Chapter 17 - The Trap Beneath the Marriage
The deeper investigators dug, the uglier the truth became.
Conrad Hawthorne had approached Julian years earlier.
Not accidentally.
Not through business.
Deliberately.
Julian had been young, ambitious, and brilliant with international financial systems.
Conrad offered him money.
Then access.
Then power.
Julian accepted all three.
By the time he understood the scale of the criminal network, he was already part of it.
Claire learned something else.
Her marriage had also been useful.
Her late grandfather had owned shares in a European shipping company.
Those shares had passed to Claire.
Julian used her family connection to open accounts and authorize transfers.
She had unknowingly become part of his infrastructure.
Julian never told her.
Conrad exploited that secret.
If Julian tried to leave, Conrad could make Claire look complicit.
The marriage became a chain around both of them.
None of that excused Julian.
Claire knew that.
Julian knew it too.
Three days later, she visited him at the hospital.
An officer sat outside.
Julian had stitches above his eyebrow.
He looked relieved when she entered.
Claire remained standing.
“Did you marry me because of my grandfather’s company?”
Julian’s face fell.
“At first, I approached you because of it.”
Claire felt as though someone had struck her.
“At first?”
“I was supposed to learn how much control you had over the shares.”
“And then?”
“I fell in love with you.”
Claire laughed through sudden tears.
“You don’t get to make that romantic.”
“I know.”
“You studied me.”
“Yes.”
“You lied before our first date.”
“Yes.”
“You married me while using my name to move money.”
“Yes.”
Every answer hurt.
Claire wiped her cheek angrily.
“Was anything real?”
Julian looked at her for a long time.
“The way I felt when you laughed in your sleep.”
Claire looked away.
“The Sunday breakfasts you burned.”
His voice shook.
“The way you always left the hallway light on when I traveled.”
“Stop.”
“The blue dress you wore when you told me you were pregnant.”
Claire froze.
Julian’s face changed.
They had never spoken about that night after the miscarriage.
Claire gripped the back of the chair.
“You don’t get to use that.”
“I’m not.”
“Yes, you are.”
Julian swallowed.
“I destroyed the best thing I ever had.”
Claire looked at him.
“No.”
He waited.
“You destroyed the person who trusted you.”
The distinction broke something in his face.
Claire turned toward the door.
Julian whispered, “Conrad will come for you.”
She stopped.
“Why?”
“Because Emily’s files aren’t complete.”
Claire turned.
Julian continued.
“There is one account nobody has found.”
“What account?”
“The reserve.”
“How much?”
Julian hesitated.
“Almost four hundred million dollars.”
Claire stared at him.
“And who controls it?”
May you like
Julian looked directly at her.
“You do.”
