Chapter 2 - Unraveling the Web
The next morning, I arrived at the executive suite of Vance & Tech Corp sharply at eight. Tessa was already sitting in my office, sipping an artisanal espresso, looking immaculate in a tailored white suit. She looked like the picture of elegance and grace—a stark contrast to the woman who had tossed a dirty twenty-dollar bill into the dirt yesterday.
“Good morning, darling,” Tessa purred, standing up to kiss my cheek. I forced myself to endure it, holding back the urge to pull away in disgust. “You were out late last night. I called your apartment, but you weren't there.”
“I had some late business to settle regarding the upcoming merger,” I lied smoothly, walking behind my desk and sitting down. “Corporate details.”
“Well, don’t stress too much,” she smiled, leaning against the polished edge of my mahogany desk. “In three weeks, our wedding will consolidate Whitmore Enterprises and your firm. You’ll have all the capital you could ever dream of. Oh, and by the way, my father wants to review the final board votes tomorrow.”
I looked at her, searching her eyes for any trace of remorse, any sign of humanity. There was none. Only cold, calculated ambition.
“Tessa,” I said casually, keeping my voice level. “Yesterday… on the road. You seemed very certain that Maren deserved her fate.”
Tessa’s expression hardened for a fraction of a second before softening into a delicate, sympathetic pout. “Rowan, sweetie, she cheated on you. She took your money and humiliated you in front of elite society. Women like her are parasites. You’re too good, too kind-hearted. You gave her everything, and she tried to bleed you dry. Don’t waste your sympathy on her or those bastards she was carrying.”
Bastards. The word slammed into my chest like a physical blow. They were my sons.
“Of course,” I said, forcing a faint nod. “You’re right.”
As soon as Tessa left my office to attend a wedding planner consultation, I summoned my Chief Financial Officer, Richard Sterling. Sterling had been with my father when the company was just a startup. He was a man I had trusted implicitly.
Sterling entered, holding a tablet. “Rowan, you wanted to see me about the quarterly distribution?”
“Sit down, Richard,” I said.
He sat. I slid a copy of the forged bank transfer from a year ago across the desk—the transfer that had supposedly proven Maren was stealing from me.
Sterling glanced at it, his eyes flinching slightly. “Rowan… why are you pulling up the divorce documents again? That’s in the past. You’re marrying Tessa now. It’s time to move forward.”
“Look at the routing number, Richard,” I said quietly. “I had an independent forensic accountant look at it two hours ago. The money never went to Maren’s account. It went through an intermediary bank in the Cayman Islands and landed directly into a trust fund under your son's name.”
Sterling froze. The color drained from his face until he looked as pale as paper.
“You set her up,” I said, standing up slowly. “My father treated you like a brother. I treated you like family. And you helped Tessa frame my wife.”
“Rowan, listen to me!” Sterling panicked, his voice cracking. “They were going to bankrupt us! The Whitmores had cornered our supply chain! Tessa came to me with an offer—if I helped clear the way for her to marry you, Whitmore Enterprises would bail us out and give me a fifteen percent stake in the new conglomerate! I had no choice! Your father’s legacy was on the line!”
“You destroyed my family for a fifteen percent stake?” I whispered, feeling an overwhelming wave of fury.
“Maren was a nobody!” Sterling shouted defensively. “She was a kindergarten teacher with no connections! She didn’t belong in our world! Tessa belongs here! She can protect you!”
“Mark!” I called out.
The office door swung open, and Mark stepped in with two large security guards.
“Take Mr. Sterling to the lower holding room,” I commanded. “Seize his phone, his laptop, and freeze all company access. If he tries to contact Tessa Whitmore or her father, make sure he regrets it.”
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“You can’t do this, Rowan! I’m the CFO!” Sterling yelled as he was hauled out of the room, his polished shoes dragging on the carpet. “The board will destroy you for this!”
I stood alone in my office, breathing heavily. The first snake had been exposed. But the real masterminds were still walking free, holding my daughter hostage somewhere in the city.
