PART 2 — THE WIFE HE KICKED OUT WAS THE ONLY PERSON WHO COULD SAVE HIS EMPIRE
My head still throbbed.
Every time I moved my left arm, pain traveled down to my elbow.
But I wasn’t thinking about the injuries anymore.
I was looking at the financial report spread across the table.
Across from me sat Rebecca Morgan, my chief financial officer, and Victoria Hayes, my personal attorney.
Neither woman looked particularly pleased.
“Jessica,” Rebecca began carefully, “there’s something else you need to understand.”
I raised my eyes.
“Go ahead.”
She turned her laptop toward me.
“Brooks Development has approximately $640 million in outstanding obligations tied to projects currently under construction. Your firm has committed $85 million in direct investment, but that’s only part of the exposure.”
“Explain.”
“Three lenders have structured their financing based on anticipated capital injections from Bennett Capital. Nathan has apparently represented those future investments as virtually guaranteed.”
I stared at the screen.
“Did we guarantee them?”
“No.”
“Did I sign anything authorizing those representations?”
“No.”
Victoria opened her folder.
“And that’s potentially a serious problem. We need to review the representations Nathan made to those lenders before making any public statements.”
I leaned back.
For three years, I had trusted Nathan with confidential information.
I had introduced him to investors, helped negotiate acquisitions, and personally attended meetings that secured his company’s biggest contracts.
He had access to opportunities that other developers would have spent decades trying to obtain.
And now I was discovering that he had built his company’s financial expectations around money that had never been formally approved.
“How much time does he have?”
Rebecca checked her notes.
“Forty-eight hours before the first major financing ᴅᴇᴀᴅline.”
I looked at her.
“Then we have forty-eight hours to understand exactly what he’s done.”
Victoria nodded.
“And the divorce?”
“File it today.”
“On what grounds?”
I looked at the bruise visible above my sleeve.
“Physical ᴀssault. Irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. Whatever our jurisdiction permits.”
Victoria closed her folder.
“Understood.”
Then I added one more instruction.
“Preserve every email, text message, financial record, and communication involving Lauren Price.”
Rebecca looked surprised.
“Lauren?”
I nodded.
“I want to know whether she has any financial connection to Brooks Development.”
At 9:15 a.m., Nathan finally discovered that something was wrong.
He was sitting in his office when his ᴀssistant entered carrying a printed email.
“Mr. Brooks, Bennett Capital has requested an emergency review of all pending investment commitments.”
Nathan barely looked up.
“What?”
“They’re placing the $85 million commitment under legal review.”
He stood.
“Why?”
“Mrs. Bennett’s office hasn’t provided an explanation.”
Nathan grabbed his phone.
He called me.
I declined the call.
He called again.
I declined it again.
Then a message appeared.
NATHAN: Jessica, what the hell are you doing? Call me immediately.
I read it without responding.
Another message arrived.
NATHAN: We have an important financing ᴅᴇᴀᴅline. This is not the time for personal drama.
I almost laughed.
Personal drama.
That was what he called kicking his wife onto a marble floor in front of dozens of people.
I placed my phone facedown.
Victoria glanced at me.
“Would you like me to respond?”
“No.”
“Good.”
She opened her laptop.
“Let him communicate through counsel.”
At 11:40 a.m., Lauren Price posted a pH๏τograph on social media.
She was sitting beside Nathan in the executive lounge of the Brooks Development headquarters.
Her hand rested on his arm.
The caption read:
Some people are meant to find their way back to each other. Real love always survives.
Within minutes, several entertainment accounts began circulating the pH๏τograph.
One headline caught my attention:
BROOKS DEVELOPMENT CEO REUNITES WITH FIRST LOVE AFTER MARITAL DISPUTE.
I stared at the screen.
There was even a pH๏τograph of me being helped away from the elevator.
Someone had taken it from the H๏τel security footage or a guest’s phone.
The article described me as a jealous businesswoman who had attacked Nathan’s longtime friend.
It made no mention of the kick.
I felt something cold settle inside my chest.
“Who released this?” I asked.
Rebecca checked the source.
“The pH๏τograph was originally uploaded by Lauren. The article appears to quote an unnamed representative from Nathan’s company.”
