Chapter 14: The Plan Elise Hid

I read Elise's note three times.

Each time, the same sentence became more disturbing.

"If Mara leaves you, everything we've planned will be ruined."

I looked at Cole.

"What exactly did you plan with her?"

He sat down heavily.

"It wasn't supposed to involve you."

"That answer is getting old."

Cole rubbed his hands over his face.

"Elise wanted to expose Richard. But she knew she couldn't do it alone."

"So you helped her."

"Yes."

"And where did I fit into that plan?"

He remained silent.

My chest tightened.

"Cole."

"You were supposed to leave me."

The words landed harder than I expected.

"What?"

"Elise believed Richard would stop investigating her if he thought she had nothing left to lose. She wanted everyone to believe our relationship had ended because of her. Then, when you moved away, Richard would stop watching you."

I stared at him.

"So you planned to destroy my relationship to protect me?"

"I thought it would work."

"You didn't even give me the choice."

Cole lowered his eyes.

"I know."

I stood and walked toward the window.

For five months, I had believed I wasn't enough for him.

I had blamed myself for every argument, every canceled dinner, every time he chose Elise over me.

But none of it had been accidental.

They had planned it.

Then I remembered the note.

"If this was all about protecting me, why did Elise write that leaving me would ruin everything?"

Cole didn't answer.

I turned around.

"What aren't you telling me?"

He finally looked at me.

"Elise wasn't only investigating Richard."

"What else was she doing?"

"She was investigating your father."

I froze.

"My father died eight years ago."

"I know."

"Then why would she investigate him?"

Cole opened the folder again.

Inside was an old newspaper clipping.

The headline mentioned a financial scandal from eight years earlier.

My father's company had been accused of hiding millions of dollars.

I remembered the scandal.

It had destroyed my father's reputation before his death.

I had always believed the accusations were true.

Cole pointed at one paragraph.

"Richard was involved in that investigation too."

My eyes moved across the page.

Then I saw another name.

Nathan Reed.

He had been one of my father's accountants.

"Nathan worked for my father?"

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because we only discovered it recently."

I looked at the documents again.

There were copies of old financial records attached to the clipping.

Several signatures had been circled in red.

One of them belonged to Richard.

Another belonged to Elise's father.

And the final signature belonged to my father.

But the dates didn't match.

My father had signed the document two days after the transaction had supposedly occurred.

"These records were altered," I whispered.

Cole nodded.

"That's what Elise discovered."

My entire understanding of my father's death began to collapse.

"Where did you get these?"

"Nathan gave them to Elise."

"Then where is Nathan now?"

Cole's expression darkened.

"He's missing."

Before I could respond, the hotel room phone rang.

Neither of us moved.

It rang again.

Then again.

Cole slowly picked it up.

"Hello?"

There was silence.

Then a man's voice spoke.

"If you want Nathan alive, bring the original records to the old train station before midnight."

Cole's face went pale.

"Who is this?"

The caller laughed.

"You already know."

The line went dead.

I looked at Cole.

"Richard?"

He shook his head.

"No."

He stared at the phone.

"That was Nathan."