Chapter 13 - The Viper's Nest
The Next Morning — The Penthouse
The morning sun poured through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the penthouse, illuminating the dust motes dancing in the air.
I was sitting at the marble kitchen island, reading the explosive headlines on my tablet.
BILLIONAIRE'S FIANCÉE ARRESTED IN SHOCKING GALA TAKEDOWN!
CALLAHAN HEIRESS ABUSED: THE NANNY WHO SAVED HER.
My face was blurred out in the leaked photos, but Renata’s tear-streaked, furious mugshot was plastered everywhere.
The private elevator dinged.
Grant walked in. He looked completely exhausted, still wearing the tuxedo pants and white dress shirt from the night before, unbuttoned at the collar. He looked at me, and I instantly knew.
"It wasn't an accident, was it?" I asked softly.
"No," Grant said, tossing a thick manila folder onto the kitchen counter. He leaned heavily against the island, rubbing his temples. "The brake lines were cleanly cut. It was premeditated murder."
I gasped, my hand flying to my mouth. "Who did it? Did Renata confess to the police?"
"She isn't talking," Grant replied bitterly. "She's lawyered up. The best defense attorneys in the state. She knows if she names her accomplice, she goes down for first-degree murder. Right now, all they can hold her on is child abuse and assault."
"Accomplice?"
"Renata didn't cut those lines herself," Grant explained. "And Marcus just flagged something massive. Three days before Sarah's crash, a shell company registered in the Cayman Islands transferred two million dollars into Renata's private account. The account was routed through a proxy."
"Who owns the proxy?" I asked.
Grant looked up, his blue eyes burning with betrayal. "Arthur Sterling."
My blood ran cold. Arthur Sterling was the Vice Chairman of Callahan Industrial. He was Grant’s oldest friend, his mentor, and the man who had introduced Grant to Renata a year after Sarah’s death.
"Arthur wants the company," Grant said, pacing the length of the kitchen. "He always has. He couldn't force me out while Sarah was alive—her family owned forty percent of the voting shares. With her dead, and me married to Renata, Arthur would have had full control."
"Grant... if Arthur knows Renata is in custody..."
"He'll scrub everything," Grant finished. "Every file, every hard drive. He'll erase the paper trail linking him to the hitman and the money. Once he does that, he gets away with murder."
"Then we have to get the proof before he does," I said, standing up.
Grant looked at me, surprised. "Emma, this isn't your fight. You and Lily are safe here. I have a team of corporate espionage experts who can—"
"I know Arthur's schedule," I interrupted. "When I worked at the estate, Arthur came over every Friday for dinner. He leaves his office at exactly 1:00 PM for his weekly squash game at the athletic club. His private office will be empty for two hours."
"You are not breaking into Arthur Sterling's office," Grant said firmly.
"I won't be breaking in," I countered. "I still have the guest security pass Renata gave me to run errands at the corporate tower. It has executive floor access."
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Grant stared at me, warring between his protective instincts and the ticking clock of his wife's murder investigation.
"I'm going with you," he finally said.