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“They’re trying to establish a narrative before the legal proceedings begin.”
I nodded.
“Preserve everything.”
“Do you want to issue a statement?”
I thought about it.
“No.”
Victoria looked surprised.
“Jessica?”
“I won’t compete with a social media post. We have medical records, security footage, and witnesses. Let the evidence speak.”
Then my phone rang.
It was my mother-in-law.
Margaret Brooks.
I answered.
“Hello, Margaret.”
Her voice came through immediately.
“Jessica, what on earth have you done?”
I closed my eyes.
“Good morning to you, too.”
“You’re freezing Nathan’s investments! Do you understand what that means? Hundreds of employees could lose their jobs!”
I glanced at Rebecca.
“Has Nathan told you what happened at the gala?”
“He said you attacked Lauren and caused a scene.”
“He kicked me.”
There was silence.
Then Margaret sighed.
“Jessica, men sometimes lose their temper. You know how stressful his position is.”
I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.
“He kicked me hard enough to send me to the emergency department.”
“Well, you shouldn’t have slapped that girl.”
I stared at the phone.
“You’re right. I shouldn’t have slapped her. And I have acknowledged that.”
Then I continued.
“But nothing I did gave Nathan permission to physically ᴀssault me.”
“You’re his wife!”
“Exactly.”
My voice became colder.
“And that makes what he did even worse.”
Margaret lowered her voice.
“Listen carefully. Nathan has worked too hard to lose everything because of one argument. Sign the investment documents, withdraw the divorce filing, and let us resolve this privately.”
I glanced at Victoria.
She was already shaking her head.
I answered calmly.
“No.”
“Jessica!”
“Goodbye, Margaret.”
I ended the call.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then Rebecca quietly said:
“There’s something else.”
I turned toward her.
“What now?”
She opened another document.
“We found payments from Brooks Development to a private company called LP Strategic Consulting.”
“Who owns it?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“Lauren Price.”
I looked at the transaction history.
The payments totaled $3.2 million over eighteen months.
My fingers тιԍнтened around the edge of the table.
“What’s the stated purpose?”
“Brand consulting, public relations, and executive advisory services.”
“Does the company have employees?”
“According to the preliminary records, no.”
“An office?”
“No verifiable business premises.”
I looked at Victoria.
“Add it to the investigation.”
Victoria nodded.
“Already done.”
But Rebecca wasn’t finished.
“There’s another payment. $750,000. It was transferred three weeks before the gala.”
“To Lauren?”
“No.”
She turned the laptop toward me.
The recipient’s name made my stomach тιԍнтen.
MARGARET BROOKS.
Nathan’s mother.
At 1:20 p.m., Nathan arrived at Bennett Capital.
He didn’t schedule an appointment.
He simply walked into the lobby and demanded to see me.
Security contacted my office.
“Mrs. Bennett, Mr. Brooks is downstairs. He says he isn’t leaving until he speaks with you.”
Victoria looked up.
“Do you want him escorted out?”
I considered it.
Then I shook my head.
“No. Bring him up.”
Five minutes later, the elevator doors opened.
Nathan walked into the conference room wearing a charcoal suit.
He looked furious.
His eyes immediately moved to my shoulder.
For half a second, something resembling guilt crossed his face.
Then it disappeared.
“Are you out of your mind?”
I remained seated.
“Good afternoon, Nathan.”
“Don’t play games with me. What are you doing to my company?”
I looked at Rebecca.
“Please give us a moment.”
She and Victoria gathered their documents.
Victoria paused beside me.
“Your attorney is right outside.”
I nodded.
When the door closed, Nathan stepped toward the table.
“You have to release the funding.”
“No.”
His jaw тιԍнтened.
“Jessica, we have contractual obligations.”
“Then you should have secured your financing.”
“We had an agreement!”
“We had a preliminary investment commitment subject to due diligence and final approval.”
“You know what we discussed!”
“I know exactly what we discussed.”
I opened the folder in front of me.
“Do you remember signing the investment conditions?”
He looked away.
“That’s irrelevant.”
“Actually, it’s extremely relevant.”
I slid a document toward him.
“Your company represented anticipated funding as guaranteed capital. We never authorized that representation.”
Nathan glanced at the document.
Then he looked at me.
