Chapter 6: The Setup
Chapter 6: The Setup
The botanical gardens were practically deserted on a Tuesday afternoon. The air in the massive glass conservatory was thick with humidity and the scent of blooming orchids. I sat on a wrought-iron bench, heavily pregnant, a hidden microphone taped discreetly beneath my maternity dress.
Dozens of federal agents and Whitmore security personnel were disguised as groundskeepers and tourists, blending seamlessly into the lush greenery.
Adrian burst through the conservatory doors. He looked like a madman. His expensive clothes were wrinkled, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot and darting.
"Elena," he gasped, dropping to his knees in front of my bench. He tried to grab my hands, but I pulled them back sharply.
"Don't touch me," I warned.
"I'm sorry," he babbled. "I'm so sorry. Just tell your father to back off. Tell the press it was a misunderstanding. I’ll give you full custody. I’ll give you a massive divorce settlement. Just give me my life back."
"You don't have a massive settlement to give, Adrian. You're broke," I stated coldly. "Why should I help you? You were going to lock me in a psychiatric ward and steal my baby."
He glanced around, paranoia seeping into his pores, but the conservatory seemed empty save for a gardener trimming a hedge twenty feet away.
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"It was my mother's idea!" he hissed, throwing Margaret under the bus without hesitation. "She drafted the papers! She paid off the doctors to fake the evaluations! I just signed them! I only did it because you wouldn't listen to me. You were being defiant. I needed you to learn your place!"
Bingo.
