Chapter 3 - The Call From My Fiancé
Mateo answered.
“Brandon.”
For several seconds, neither man spoke.
Then Brandon's voice came through the phone.
“Put Maeve on.”
I stepped closer.
Mateo looked at me.
I shook my head.
He put the phone on speaker.
“She's here.”
A pause.
Then Brandon laughed.
It was the same laugh I had heard at our engagement dinner.
Warm.
Familiar.
Fake.
“Maeve, baby, where are you?”
My stomach twisted.
“I could ask you the same thing.”
“I'm at the hotel.”
“No, you're not.”
Silence.
Mateo's eyes narrowed.
Brandon spoke carefully.
“Who are you with?”
“Why?”
“Because you're making a dangerous mistake.”
I laughed softly.
“You should know something about mistakes, Brandon.”
“Maeve—”
“Gemma is pregnant.”
Silence.
Real silence.
Mateo watched my face.
I continued.
“I found the ultrasound.”
Brandon's breathing changed.
“You went through my things?”
“You hid a pregnancy test inside your tuxedo.”
“It isn't what you think.”
“Then tell me what it is.”
He didn't answer.
I felt something inside me go cold.
“You knew.”
“Maeve, listen to me.”
“No.”
“I can explain.”
“You have five seconds.”
“Don't trust Mateo Duca.”
I looked at Mateo.
He didn't react.
Brandon continued.
“He's using you.”
“For what?”
“He knows about the documents.”
I looked at Mateo.
“What documents?”
Brandon said nothing.
“Brandon?”
The line went dead.
I stared at the phone.
Mateo took it from my hand.
“He hung up.”
I looked at him.
“You knew he would say that.”
“I knew he would try to turn you against me.”
“Why?”
“Because I'm the person standing between him and the money.”
I stared at him.
“What documents was he talking about?”
Mateo didn't answer immediately.
That frightened me.
“Mateo.”
He finally said, “The documents you signed aren't the whole problem.”
“What does that mean?”
“Brandon didn't only use your signature.”
He reached into his coat.
Pulled out a thin folder.
And handed it to me.
Inside were copies of bank transfers.
Companies.
Property deeds.
Names.
My name appeared on several pages.
I turned another page.
My restoration studio.
My mother's house.
My personal savings.
Everything.
I looked up.
“He was taking everything.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Mateo's voice was quiet.
“Because Brandon has been losing money for months.”
“How much?”
“Enough to destroy him.”
I stared at the numbers.
Then I noticed something.
A transfer.
Recipient: M.R. Holdings.
I frowned.
“What is M.R.?”
Mateo didn't answer.
“Mateo.”
He looked at me.
“M.R. Holdings belongs to someone inside my organization.”
“Who?”
Before he could respond, Salvatore appeared at the alley entrance.
“Boss.”
Mateo turned.
“What?”
“We found Gemma's car.”
My heart began pounding.
“Where?”
Salvatore hesitated.
“Outside the old Hayes property.”
Mateo's expression hardened.
“Is she inside?”
“We don't know.”
I stepped toward them.
“I'll go.”
Mateo immediately said, “No.”
“She is my best friend.”
“She may be part of this.”
“She is pregnant.”
“That doesn't make her innocent.”
I stared at him.
For a moment, anger burned through my fear.
“Then let me find out myself.”
Mateo looked at me.
Something passed between us.
Finally, he opened the Maybach door.
“Get in.”
I did.
The car pulled away from the curb.
Neither of us spoke.
Ten minutes later, the old Hayes property appeared through the rain.
The gates were open.
The house was dark.
But one upstairs window was glowing.
Mateo looked at it.
Then his phone buzzed.
He checked the message.
His face became unreadable.
“What?”
He turned the screen toward me.
A photograph of Gemma appeared.
She was standing inside the house.
And someone had written one sentence beneath the image:
She came here willingly.
Then another message arrived.
Maeve should come alone.
May you like
Mateo looked at me.
But before either of us could speak, every light in the house suddenly turned on...
