CHAPTER 3: The Woman Everyone Buried
CHAPTER 3: The Woman Everyone Buried
The ballroom became silent once more.
Claire Monroe walked through the massive doors with calm confidence, as if she belonged there.
Richard stopped resisting.
His eyes widened.
"You..."
One of the federal agents recognized her immediately.
"Ma'am, are you sure you want to do this here?"
Claire nodded.
"Everyone deserves to hear the truth."
Julian couldn't move.
Six years earlier, Claire had disappeared after exposing irregularities inside Ashford Holdings.
Police declared her dead after her car plunged into a river.
No body had ever been recovered.
Julian had mourned her.
Because Claire wasn't just an employee.
She had been his older sister.
Richard swallowed hard.
"I paid you enough to stay gone."
Gasps spread across the room.
Julian slowly turned toward his father.
"What did you just say?"
Claire removed a flash drive from her purse.
"You paid people to say I was dead."
She looked directly at Julian.
"I couldn't come back."
"If I had... he would've killed me."
Richard shouted.
"She's lying!"
Claire ignored him.
"For six years I've worked with investigators in three countries."
She handed the drive to the lead agent.
"Every offshore account."
"Every shell corporation."
"Every bribe."
"Every witness."
The agent smiled.
"This completes the case."
Julian felt the world tilting beneath him.
"So the affair..."
Claire interrupted him.
"There wasn't one."
She looked toward Amelia.
"The embrace you saw lasted seven seconds."
"Your father kissed her."
"She pushed him away."
Julian slowly turned.
Amelia stood crying silently.
"I tried to tell you," she whispered.
"But you never asked."
Julian's heartbeat thundered inside his ears.
For months...
He had believed the woman he loved had betrayed him.
He had built an entire wedding around revenge.
His mother suddenly spoke.
"Then why were you alone with him?"
Amelia took a shaky breath.
"Because he threatened Julian."
She reached into her bouquet.
Hidden beneath the flowers was a small digital recorder.
"I was wearing this the whole time."
Julian stared at it.
His hands began shaking.
"What did he say?"
Amelia pressed Play.
Richard's voice echoed through the ballroom.
"Marry my son... smile for the cameras... or Julian dies before sunset."
The room froze.
May you like
But before another word could be spoken—
A sharp gunshot exploded outside.
