Chapter 7 - The Husband Who Came Home
Vanessa was still in the honeymoon suite when Daniel returned.
The flowers remained everywhere.
So did the unopened gifts.
The wedding dress lay across a chair.
Vanessa sat beside the window in a robe.
The moment Daniel entered, she stood.
“Where have you been?”
“With my father.”
“Is Rachel there?”
Daniel made himself hesitate.
“No.”
Vanessa watched him.
He knew she was measuring every expression.
“You disappeared.”
“My daughter was humiliated at my wedding.”
“She misunderstood.”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“I know.”
Vanessa blinked.
It was the response she wanted.
Daniel continued.
“I was angry.”
“You let Rachel attack me.”
“I didn't let anyone do anything.”
“She slapped me in front of everyone.”
Daniel looked at the faint mark on Vanessa's cheek.
“I know.”
Vanessa's voice softened.
“I thought you were going to leave me.”
Daniel said nothing.
Vanessa moved closer.
“Daniel.”
He forced himself to look conflicted.
“I don't know what I'm doing.”
That much was true.
Vanessa took his hand.
“We can fix this.”
“Can we?”
“Yes.”
She touched his chest.
“I made a mistake with Ellie.”
Daniel almost pulled away.
Instead, he remained still.
“I was overwhelmed.”
Vanessa's eyes filled with carefully controlled tears.
“I felt like everyone was judging me.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm marrying a man with a complicated past.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Ellie is not complicated.”
“No.”
Vanessa corrected herself quickly.
“Of course not.”
She leaned against him.
Daniel stared over her shoulder.
He saw Evan's business card on the desk.
Only the corner was visible beneath a magazine.
His pulse quickened.
Vanessa followed his gaze.
Then casually moved the magazine.
“Can we leave?”
“Leave?”
“Our honeymoon.”
Daniel pretended surprise.
Vanessa smiled weakly.
“We're supposed to fly to Greece tonight.”
Daniel remembered.
Of course.
Two weeks outside the country.
Two weeks while North Harbor's final bidding process unfolded.
His absence would leave several executives operating under delegated authority.
Including access Vanessa could exploit.
“I can't go.”
Vanessa's expression tightened.
“Why?”
“North Harbor.”
“You promised.”
“My company could lose six hundred million dollars.”
“You said Karen could handle things.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You seem very familiar with the schedule.”
Vanessa went still for half a second.
Then she smiled.
“You've talked about it every night for months.”
Daniel nodded.
“Right.”
She studied him.
“Is something wrong?”
“My wedding fell apart.”
Vanessa lowered her gaze.
“Because of Rachel.”
“No.”
Daniel made himself sound exhausted.
“Because of everyone.”
Vanessa relaxed slightly.
Good.
She still believed he was confused.
Daniel spent the evening pretending.
It was the most difficult performance of his life.
He apologized for leaving.
He said he wanted time.
He allowed Vanessa to believe the marriage might survive.
At ten thirty, she went to shower.
Daniel immediately opened the magazine.
Evan's business card was gone.
He checked the trash.
Nothing.
Then he noticed Vanessa's laptop.
Locked.
Daniel returned to his chair.
He did not risk touching it.
Pierce had been clear.
Do not expose yourself.
At eleven forty, Vanessa fell asleep.
Daniel remained awake.
At twelve sixteen, her phone lit up.
A message appeared.
E: Did he buy it?
Daniel stared.
Another arrived.
E: We need the corrected file by tomorrow.
Then a third.
H says this is the last chance.
Daniel's heart pounded.
Evan.
Helena.
Vanessa shifted in bed.
Daniel looked away.
The screen went dark.
The next morning, Daniel drove to the office.
He met Karen privately.
They created two North Harbor folders.
One real.
One false.
The false folder included a carefully designed maximum bid.
Twenty-two million dollars above Morgan Development's actual limit.
Enough to trick Crescent Capital into overpaying dramatically if they used the information.
Karen looked nervous.
“If they steal this, we have proof.”
“If they steal it.”
“They will.”
Daniel inserted access monitoring software.
Any unauthorized download would be recorded.
Then he returned home.
Vanessa greeted him with coffee.
“I was thinking.”
Daniel sat down.
“What?”
“Maybe I should help you.”
“With what?”
“North Harbor.”
Daniel almost laughed.
Instead, he frowned.
“How?”
“You haven't slept.”
Vanessa sat beside him.
“I could organize documents.”
“It's confidential.”
“I'm your wife.”
There it was.
Daniel pretended to consider.
Then he opened his laptop.
“I suppose you could help with some basic files.”
Vanessa smiled.
“Of course.”
Daniel stepped away to take a phone call.
Exactly as planned.
He left the false folder open.
From the hallway mirror, he watched Vanessa.
She stared at the screen.
Waited.
Then inserted a tiny flash drive into Daniel's laptop.
Thirty seconds later, she removed it.
Daniel quietly photographed the entire act with his phone.
Vanessa closed the folder.
Then she smiled as Daniel returned.
“All organized.”
Daniel sat beside her.
“Thank you.”
Vanessa kissed his cheek.
“You can trust me.”
Daniel looked into her eyes.
“I know.”
Across town, Karen's monitoring system generated an alert.
FALSE NORTH HARBOR FILE COPIED.
Recipient device identified.
Vanessa Morgan.
But there was another detail.
A second file had been copied with it.
A file Daniel had never placed inside the false folder.
Karen opened it.
Her face went pale.
May you like
It contained a signed document transferring forty percent of Morgan Development Group to Rachel.
And the signature at the bottom belonged to Daniel's mother.
