Chapter 2 2

The lighting in the hotel lounge was dim, designed for illicit affairs and high-stakes business deals. Haleigh sat in a high-backed velvet chair, tucked away in a corner where the shadows were deepest.

On the low table in front of her lay a tablet provided by the private investigator she'd hired three hours ago. The speed at which money could buy information in New York was terrifying.

The file confirmed everything. The shared bank accounts between Gray and Brylee. The lease on an apartment in the Upper East Side under Brylee's name, paid for by a shell company linked to Gray.

But it was the audio file that made Haleigh's blood run cold.

She adjusted her AirPods and pressed play.

The voice was unmistakable. Sharp, nasal, and dripping with arrogance. Mrs. Cooley.

"Finally, a real heir. Haleigh, that barren mule, should have been gone years ago. Make sure the lawyers have the eviction notice ready for the morning after the anniversary party."

Haleigh stared at the glass of whiskey in her hand. The ice had melted, watering down the amber liquid. She gripped the glass so hard she feared it might shatter, slicing her palm open. She almost wished it would. The physical pain might distract her from the hollow ache in her chest.

A shadow fell over her table.

Haleigh looked up, expecting a waiter. Instead, she saw a man in a dark suit with an earpiece. He didn't look like hotel security. He looked like a paramilitary operative.

"Ms. Oliver," he said. It wasn't a question. "Mr. Barrett would like a word."

Haleigh's phone buzzed on the table. A local number she didn't recognize.

She hesitated, then picked it up. "Hello?"

"Ms. Oliver." The voice on the other end was old, gravelly, and commanded instant obedience. "This is Hjalmer Barrett."

Haleigh's breath hitched. The Barretts were American royalty. Old money. The kind of wealth that made the Cooleys look like lottery winners living in a trailer park. They owned half the skyline.

"Mr. Barrett," she managed to say. "I don't understand."

"I know your situation," Hjalmer said. His tone was dry, devoid of sympathy but full of purpose. "In fact, I know more about it than you do. There is a car waiting outside."

Haleigh looked at the security guard, then out the window. A black Rolls-Royce Phantom was idling at the curb, distinct from the line of yellow cabs.

She had nothing left to lose. Her marriage was a lie, her home was about to be taken, and her career was entangled with a family that despised her.

"I'm coming," she said.

She downed the watered-down whiskey in one gulp and stood up.

The ride was silent. The interior of the Rolls-Royce smelled of rich leather and expensive cologne. The city blurred past the tinted windows, a streak of lights and rain.

They arrived at the Barrett Holdings tower. The security guard escorted her to a private elevator that ascended straight to the penthouse office.

Hjalmer Barrett sat behind a desk that looked like it had been carved from the hull of a galleon. He was older than his photos, his face mapped with deep lines, but his eyes were sharp, predatory blue.

He didn't offer her a seat. He slid a thick dossier across the polished wood.

"Open it."

Haleigh stepped forward and flipped the folder open.

It was a blueprint. The Zenith Project. Her magnum opus. The architectural design she had spent the last two years perfecting for Cooley Enterprises.

But the header on the document didn't say Lead Architect: Haleigh Oliver.

It said Lead Architect: Brylee Franklin.

And below that, a financial breakdown. The project was structured to funnel assets out of Haleigh's name and into a trust for "Baby Cooley."

"They aren't just kicking you out," Hjalmer said, his voice cutting through the room. "They are erasing your professional existence. They will claim you were merely an assistant, that you had a breakdown. You will leave that marriage with nothing. No money. No reputation. No career."

Haleigh stared at the paper. Gray's signature was at the bottom, right next to Brylee's.

"Why are you showing me this?" Haleigh asked, looking up. Her voice trembled with rage.

"Because I hate the Cooleys," Hjalmer said simply. "And I need a daughter-in-law."

Haleigh blinked. "Excuse me?"

"My son, Kane," Hjalmer said. "You've heard the rumors."

She had. Everyone had. Kane Barrett. The Beast of Wall Street. The tabloids called him a recluse, a monster. They said he was disfigured, that he had a temper that could strip paint off walls. He never appeared in public.

"You want me to... marry Kane?"

"I need a woman who is smart, desperate, and vindictive," Hjalmer said. "Kane needs a wife to settle the board's nerves. They think he's too volatile. A marriage stabilizes his image."

"And what do I get?" Haleigh asked, her heart hammering against her ribs.

"Revenge," Hjalmer said. He leaned forward. "You marry my son. I give you the resources of Barrett Holdings. We crush the Cooleys. We take the Zenith Project. We leave them destitute."

He pushed a second document forward. A prenuptial agreement.

Haleigh scanned the last page. The allowance alone was more than Gray's entire trust fund.

"The marriage is in name only," Hjalmer added. "Kane has no interest in... romance. You will live in the penthouse. You will play the part."

Haleigh looked out the floor-to-ceiling window. Far below, the Cooley Tower looked like a toy block. Small. Insignificant.

If she walked away, she was a victim. A divorced, barren woman who got played by her husband and best friend.

If she signed... she was a monster's bride. But she would be a powerful monster's bride.

She picked up the heavy fountain pen from the desk. The metal was cold against her skin.

"Does he know?" she asked. "Kane?"

"He does what is necessary for the family," Hjalmer said.

Haleigh uncapped the pen. The nib hovered over the signature line.

"I want a wedding," she said, her voice hard. "A ceremony. Bigger than the one I had with Gray."

Hjalmer nodded once. "Done."

Haleigh signed her name. The scratch of the pen on the paper sounded like a knife being sharpened.

She straightened up and looked Hjalmer in the eye.

"Pleasure doing business with you, Father."