“You’re doing this because of Lauren.”
I almost smiled.
“You’re still making this about Lauren?”
“She had nothing to do with what happened between us.”
I stared at him.
“She was in your arms.”
“She was upset.”
“And I was your wife.”
Nathan rubbed his forehead.
“Jessica, I was trying to protect her.”
“From what?”
“From you.”
I sat perfectly still.
He continued.
“She was emotional. You came at her. I had to intervene.”
“You kicked me.”
“You slapped her first!”
“I have already acknowledged that.”
I leaned forward.
“But I want you to acknowledge something.”
He looked at me.
“You were strong enough to throw your wife onto a marble floor. You were strong enough to humiliate her in front of your colleagues. Yet you weren’t strong enough to admit you were having an affair.”
Nathan’s face reddened.
“Watch your mouth.”
I stared at him.
“You’re in my office.”
He stopped.
Then I said:
“Our marriage is over. The divorce papers have been filed. The investment is under review. Any further communication should go through our attorneys.”
Nathan looked genuinely stunned.
“You’re actually divorcing me?”
I didn’t answer.
He took a step closer.
“Jessica, think about what you’re doing. We built this together.”
“No, Nathan.”
I slowly closed the folder.
“I financed your opportunities. I trusted your promises. I gave you access to people who would never have returned your calls without my introduction.”
My voice remained steady.
“But I did not build your character. That was your responsibility.”
His expression changed.
For the first time, he seemed to understand that I wasn’t bluffing.
He looked toward the door.
Then back at me.
“You’re going to regret this.”
I nodded toward the exit.
“That’s what your mother said.”
He left without another word.
At 4:30 p.m., the situation became considerably worse.
Rebecca rushed into my office carrying a new report.
“Jessica, we found something.”
I looked up.
“What?”
She placed a printed email on my desk.
It was dated six weeks earlier.
The sender was Nathan’s executive ᴀssistant.
The recipient was Lauren Price.
The subject line read:
RE: THE BENNETT INVESTMENT — FINAL ARRANGEMENTS.
I began reading.
The email discussed the possibility of moving several Brooks Development ᴀssets into a newly created company before the next financing ᴅᴇᴀᴅline.
The company was registered under a name I didn’t recognize.
But the registered director was familiar.
Lauren Price.
I looked at Rebecca.
“How much money has already been transferred?”
“We’re still tracing the transactions.”
“Is this company connected to the $3.2 million?”
“Yes.”
I looked back at the email.
Then I noticed an attachment.
It was a draft ᴀsset transfer agreement.
Nathan had apparently planned to move ownership of several valuable properties into the new company while using Bennett Capital’s expected investment to satisfy existing obligations.
If the plan had gone through, recovering our money would have been significantly more complicated.
I slowly put the document down.
“Does Nathan know we’ve found this?”
“Not yet.”
“Good.”
Victoria entered the room.
“I’ve spoken with outside counsel. We have sufficient grounds to seek preservation of relevant records and request appropriate court protection, subject to the applicable procedures.”
I nodded.
“Proceed.”
Then Rebecca said something that made the room go silent.
“There’s one more thing, Jessica.”
I looked at her.
“What?”
“The $750,000 transferred to Margaret Brooks wasn’t simply a payment.”
She placed another document in front of me.
“It was used to purchase a controlling interest in a private company that owns the land beneath one of Nathan’s largest development projects.”
I stared at the paperwork.
“Who sold the interest?”
Rebecca hesitated.
“An enтιтy connected to Nathan.”
I looked at the ownership chart.
Then I understood.
Nathan hadn’t just been having an affair.
He had been quietly rearranging his company’s ᴀssets, moving money through related parties, and preparing to make himself financially independent of the investment firm that had helped him build his business.
And Lauren wasn’t simply his mistress.
She was a beneficiary of the arrangement.
At 8:15 p.m., Nathan called again.
This time, I answered.
“Jessica, we need to talk.”
“Everything needs to go through our lawyers.”
“Please. Just listen.”
I remained silent.
His voice sounded different now.
Less arrogant.
More desperate.
“The lenders are asking questions. They’re demanding proof that the Bennett investment is still coming.”
I looked at the city lights beyond my office window.
