Chapter 8 - MY FATHER’S SECRET
My father didn’t answer immediately.
That was answer enough.
“Dad.”
He stood by the window.
Outside, the city was black and silver.
“Three years ago,” he said, “Mercer Development tried to buy a warehouse portfolio in Baltimore.”
“So?”
“So did Ashford.”
I waited.
He rubbed his jaw.
“We won.”
“That’s business.”
“Yes.”
I watched him.
“What else?”
He sighed.
“Their lender backed out after we submitted a stronger bid.”
I stared.
“You pressured the lender.”
“No.”
“Dad.”
He looked at me.
“I warned them about Mercer’s debt exposure.”
There it was.
Not illegal.
Maybe not even unethical.
But personal enough to matter.
“Did you know I was dating Dominic?”
“Yes.”
My chest tightened.
“Did you do it because of him?”
His silence was too long.
“Partly.”
I looked away.
That hurt in a different way.
“You interfered.”
“Yes.”
“Without telling me.”
“Yes.”
“You hated him that much?”
“No.”
My father came closer.
“I didn’t trust his family.”
“You didn’t trust me to decide?”
His face changed.
That one got him.
“I made a mistake.”
I laughed without humor.
“A pretty big one.”
“Yes.”
I rubbed my forehead.
My entire night had become people confessing terrible decisions with the calmness of ordering coffee.
My father sat.
“I thought if Mercer Development lost that deal, Dominic would show you who he was.”
I stared at him.
“That’s awful.”
“I know.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“You don’t get points because Dominic turned out worse.”
He nodded.
“I know.”
For a while, neither of us spoke.
The monitor filled the silence.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
My daughter’s heartbeat.
Steady.
Unbothered.
I envied her.
Then my phone rang again.
Dominic.
I answered.
My father looked surprised.
I lifted one finger.
“Don’t.”
He stayed quiet.
Dominic’s voice came through.
“Vivienne.”
“You have thirty seconds.”
“I didn’t start the fraud.”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Peter did.”
I laughed.
“Try again.”
“Okay.”
He breathed.
“I approved some transfers.”
“Some?”
“Too many.”
“Better.”
He sounded exhausted.
“I thought I could fix the company.”
“And the custody plan?”
Silence.
“Dominic.”
“I knew about it.”
I closed my eyes.
“But I never agreed to take her from you.”
“You reacted with a thumbs-up.”
“I was furious.”
“You already used that excuse.”
“I know.”
He sounded like he was crying.
I hated that it still hurt to hear.
Then he said something I didn’t expect.
“Chloe isn’t the one who came up with the ring plan.”
My eyes opened.
“Who did?”
A pause.
“My mother.”
My father stood.
I looked at him.
Dominic continued.
“And Vivienne…”
His voice dropped.
“She didn’t do it just to embarrass you.”
Cold moved through my body.
“What was the real reason?”
“She needed your purse.”
I looked toward the chair where my purse sat.
“What for?”
“To put something in it.”
I stood too fast.
My monitor alarm beeped.
My father reached for me.
I ignored him.
I dumped my purse onto the hospital bed.
Keys.
Wallet.
Prenatal vitamins.
Lipstick.
Receipts.
Black access card.
And one thing I had never seen before.
A tiny black USB drive.
My father stared at it.
May you like
Then whispered,
“Don’t touch that.”
