Chapter 3

Carli sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen.

Ding.

An email from her lawyer in Los Angeles popped up. Attached was the final draft of the trust transfer agreement. Carli clicked download and sent it to her printer. The machine hummed, spitting out the thick stack of legal papers.

She slid the documents into a brown manila envelope.

Her phone rang. It was a FaceTime call from her best friend, Phoebe.

Carli took a deep breath. She forced her facial muscles to relax and answered the call.

Phoebe's face filled the screen. She was wearing a green clay face mask. Her eyes narrowed instantly.

"You have red veins in your eyes," Phoebe said. "What happened last night?"

Carli didn't try to lie. "I went to the garage. I caught Vaughn and Isla in his car."

Phoebe ripped the face mask off her skin. "That motherfucker!" she screamed. She unleashed a string of brutal curses that echoed through Carli's quiet apartment.

Carli let out a long breath. Her shoulders dropped. Hearing Phoebe yell made the knot in her chest loosen just a little.

"Where is the ring?" Phoebe demanded.

"I threw it at his face," Carli said.

"Good," Phoebe said fiercely. "Did it leave a mark?"

"I hope so," Carli said. She didn't mention the club. She didn't mention the masked man. "Keri called me this morning. She wants me to take Lilah to the Gutierrez gala tonight."

Phoebe scoffed. "She wants Lilah to hook up with Julian Gutierrez. It's so obvious."

"I know," Carli said. She held up the manila envelope to the camera. "But I'm using it. I told Keri I'd do it if she signs over Edna's trust fund today."

Phoebe nodded slowly. "Smart. But read every single word before she signs. Keri is a snake."

At the mention of Edna, Carli's chest tightened again. She opened her desk drawer and pulled out an old wooden cigar box. She opened the lid. Inside lay a few of Edna's design sketches, a worn copy of a French novel they used to read together during Edna's years in Paris, and a faded strawberry-shaped hairpin.

"I still don't believe the avalanche was an accident," Carli whispered. She ran her thumb over the plastic strawberry.

"I'll call my uncle in Geneva," Phoebe said softly. "He has some connections in the city. It's a long shot, and he might not be willing to dig into closed files, but I can ask him to pull some strings and see what he can find. Don't get your hopes up, but we will try to find out what happened to her, Carli."

"Thank you," Carli said.

They hung up. Carli felt a surge of adrenaline in her blood. She walked into her closet and pulled out a sharp, black tailored suit. She put it on. The stiff fabric made her feel like she was wearing armor.

She shoved the envelope into her leather tote bag, grabbed her car keys, and walked out of her apartment.

She walked down the narrow hallway and pressed the elevator button.

The metal doors slid open.

Carli stopped breathing.

Vaughn was standing inside the elevator. He looked terrible. His hair was messy, and he was holding a massive bouquet of red roses.

Carli's stomach churned. The smell of the roses mixed with the memory of the garage. She felt physically sick.

Vaughn saw her suit. His eyes widened slightly, then he put on a sad, desperate face. He stepped out of the elevator and reached for her hand.

Carli jerked her arm back. She pressed her back against the wall to get away from him.

"Carli, please," Vaughn begged. His voice was raspy. "Just give me five minutes. Let me explain."

Carli stared at the red roses. "I'm allergic to pollen, Vaughn. You dated me for seven years and you still don't know that."

Vaughn's face froze. He slowly lowered the flowers. "It was a mistake," he rushed out. "Isla means nothing. I was drunk. I was stressed about the merger-"

Carli looked at her watch. "I don't care. Move out of my way. I have somewhere to be."