Chapter 4 - WHAT PRESTON WANTED
Emily wanted to believe there was an innocent explanation.
Not because she still trusted Preston.
Because the alternative was worse.
She had married him.
Loved him.
Built a home with him.
And she was carrying his child.
Raymond sat beside her bed while Margaret reviewed the access logs.
“Seven logins,” Margaret said.
“Over what period?”
“Six weeks.”
Emily stared at her.
Six weeks.
That was approximately when Preston stopped asking about the baby.
“When was the last one?”
“This morning.”
“And what did he open?”
Margaret hesitated.
Raymond noticed.
“Tell her.”
“Your prenatal records.”
Emily waited.
“And?”
“Your insurance information.”
Another pause.
“And documents related to dependent beneficiary status.”
Emily frowned.
“Why would he need those?”
Raymond’s jaw tightened.
“Because your marriage affects several trusts.”
Emily looked at him.
She knew about her mother’s trust.
She did not know every detail.
Raymond had always told her she would receive control at thirty-five.
She was thirty-three.
“What trusts?”
Raymond took a breath.
“Your mother left you more than money.”
Emily went still.
“What do you mean?”
“She left you voting shares.”
“In Saint Claire?”
“Yes.”
“How many?”
“Enough to matter.”
Emily stared at him.
Raymond continued.
“Until you turn thirty-five, I exercise proxy control.”
“And after?”
“They become yours.”
Emily looked down at her wedding ring.
“And Preston knows?”
“He knows you have an inheritance.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Raymond’s silence answered it.
Emily whispered.
“He knows.”
“Your marriage agreement disclosed enough for his attorneys to understand that you would eventually become extremely wealthy.”
Emily felt sick.
Not because of the money.
Because suddenly she remembered dozens of conversations differently.
Preston insisting they marry before she turned thirty.
Preston asking about Raymond’s health.
Preston suggesting Emily put family assets into joint investment structures.
Preston becoming angry when she refused.
Then the pregnancy.
The baby.
The timing.
“What happens to the trust if something happens to me?”
Raymond’s face changed.
Emily’s heart started beating faster.
“Uncle Raymond.”
“Emily—”
“What happens?”
Raymond looked at Margaret.
Margaret answered carefully.
“Your child becomes primary beneficiary.”
Emily’s hand instinctively covered her stomach.
“And Preston?”
“As the child’s surviving parent, he could potentially petition for financial guardianship.”
The room became silent.
Emily stared at them.
The pieces were ugly.
But they fit.
Preston’s interest in her records.
Her delivery date.
The beneficiary documents.
His affair.
Vanessa.
Emily shook her head.
“No.”
Raymond leaned closer.
“We are not jumping to conclusions.”
“He’s selfish.”
Emily swallowed.
“He’s arrogant.”
Her voice cracked.
“But he wouldn’t—”
She stopped.
Because only an hour earlier, Preston had watched Vanessa attack her and told Emily not to embarrass him.
How much did she really know about the man she married?
Raymond’s phone buzzed again.
Margaret read the message first.
Her expression changed.
“What?”
She turned the screen toward Raymond.
A payment had been discovered.
Twenty-five thousand dollars.
Transferred from one of Preston’s private accounts.
Recipient:
Vanessa Cross.
Memo:
CONSULTING.
Date:
May you like
Six weeks earlier.
The same day Preston first accessed Emily’s prenatal records.