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Jessica, if this financing collapses, the entire company could be in trouble.”
“Then you should have thought about that before misrepresenting the investment.”
He exhaled sharply.
“I made mistakes.”
I said nothing.
“Lauren and I… it’s complicated.”
I almost laughed.
“Is that what we’re calling it?”
“She was going through a difficult time.”
“And I wasn’t?”
He fell silent.
Then he whispered:
“I never wanted to hurt you.”
I closed my eyes.
For three years, I had believed those words meant something.
Now they sounded like an excuse.
“You didn’t accidentally hurt me, Nathan. You made a choice.”
“Jessica—”
“You chose to protect another woman while your wife was lying injured on the floor.”
I paused.
“And now you’re calling because you need my money.”
He didn’t answer.
I ended the call.
The following morning, I received a message from an unknown number.
It contained one pH๏τograph.
Nathan and Lauren standing outside a private office building.
Beneath it was a short sentence:
You should ask your husband what happened to the money from the Bennett investment before you destroy his company.
I stared at the screen.
Then another message arrived.
He wasn’t the only one planning the transfer.
I immediately forwarded the messages to Victoria.
She called within seconds.
“Don’t respond.”
“I wasn’t planning to.”
“We need to identify the sender and preserve the original messages.”
I looked at the pH๏τograph again.
Something about the building seemed familiar.
I enlarged the image.
A sign above the entrance read:
MERIDIAN PRIVATE BANKING.
I recognized it immediately.
It was the same insтιтution that managed several confidential investment accounts for Bennett Capital.
I felt a chill travel down my spine.
If someone had accessed those records without authorization, the problem was much bigger than Nathan’s company.
I called Rebecca.
“Get the bank’s compliance director on the phone. I want a full review of every account connected to Brooks Development, Lauren Price, and Margaret Brooks.”
“Understood.”
Then I called Victoria.
“Prepare a formal request to preserve all communications and transaction records involving the three of them.”
“Already working on it.”
I placed the phone down.
For the first time since the elevator incident, I felt something other than anger.
I felt afraid.
Not for my money.
Not for my reputation.
But because I was beginning to suspect that the man I had married had been planning something far more elaborate than an affair.
And I had no idea how many people were involved.
At 10:06 a.m., Rebecca returned with the bank’s preliminary findings.
Her face was pale.
“Jessica, we found the missing transaction.”
I looked up.
“How much?”
“Twenty million dollars.”
My heart stopped.
“From where?”
She placed a document on the desk.
“An account connected to the joint investment structure established when you married Nathan.”
I stared at the account number.
It was one of the few accounts that required authorization from both of us.
“Who approved the transfer?”
Rebecca swallowed.
“Your electronic signature appears on the authorization.”
I felt the blood drain from my face.
“That’s impossible.”
“We’re checking the authentication records.”
I shook my head.
“I never approved twenty million dollars being transferred to Lauren Price.”
Rebecca lowered her voice.
“Then someone may have used your credentials.”
I stared at the document.
A transfer date appeared beneath the authorization.
Six weeks earlier.
The same week Nathan had told me he was traveling for a major development negotiation.
I slowly looked toward Victoria.
“Find out who accessed my account.”
She nodded.
Then Rebecca turned the page.
The recipient wasn’t Lauren.
It was a private trust.
And the person named as its sole beneficiary was someone I never expected.
My husband, Nathan Brooks.
I stared at the document.
Then my office phone rang.
Rebecca answered.
Listened.
And slowly turned toward me.
“Jessica…”
“What?”
Her voice trembled.
“Mr. Brooks is downstairs.”
I frowned.
“Why?”
Rebecca looked at the security monitor.
“He’s not alone.”
On the screen, Nathan stood in the lobby beside two police officers.
And behind them was Lauren Price.
She was holding a thick folder.
My attorney immediately stepped toward the door.
“Don’t say anything until we understand what’s happening.”
But I was already staring at the folder in Lauren’s hands.
Because printed across its cover were three words that made my stomach turn:
BENNETT CAPITAL FRAUD INVESTIGATION.
And suddenly, I understood.
Nathan hadn’t come to beg me to save his company.
He had come to make sure I took the blame for what he had done.
And he had brought the one person who could either destroy me—or expose the entire conspiracy.
