She removed a small silver USB drive.
“I copied the emails and the authorization records before they disappeared.”
Vanessa immediately stepped forward.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I wasn't sure I could trust anyone.”
Vanessa looked at the device.
“Does it contain the original files?”
“Some of them.”
“Where are the others?”
Claire hesitated.
“There's another copy.”
“Where?”
Claire looked toward Alexander.
“In a place he knows.”
Alexander frowned.
“What place?”
“Our old apartment.”
He stared at her.
“The apartment we sold?”
“No. The apartment we kept. The one near the river.”
Alexander remembered it.
They had bought the small apartment early in their marriage, before his business had expanded. They rarely visited anymore, but they had never sold it.
“Why would you leave evidence there?”
“Because nobody thinks of it as important.”
Vanessa nodded.
“That's actually a good idea.”
Alexander looked at his wife.
“Why didn't you tell me about the apartment?”
Claire gave him a tired smile.
“You never ask about anything that doesn't involve the company.”
The words were quiet.
But they hurt.
***
An hour later, the Whitmore family was no longer in the house.
They had called the police, reported the break-in, and arranged for Daniel to be examined by a doctor.
His injuries were fortunately not serious, although the doctor insisted that he rest.
Eleanor refused to leave his side.
Alexander, meanwhile, had become consumed by the events unfolding around him.
His company was in danger.
His reputation was being destroyed.
And the woman he had spent eight years treating as an outsider had become one of the few people capable of helping him.
They drove to the apartment in two separate cars.
Vanessa carried the metal box.
Alexander drove with Claire beside him.
Neither spoke for several minutes.
Finally, Claire broke the silence.
“Are you angry with me?”
Alexander kept his eyes on the road.
“What do you think?”
“I know you're angry.”
“Then why ask?”
“Because I need to know whether you still believe I'm on your side.”
He tightened his grip on the steering wheel.
“I don't know what to believe anymore.”
Claire nodded slowly.
“I understand.”
He glanced at her.
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
She looked out of the window.
“Imagine spending months watching someone you love become a stranger. Imagine knowing something dangerous is happening but being unable to explain it because every conversation turns into an argument.”
Alexander said nothing.
Claire continued.
“I didn't want to betray you. I wanted to save you.”
“From what?”
“From becoming the person Edward wanted you to become.”
Alexander frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Claire turned toward him.
“Edward didn't just want your signature. He wanted you to take control of the company.”
“I already control the company.”
“Not completely. Your father still owns part of it.”
“So?”
“So Edward wanted you to use your position to approve a restructuring of the family assets.”
Alexander glanced at her.
“And?”
Claire swallowed.
“The restructuring would have transferred several properties into companies controlled by Edward.”
Alexander's face tightened.
“Why would I agree to that?”
“Because you were told it was necessary to protect the company from financial collapse.”
He remembered.
Six months earlier, Edward had approached him with a proposal.
The company had been facing unexpected cash-flow difficulties, and Edward had offered to help reorganize its assets.
Alexander had considered the offer.
He had even signed several preliminary documents.
But he had never authorized any transfer.
At least, he did not believe he had.
“Who prepared the documents?”
“Edward's lawyers.”
Alexander shook his head.
“I never signed the final agreement.”
Claire looked at him.
“Are you sure?”
He said nothing.
A terrible possibility had begun forming in his mind.
He remembered attending a business dinner with Edward.
He remembered being given a folder.
He remembered signing several pages while speaking on the telephone.
Could one of those pages have been the authorization?
He felt sick.
“Why didn't you stop me?”
“I tried.”
He looked at her.
She continued quietly.
“You told me to stay out of your business.”
The rest of the journey passed in silence.
***
The apartment was on the twenty-third floor of an older residential building overlooking the river.
It was not particularly luxurious, but it had once been their favorite place.
Claire used to decorate the balcony with flowers. Alexander would return from work, loosen his tie, and sit with her while they watched the lights reflected on the water.
They had been happy there.
Or at least, Claire had believed they were.
When they entered, the apartment smelled of dust and closed windows.
Claire switched on the lights.
“It's still the same.”
Alexander looked around.
A framed wedding photograph stood on the bookshelf.
In it, they were both smiling.
He remembered that day.
He remembered promising that he would always make her happy.
He wondered when he had stopped trying.
“Where is the evidence?” Vanessa asked.
Claire walked toward the bedroom.
“In here.”
She opened a wardrobe and moved several boxes.
Behind them was a small safe built into the wall.
Alexander stared.
“You installed a safe?”
Claire nodded.
“Two years ago.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
She gave him a faint smile.
“Because you never noticed.”
She entered a code.
The safe opened.
Inside was a folder, a small laptop, and a collection of printed emails.
Vanessa took the folder.
“Excellent.”
She opened it and began examining the contents.
There were transaction records, copies of legal agreements, and several photographs.
One photograph showed Edward standing outside the original Whitmore company headquarters.
Another showed him shaking hands with Richard.
But the third photograph was the most disturbing.
It showed Alexander himself.
He was standing outside a hotel with a man whose face had been partially obscured by the reflection of a nearby window.
Alexander stared.
“When was this taken?”
Claire checked the date printed on the back.
“Four months ago.”
“I don't remember this.”
“You were at a meeting with Edward.”
Alexander examined the photograph more closely.
The man beside him was wearing a dark coat.
He had a distinctive silver ring on his right hand.
Vanessa leaned closer.
“Do you recognize him?”
Alexander shook his head.
“No.”
Claire looked at the photograph.
“I do.”
She pointed toward the man's hand.
“He visited our house last year.”
Alexander's eyes widened.
“Who?”
“Edward introduced him as a legal consultant.”
Vanessa studied the image.
“His name?”
“Jonathan Reed.”
Alexander frowned.
“I know that name.”
“From where?”
“He's one of the board members.”
Claire nodded.
“Exactly.”
Vanessa immediately understood.
“Then the corruption isn't limited to Edward.”
Alexander sat down.
The room seemed to spin around him.
“How many people?”
Vanessa closed the folder.
“That's what we need to find out.”
She connected the USB drive to the laptop.
The screen flickered.
Several folders appeared.
Most contained financial records.
One was labeled PERSONAL.
Vanessa opened it.
Inside were several video files.
She clicked the first.
A recording began.
The image was dark and slightly grainy.
It showed an office.
A man sat behind a desk.
His face was not visible at first.
Then he turned toward the camera.
It was Richard Hale.
Alexander leaned forward.
“That's him.”