His mouth tightened.
“You owe me that much.”
“I owe you an accurate accounting.”
He lowered his voice, trying to recover the tone that had worked on employees, bankers, and board members for years.
“Vivian, listen to me.
There are explanations for those transfers.”
“Then you can give them to the auditors.”
“Bridgewell is a consulting vehicle.”
“Without employees, offices, tax filings, or completed work.”
His silence answered for him.
Madison stepped toward the stairs.
“I’m leaving.”
Grant caught her arm above the wrist.
Not hard enough to injure her, but hard enough to make his intention clear.
“You are staying here.”
Captain Warren moved once.
That was all it took.
Grant released her.
Madison rubbed her arm and looked at him with open disgust.
“You told me we were celebrating because the divorce was finished.”
I watched Grant carefully.
There had been no divorce filing.
No separation agreement.
Not even a conversation about ending the marriage.
He had simply built a second life and assumed I would remain in the first one, silent and financially useful.
“I said it was being handled,” he replied.
“You said the company was yours.”
“It should be.”
The words came out before he could stop them.
I saw him realize it.
So did Madison.
I stepped closer.
“There it is.”
Grant’s face hardened.
“Your father trusted me to run Sterling Meridian.”
“He trusted you to serve it.”
“I doubled its value.”
“And decided that made you entitled to steal from it.”
“I moved money to protect the company.”
“From whom?”
He looked at me.
The answer was clear.
From me.
From the trustee whose signature he could not legally replace.
From the daughter he had dismissed as ceremonial.
From the woman he believed would be too ashamed of his affair to expose the fraud attached to it.
Madison pulled the diamond bracelet from her wrist.
Her fingers shook as she placed it beside the champagne bottle.
“He said it was a gift from his personal account.”
“It was listed as client appreciation,” I said.
Her face tightened.
Grant laughed without humor.
“Do not pretend she is innocent.
She knew I was married.”
Madison flinched, but she did not defend herself.
“No,” she said.
