“Which would have been you.”
“Possibly.”
His honesty surprised me.
“You think I married him for money.”
“Didn’t you?”
I looked down at my coffee.
Jason’s tone softened slightly.
“That was not an insult.”
“It felt like one.”
“Most truths do when spoken too early.”
I stood.
“You should be careful. One day, someone may decide to tell the truth about you.”
For the first time, his confidence faltered.
Then he smiled again.
“You might be more interesting than Vivian expected.”
As I walked toward the door, he said, “Ask your father about Northbridge Holdings.”
I
turned.
“What is that?”
Jason lifted his tablet again.
“He’ll know.”
My father did know.
When I called him, there was a long silence.
“Who told you that name?”
“Jason.”
“You should stay away from him.”
“What is Northbridge Holdings?”
“An investment company.”
“Were you employed by them?”
“Briefly.”
“You said you worked for a Thornton company.”
“It was partially owned by the Thornton group.”
“What did you do there?”
“Clara, this is not a conversation for the phone.”
“Then come back.”
“No.”
The answer was quiet but firm.
“Why?”
“Because Vivian made it clear my role ended after the wedding.”
“My role didn’t.”
“I know.”
There was pain in his voice.
I closed my eyes.
“Was Ethan involved with Northbridge?”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
My father exhaled.
“I found irregularities in several accounts. Money moving through shell companies. Payments authorized under Ethan’s name.”
“Were they illegal?”
“I didn’t know. That
was the problem.”
“Did you tell anyone?”
“I contacted Ethan’s office.”
“And?”
“I received a response asking me to prepare a full report.”
“Did you?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to it?”
Another silence.
“I gave it to the person who came to collect it.”
“Who?”
“I never learned her full name.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“Was it Mara?”
“I don’t know.”
“What did she look like?”
“Red hair. Early thirties. She said she worked directly for Ethan.”
The room suddenly felt too small.
“Dad, when was this?”
“About three weeks before his accident.”
“And after you gave her the report?”
