Chapter 10 - THE PROMOTION DINNER VIDEO
By afternoon, Claire’s speech had been viewed eleven million times.
Someone had posted the entire confrontation online.
People turned it into memes.
Reaction videos.
Commentary.
“Wife DESTROYS Cheating Executive.”
“Best Revenge Toast Ever.”
“Man Gets Promoted to SINGLE.”
Claire hated all of it.
Strangers celebrated the moment her marriage died because they had only seen the entertaining part.
They hadn’t seen the bank fraud.
The fake companies.
The police.
The blood.
Then the video saved her.
Natalie called.
“Watch minute seven, nineteen seconds.”
Claire opened the footage.
The camera had been filming the ballroom entrance.
While Claire exposed Ryan, David Mercer appeared near the doors.
He wasn’t watching the stage.
He was talking to someone.
Jessica Vale.
Claire paused the video.
“What the hell?”
Jessica had claimed she barely knew Ryan’s business partners.
Yet there she was with David.
They spoke for nearly a minute.
Then David handed her something.
An envelope.
Claire called Jessica.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Natalie tried.
Voicemail.
Claire’s stomach sank.
“She lied.”
“Maybe.”
“She knew David.”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“We don’t know.”
They sent the footage to investigators.
At 5:40 p.m., Jessica finally called.
Claire answered immediately.
“You lied to me.”
Jessica was crying.
“I know.”
“You knew David Mercer.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“He introduced me to Ryan.”
Claire went still.
“So you weren’t just some woman Ryan met.”
“No.”
“What did David give you at the dinner?”
Jessica breathed heavily.
“Cash.”
“For what?”
“To leave.”
Claire stood.
“He paid you?”
“He told me Ryan was about to be exposed.”
“When?”
“Right before your speech.”
“So David knew.”
“Yes.”
Claire’s mind raced.
“Where are you now?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Why?”
“Because somebody came to my house.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“Jessica, call the police.”
“I did.”
“Then stay with them.”
A car door slammed in the background.
Jessica whispered, “Oh God.”
“What?”
“He found me.”
“Who?”
The line rustled.
Claire heard footsteps.
Jessica shouted.
“No!”
Then the phone went dead.
Claire stared at the screen.
“Jessica?”
Nothing.
Natalie called police.
Minutes passed.
Then Claire received a text from Jessica’s number.
A photograph.
Jessica sitting in a car.
Her face was pale.
A man’s hand rested on the steering wheel.
Claire zoomed in.
A gold wedding ring.
Ryan’s ring.
Under the photo was one message.
STOP DIGGING OR SHE’S NEXT.
Claire read it twice.
Then another text arrived.
This one contained Claire’s home address.
May you like
And three words.
YOUR TURN SOON.
