Chapter 6 - The Fiancé's Secret.
Adrian ended the call with a shaking hand.
Nobody spoke for several seconds.
Emma was the first.
"What happens to your father?"
Adrian sat down.
For the first time since Claire had met him two years earlier, he looked young.
Not polished.
Not confident.
Just trapped.
"My father has early-stage Parkinson's."
Emma's anger faltered.
Adrian continued.
"My mother controls the family trust that pays for his private care."
Claire did not soften.
"That explains your fear."
She looked directly at him.
"It does not excuse what you did."
"I know."
Emma looked away.
Adrian pressed both palms against his knees.
"She told me the proxy was temporary."
"It gave her control over my vote."
"I didn't understand how far she was going to take it."
"You brought me to that dinner."
"I know."
"You gave me the papers."
"I know."
"You watched them put me in an ambulance."
His eyes filled.
"I know."
Emma stood.
Her knees trembled, but she stayed upright.
"Stop saying that."
Adrian looked at her.
"Then tell me what to say."
"Tell the truth."
The words cut through the room.
Adrian nodded.
So he did.
Three months earlier, Eleanor had learned that the merger could fail without Emma's future voting block.
She asked Adrian to encourage Emma to sign a "family continuity agreement."
When Emma's attorney questioned the document, Eleanor changed tactics.
She began telling Adrian that Emma was emotionally unstable.
She pointed to ordinary arguments as evidence.
She insisted Emma's hesitation about marriage was proof that she could not make decisions.
Then Dr. Mercer began attending Vale family dinners.
Claire listened without interrupting.
"Did you know Dr. Mercer was going to be at Mercy General that night?"
Adrian nodded.
Emma closed her eyes.
Claire asked, "Did you know your mother intended to have Emma placed on a hold?"
"No."
Adrian looked at Emma.
"I swear."
"Did you know she might be medicated?"
"No."
"Did you know she planned to obtain a proxy while Emma was in the hospital?"
Adrian hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
Emma stepped backward.
Adrian stood quickly.
"I knew she wanted to bring the papers."
Claire moved between them.
"Stay where you are."
Adrian stopped.
"I thought Emma would sign in the morning."
Emma whispered, "While I was in a hospital bed."
His silence answered.
Detective Alvarez asked him to come to a conference room for a formal statement.
Before he left, Adrian took a small key from his wallet.
It was attached to a plain brass tag.
"There's a private office across from the Vale Foundation suite on the sixth floor."
Pike looked up sharply.
"That room is not assigned to the foundation."
Adrian gave a bitter laugh.
"My mother doesn't care what it's assigned to."
He handed the key to Alvarez.
"She stores documents there during board meetings."
Alvarez did not take it immediately.
"How do you know?"
"Because I put a folder there this morning."
Emma stared at him.
"What folder?"
Adrian's face collapsed.
"The original proxy packet."
Claire felt Emma's hand grab her sleeve.
"You brought it here?"
Adrian nodded.
"My mother told me to replace the unsigned copy with a completed one before the board met tonight."
Reyes looked at Pike.
"There's a board meeting tonight?"
Pike said nothing.
That was answer enough.
Adrian continued.
"I didn't replace it."
Alvarez finally took the key.
"Why not?"
He looked at Emma.
"Because I saw her through the glass."
His voice broke.
"She was crying and begging a nurse to let her call her mother."
Emma stared at him.
Adrian swallowed.
"That was when I realized my mother wasn't protecting anyone."
May you like
He looked toward the door.
"She was finishing the deal."
