Chapter 1: The Woman Beneath the Sheets
Chapter 1: The Woman Beneath the Sheets
Mary did not scream.
That frightened Daniel more than anything else could have.
He stood near the bed with his white dress shirt hanging open, his trembling fingers still trapped around one useless button.
“Mary,” he whispered. “Please say something.”
She looked past him.
The dark-haired woman on the bed clutched the duvet against her chest. Tears streamed down her face, but she made no attempt to defend herself.
Mary’s voice was almost unnaturally calm.
“What’s your name?”
The woman flinched.
Daniel stepped between them. “Don’t do this.”
Mary slowly turned her eyes toward him.
“Move.”
“Mary, you’re in shock.”
“I said move.”
There was no anger in her voice. No hysteria. Only a cold authority Daniel had never heard before.
He stepped aside.
The woman swallowed.
“Sophia.”
“Sophia what?”
“Sophia Bennett.”
Mary’s grip tightened around her silver clutch.
She knew that name.
Sophia Bennett had worked for Daniel’s family company three years earlier. According to Daniel, she had been fired for stealing client information.
Mary looked at him.
“You told me she moved to Europe.”
Daniel opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Sophia wiped her face with a shaking hand. “He told me you knew.”
Mary’s eyes narrowed.
“Knew what?”
“That you two were only getting married because of the merger.”
Daniel’s expression changed instantly.
Not guilt.
Fear.
Mary noticed.
Her father’s technology company and Daniel’s family investment firm were scheduled to combine after the wedding. The contracts had been prepared. The press conference was planned for Monday.
Mary stared at the man she had nearly married.
“What exactly did you tell her?”
Daniel stepped closer. “She’s confused. She’s unstable.”
Sophia recoiled as if he had struck her.
“You said Mary agreed to an open arrangement.”
“That’s a lie,” Daniel snapped.
“You said you were marrying her to gain control of her voting shares!”
The room went silent.
Daniel’s face hardened.
Mary felt something inside her become perfectly still.
Not broken.
Focused.
She placed her clutch on the dresser and reached for her phone.
Daniel’s panic returned.
“What are you doing?”
Mary looked directly at him.
“I’m checking whether my recording is still running.”
His eyes widened.
She turned the screen toward him.
The voice recorder had been active since she entered the hallway.
Every word was saved.
Daniel lunged for the phone.
Mary stepped back and hit a single button.
The recording uploaded automatically to a secure cloud folder.
Daniel froze.
May you like
Mary gave him a small, chilling smile.
“Now,” she said, “let’s discuss the wedding.”
