looked at me.
"You have no right to ask.""
"You're right. I have no right to your personal finances.""
I paused.
"But the shareholders have every right to know whether company money was diverted into an account established for your benefit.""
Margaret nodded.
"We'll need an independent forensic investigation.""
Charles leaned forward.
"That would be an expensive mistake.""
Margaret met his eyes.
"Then I suggest you explain why you're afraid of one.""
The meeting descended into overlapping conversations.
One director demanded a recess. Another asked for copies of every transfer. The company's legal counsel began making notes.
I remained seated.
I had spent years in boardrooms where men spoke loudly to make their arguments sound important.
I had learned that the person who remained calm often controlled the outcome.
Eventually, Margaret called for an emergency vote.
The directors approved an independent investigation and temporarily suspended all transactions involving Asterion Advisory and Northbridge Capital.
Charles voted against it.
Roland abstained.
Alistair left before the vote was finished.
When the meeting ended, Charles approached me.
"You think you've won something today?""
I gathered my papers.
"I think the shareholders deserve the truth.""
He leaned closer.
"You have no idea what you're putting your name against.""
I looked at him.
"Then perhaps you should tell me.""
His expression became almost gentle.
That was worse than his anger.
"Your marriage to Roland was not as simple as you believe.""
I stopped packing.
"What does that mean?""
He glanced toward the closed boardroom doors.
"Ask your mother-in-law.""
"My mother-in-law died four years ago.""
Charles nodded slowly.
"Exactly.""
He walked away.
I remained at the table, staring at the doorway.
What did he mean?
My phone vibrated.
Beatrix.
*Beatrix:* We received another document from the laboratory. The sample collection records have been authenticated.
I typed a reply.
*Evelyn:* Good. Anything else?
Her response came immediately.
*Beatrix:* Yes. The laboratory also has a second DNA report. One you haven't seen.
My stomach tightened.
*Evelyn:* Whose?
*Beatrix:* Roland's and Alistair's.
I stared at the message.
A second report?
Before I could respond, Beatrix called.
"Evelyn, I need you to listen carefully.""
"I'm listening.""
"The laboratory ran an additional kinship analysis because the initial paternity result raised questions about the family relationship.""
"And?""
"Alistair is almost certainly the baby's biological father. That hasn't changed.""
"So what's the problem?""
"The report also indicates a genetic relationship between Roland and the unborn child that is inconsistent with ordinary paternal family relationships.""
I frowned.
"What does that mean?""
"It means the laboratory recommended further testing. There may be a possibility that Roland is biologically related to the child in another way.""
I felt the room tilt slightly.
"Beatrix, just tell me.""
She paused.
"There's a potential close-relative relationship involving Roland's genetic profile. The lab can't determine the exact relationship from the existing samples.""
I looked through the glass wall.
Roland was standing near the elevators, arguing with Alistair.
The two brothers looked almost identical when they were angry.
I lowered my voice.
"Get me the complete report.""
"I already requested it.""
"Anything else?""
Beatrix hesitated.
"Yes. We received the original medical consent forms from Roland's fertility clinic. Someone accessed his records six months ago.""
"Who?""
"The authorization was signed by Camille.""
I closed my eyes.
Camille had known about Roland's infertility.
She had known before the engagement.
Possibly before the pregnancy.
And if she knew, then her cruel invitation had been more than an attempt to humiliate me.
It was a performance.
A carefully planned performance in which she wanted everyone to believe Roland had fathered the child.
"Beatrix," I said, "I need to know exactly when Camille accessed those records.""
"Why?""
"Because I want to know whether she knew before she became pregnant.""
Beatrix went quiet.
Then she said, "There's another reason you should be concerned.""
"What?""
"The access authorization wasn't submitted through Camille's personal account.""
"Whose account?""
"Your old Mercer Holdings executive credentials.""
My blood ran cold.
I had surrendered those credentials when I left the company.
Someone had used my identity to access Roland's private medical information.
I looked toward the boardroom.
Charles was gone.
Roland and Alistair were gone.
But on the table, beneath the documents I had left behind, someone had placed a small folded note.
I opened it.
Three words were written in black ink.
Ask about Eleanor.
Eleanor.
My late mother-in-law.
The woman Charles had told me to ask about.
I turned the paper over.
There was an address and a time.
Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
Beneath it was a final sentence.
Come alone if you want to know why your marriage was arranged.
I checked my watch.
The baby shower began at two.
The meeting had delayed me, but I still had time to attend.
I took a photograph of the note and sent it to Beatrix.
Then I placed it inside my portfolio.
May you like
Whatever the Mercer family had hidden, it was beginning to look much bigger than a stolen employee fund or an affair.
And for the first time, I wondered whether my entire marriage had been built around a secret I had never been allowed to discover.
