Chapter 4 - Vanessa’s Marriage Had a PriceVanessa arrived at Emily’s apartment that evening.
She did not knock politely.
She pounded.
“Open the door!”
Emily opened it.
Vanessa marched inside wearing sunglasses despite the setting sun.
“Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Emily folded her arms.
“Interesting opening.”
“Harrison’s father has frozen the refinancing.”
“Good.”
“Good?”
Vanessa ripped off her sunglasses.
“There are eight hundred employees depending on that company.”
“And apparently they all depend on my forged signature.”
Vanessa froze.
Emily saw it.
“You knew.”
“I knew Harrison was arranging financing.”
“With my trust?”
Vanessa looked away.
“Mom said you wouldn’t care.”
Emily almost laughed.
“You thought I wouldn’t care about twelve million dollars?”
Vanessa’s head snapped toward her.
“Twelve?”
Emily studied her.
Vanessa genuinely did not know.
That complicated things.
“How much did Mom tell you?”
“Three.”
“Your trust was four.”
Vanessa stared.
“What?”
“Mine was twelve.”
Vanessa sat down.
For several seconds, the sisters simply looked at each other.
Then Vanessa whispered:
“That can’t be right.”
Emily felt an unexpected flicker of sympathy.
Their mother had lied to both of them.
In different ways.
“Grandma left you four.”
Vanessa’s face reddened.
“She told me everything was divided equally.”
“It wasn’t.”
“Why would Grandma—”
She stopped.
Both sisters knew.
Eleanor and Vanessa had fought often.
Vanessa believed Eleanor favored Emily.
Apparently she had.
Vanessa’s humiliation of Emily had not begun at the wedding.
It had roots.
Old jealousy.
Old comparisons.
A mother feeding resentment between two daughters.
Vanessa stood.
“So this is why you’re doing it.”
“Doing what?”
“Destroying my marriage because Grandma gave you more.”
Emily stared.
“You still think this is about beating you?”
“It always is with you.”
Emily laughed in disbelief.
“When have I ever competed with you?”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“By pretending you don’t care.”
That sentence stopped Emily.
Vanessa continued.
“You wore cheap dresses when Mom bought you better ones. You took scholarships when Dad could pay. You married some anonymous man and acted happier than everyone.”
Emily looked at her sister.
For the first time she saw something beneath the arrogance.
Fear.
Vanessa had spent her life trying to win a contest Emily had stopped participating in years ago.
“Vanessa,” Emily said quietly, “I never wanted your life.”
That hurt her more than any insult.
Vanessa’s eyes filled.
Then Daniel entered from the hallway.
He had heard enough.
Vanessa turned.
“Perfect. The nobody.”
Daniel sighed.
“Still doing that?”
“Harrison says your company is trying to take over Blake Capital.”
“My company already owns thirty-eight percent.”
Vanessa stared.
Emily closed her eyes.
She had wanted to tell her differently.
Vanessa slowly turned toward Emily.
“What?”
Daniel removed his jacket.
“Reed Meridian.”
Vanessa’s face emptied.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“You own Reed Meridian?”
“I founded it.”
Vanessa looked between them.
Then laughed.
“No.”
Daniel did not react.
Vanessa pulled out her phone.
She searched.
Her expression changed.
Founder information was deliberately sparse, but financial databases identified D. Reed as chairman.
Vanessa looked up.
“You knew?”
Emily answered:
“Since last night.”
“So you married him without knowing?”
“Yes.”
Vanessa appeared unable to process that.
Then her expression hardened.
“So this is revenge.”
Daniel frowned.
“For what?”
“The wedding.”
“No.”
“You froze Harrison’s financing after I embarrassed you.”
Daniel stepped closer.
“I froze nothing because of a joke.”
“Then why?”
“Because your husband submitted fraudulent collateral belonging to Emily.”
Vanessa’s confidence faltered.
Daniel continued.
“If Harrison forged those documents knowingly, your marriage has a larger problem than your sister’s husband having more money than you expected.”
Vanessa stared.
“My husband would never—”
Her phone rang.
Harrison.
She answered.
Immediately his voice came through loudly.
“Where are you?”
“At Emily’s.”
“Leave.”
Vanessa frowned.
“Why?”
“Because federal investigators are at my father’s office.”
The room froze.
Harrison continued.
“They’re asking about the Whitmore trust.”
Vanessa went pale.
Then he said:
“And Vanessa?”
“What?”
“Don’t tell them about the agreement your mother gave us.”
Emily looked at her sister.
Vanessa ended the call too late.
Daniel asked:
“What agreement?”
Vanessa said nothing.
Emily walked toward her.
“What agreement?”
May you like
Vanessa’s eyes filled with fear.
And that was the moment Emily realized her sister was hiding something even Harrison did not want investigators to find.
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