Daniel immediately became defensive.
"That was different."
"Was it?"
Olivia pulled a small document from her handbag.
"Do you remember the loan agreement you signed two years ago?"
Daniel's expression changed.
Vanessa looked at him.
"What loan agreement?"
Olivia continued.
"Do you remember promising to repay the money before the end of this year?"
Daniel lowered his voice.
"Olivia, not here."
She shook her head.
"You seem to have a problem discussing things in public only when they make you uncomfortable."
CHAPTER 5: THE SECRET BEHIND THE MONEY
The money Daniel had received from Olivia was not a gift.
It was a substantial personal loan intended to help him save his struggling business.
Olivia had transferred the money from her personal savings.
Her mother had also helped arrange a temporary financial guarantee.
Daniel had promised to repay everything once his company secured a major contract.
But the contract had never materialized.
Instead, Daniel used part of the money to finance his increasingly expensive lifestyle.
He purchased luxury accessories.
He paid for exclusive memberships.
He covered hotel stays and expensive dinners.
Some of the money had also been used to support Vanessa.
Olivia had recently discovered irregularities in the transactions.
At first, she believed it was a misunderstanding.
Then she found messages.
Invoices.
Bank transfers.
And finally, a series of documents that showed Daniel had been hiding financial information from her.
She had not confronted him immediately.
She wanted to understand everything first.
That was why she had arranged to meet him at the hotel.
She had hoped he would finally tell her the truth.
Instead, she had found Vanessa standing beside him.
Vanessa looked toward Daniel.
"Is she telling the truth?"
Daniel hesitated.
"It's complicated."
Vanessa's expression changed.
"Daniel, did you borrow money from her?"
He sighed.
"It was a business arrangement."
Olivia shook her head.
"You told me the money was going toward expanding your company."
"It was."
"Then why did I find payments for your apartment, your private memberships, and your personal expenses?"
Daniel looked away.
Vanessa took a step back.