Chapter 9

The hotel suite overlooked Central Park. The snow had stopped, leaving the city covered in a pristine white blanket.

Beverley stood by the window, a cup of tea in her hands. The warmth didn't reach her fingers.

Tessa sat on the couch, watching her friend with worried eyes. "Bev, are you sure about this? If you sign those papers, you get nothing. He wins."

Beverley turned around. "I don't want his money. I want out. And I want to find out who killed my son."

Her phone rang. It was her lawyer.

"He's not signing," the lawyer said. "His legal team is filing motions to delay. He's contesting the grounds."

Beverley nodded. "Execute Plan B."

She hung up and looked at Tessa. "He thinks it's a game. He thinks I'm bluffing. It's time to show him I'm not."

The next morning, the New York gossip columns lit up.

A photo was leaked to Page Six. It showed Beverley Vaughn, looking stunning in a black dress, sitting across from Zane Archer at Le Bernardin. They were leaning in close, smiling. Beverley had paid for the meal with cash-she didn't need Ellwood's cards to make a statement.

Zane Archer was the CEO of Archer Industries. He was ruthless, brilliant, and he hated Ellwood Stevenson more than anyone else on Wall Street.

The photo hit Ellwood's desk at 8:00 AM.

Ms. Reed stood back as her boss stared at the tablet. His face turned red. A vein throbbed in his forehead.

He grabbed the tablet and hurled it across the room. It shattered against the wall.

"She's sleeping with Archer?" he roared. "In public? While we're still married?"

Before Ms. Reed could answer, the phone rang. It was Ellwood's private lawyer.

"Sir, Mrs. Stevenson's lawyer just sent an email," the lawyer said, his voice tense. "If the divorce papers are not signed within twenty-four hours, they will release a package of photographs to the Times. Photographs of you and Ms. Frederick. Intimate photographs. Taken by a private investigator they've had following you for weeks."

Ellwood froze. The anger was replaced by a cold, calculating fear. She had evidence. She was threatening his reputation.

"Find her," Ellwood snarled into the phone. "Find her right now."

It didn't take long. Beverley had booked a private suite at The Core, the most exclusive, most discreet club in the city, under Tessa's name. She'd paid in cash.

It was a place where deals were made and secrets were kept. A place where a man taking his wife's rival would look very, very bad.

Ellwood drove there himself, his injured leg making the drive painful. He didn't call his security team. He didn't call the police. He was too angry, too humiliated, too desperate to regain control.

He limped past the valets, his cane striking the pavement. He marched to the front desk, where the manager tried to stop him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Stevenson, but this is a members-only-"

"Is it?" Ellwood cut in, his voice dangerously low as he slid his black Centurion card across the marble counter. "Make a path for me to Suite 4, or tomorrow morning I'll buy this club and your first order of business will be to clean out your desk."

The manager's face went pale. He swallowed hard and nodded to the security guards, who immediately stepped aside. He handed Ellwood a keycard.

Ellwood took the elevator to the VIP floor.

He limped down the hallway, his cane and his shoes clicking on the marble in uneven rhythm. He stopped in front of the door to Suite 4.

Inside the suite, Beverley sat across from Zane Archer. They were drinking scotch. There were no candles, no romantic music. Just a table covered in financial documents.

"You think this will work?" Zane asked, swirling his drink. "Stevenson is arrogant, but he's not stupid."

"He's arrogant," Beverley said, checking her watch. "That's enough. He thinks he owns me. He can't stand the idea of me being with someone else. Especially you."

Zane smirked. "Well, I'm happy to help. Taking down Stevenson's stock price is just a bonus."

A loud crash echoed through the room.

The heavy wooden door had been thrown open. It slammed against the wall, the hinges groaning.

Ellwood stood in the doorway, leaning heavily on his cane. His chest was heaving. His eyes were wild, burning with a mixture of rage and jealousy that he couldn't hide.

He looked at Zane. He looked at Beverley. His hands curled into fists at his sides.