Chapter 8 - THE OFFER
Thursday morning, Ryan called.
Not a text.
Not voicemail.
His voice, familiar enough to make my hand tighten around the phone.
“Claire.”
I said nothing.
“I know you’re upset.”
I almost laughed.
“Try a different opening.”
“This has gotten out of control.”
“You took my savings.”
“I can put it back.”
“You put my parents’ house behind a loan.”
“That was supposed to be temporary.”
“You used my signature.”
Silence.
Then, “We need to meet.”
Elena agreed to a public meeting and explained how to preserve whatever Ryan voluntarily put in writing.
“No heroics,” she said.
“I’m not feeling heroic.”
“Good. Angry people make expensive decisions.”
Ryan chose a hotel coffee shop.
I arrived without Luca.
Ryan stood when he saw me.
He looked tired.
For one involuntary second, I wanted to ask if he had slept.
Then I remembered Dad’s house.
He slid an envelope across the table.
Inside sat my pearls.
“I thought you’d want those.”
“Vanessa done wearing them?”
He winced.
“Can we not?”
“No. We can.”
He leaned forward.
“I made mistakes.”
“An affair is a choice. Forging my name takes equipment.”
He glanced around.
“Keep your voice down.”
I didn’t.
“What do you want?”
He pushed another document toward me.
A settlement proposal.
My savings returned.
My parents’ guarantee released.
A payment to help me “transition.”
In exchange, I would sign the statement accepting responsibility for the vendor approvals and agree not to pursue further claims.
I stared at him.
“You’re buying my confession with money you stole from me.”
“It’s more complicated than that.”
“Explain it.”
“Martin can make this disappear.”
“For you.”
“For both of us.”
I stood.
Ryan caught my wrist.
Not hard.
Hard enough.
“Sit down.”
I looked at his hand.
He released me.
“You don’t understand what these people can do.”
“You introduced them into my life.”
He looked suddenly desperate.
“Vanessa said Luca would protect you.”
I went still.
“What?”
“She said he’d take care of it once you two—”
He stopped.
“Once we what?”
Ryan looked toward the entrance.
Vanessa stood there.
My coat hung from her shoulders.
“Don’t answer that,” she said.
May you like
Then she looked at me and smiled.
“You always did think you were the smartest person in the room.”
