Chapter 6: The Other Man He Betrayed
Nobody moved.
Brooke stood beside the conference table, looking as though she might collapse.
Ethan stared at her.
“Put that away.””
She shook her head.
“No.””
“Brooke, you have no idea what you're doing.””
“I know exactly what I'm doing.””
Daniel reached for the envelope.
“Miss Mitchell, may I?””
She nodded.
He removed the first document.
It was a bank guarantee.
The name at the top belonged to Brooke's husband, Mark Mitchell.
I knew Mark.
He was a quiet man who worked in commercial property management. He and Brooke had been married for fourteen years.
He coached Noah's soccer team when he was available.
He had once helped Ethan repair the fence around our backyard.
He was the kind of man who remembered people's birthdays.
I looked at the document.
“Why is Mark's name here?””
Brooke wiped her cheek.
“Ethan told me he needed a guarantor for a temporary business loan. He said Mark would only be listed as a secondary contact.””
Daniel examined the signature.
“Did your husband authorize this guarantee?””
Brooke shook her head.
“No.””
Ethan laughed.
“That's a lie.””
She looked at him.
“You told me Mark had agreed.””
“He did.””
“No, Ethan. He didn't.””
She reached into the envelope and removed a second document.
“This is the email you sent me.””
Daniel read it.
Then he passed it to Margaret.
The email was short.
Use Mark's old business records. The bank won't ask too many questions if we submit the application through the consulting company. Once the money comes through, I'll settle everything.
At the bottom was Ethan's email address.
Margaret closed her eyes.
“Ethan.””
He shook his head.
“This is being taken out of context.””
Brooke laughed bitterly.
“That's what you told Nicole, too.””
Ethan stepped toward her.
“Don't you dare.””
Daniel stood between them.
“Mr. Whitmore, stay where you are.””
Brooke continued.
“I thought we were building something together. He told me he was going to leave Nicole. He said the company would be ours.””
I felt my stomach turn.
“Ours?””
She nodded.
“He promised me a house. He said he wanted to start over.””
Ethan looked furious.
“You knew what you were doing.””
“Yes,” Brooke replied.
“I knew I was having an affair with a married man. I knew I was lying to my husband. I know I helped you move money.””
Her voice cracked.
“But I didn't know you were stealing Mark's identity.””
The room fell silent.
Daniel turned another page.
“This appears to be a loan application for $620,000.””
Margaret looked at Ethan.
“Is that accurate?””
He didn't respond.
Richard Cole leaned forward.
“There's another issue.””
Everyone turned toward him.
Richard looked uncomfortable.
“I recognized the guarantee when I saw the bank's preliminary records. The account associated with this application received funds from the company's emergency credit facility.””
Daniel frowned.
“Where were those funds transferred afterward?””
Richard checked his notes.
“Several accounts. One belongs to B. Mitchell Consulting. Another belongs to a company registered overseas.””
Margaret's expression hardened.
“Whose company?””
Richard hesitated.
“It's registered under the name E. Whitmore Holdings.””
I looked at Ethan.
He stared at Richard.
“You weren't supposed to have that information.””
Richard removed his glasses.
“I'm the chief financial officer. I was supposed to have all the information.””
For the first time, I realized that Ethan's financial problems were much larger than an affair.
He had created a web of transactions involving the company, Brooke, her husband, and possibly other people.
And somewhere in that web was a man who had trusted him.
Mark.
I thought about the times Mark had brought groceries to our house when I was sick.
The time he had helped Ethan move furniture.
The time he had stood in our kitchen and congratulated Ethan on his latest business deal.
He had no idea.
I looked at Brooke.
“Does Mark know?””
She shook her head.
“I haven't told him.””
“Why not?””
She stared at the floor.
“Because I was afraid he'd leave me.””
I looked at her for a long moment.
I wanted to hate her.
Part of me still did.
But I knew what it felt like to discover that the person you trusted most had built an entirely different life behind your back.
That didn't excuse her.
It simply made the damage clearer.
Margaret turned to Daniel.
“Can we verify these documents?””
“Yes. I'll arrange independent forensic examination.””
“And the bank?””
“We should notify its fraud department immediately.””
Ethan stood.
“This meeting is over.””
Mr. Lawson shook his head.
“Not until we establish the extent of the exposure.””
“You can't keep me here.””
Daniel gathered the papers.
“No one is keeping you here. But you should understand that leaving won't make these documents disappear.””
Ethan grabbed his phone.
He began walking toward the door.
I watched him go.
Then Brooke spoke.
“Ethan.””
He stopped.
She removed one final item from her handbag.
It was a small silver USB drive.
His expression changed.
“Where did you get that?””
Brooke looked at me.
“He gave me this six months ago.””
Ethan stepped toward her.
“Give it back.””
She moved behind Daniel.
“No.””
“What is on it?”” I asked.
Brooke swallowed.
“Recordings. Emails. Copies of the original loan agreements.””
Daniel took the drive carefully.
“Why did he give this to you?””
“He said it was insurance. He told me that if anything went wrong, I should keep it somewhere safe.””
Margaret frowned.
“Insurance against whom?””
Brooke looked directly at Ethan.
“Against his business partners.””
Ethan laughed.
“She's making things up.””
Brooke's voice became firmer.
“No. You told me that several people were trying to force you out. You said they would blame everything on you if the company collapsed.””
Daniel looked at the drive.
“Do you know what's on it?””
She nodded.
“Some of it.””
“What?””
Brooke hesitated.
“There's a recording of Ethan talking to someone about the trust.””
I felt my heartbeat quicken.
“What trust?””
“The Whitmore Legacy Trust.””
Margaret's expression changed.
“Who was he speaking to?””
Brooke looked down.
“I don't know the person's full name.””
Ethan suddenly shouted.
“That's enough!””
His voice echoed through the conference room.
Everyone turned.
He looked at Brooke with open fury.
“You have no idea what you've just done.””
Brooke began crying.
“You told me I was special.””
He shook his head.
“You were a mistake.””
The words landed like a slap.
Brooke covered her mouth.
I looked at Ethan.
For a moment, I felt nothing.
Not jealousy.
Not anger.
Just an enormous, exhausting emptiness.
Daniel placed the USB drive into a protective evidence envelope.
“We will review this through the appropriate channels.””
Margaret turned to Ethan.
“Until the investigation is complete, you are not to access company systems, transfer company assets, or contact employees about this matter.””
Ethan laughed.
“You think a suspension means anything?””
Margaret didn't answer.
He turned toward me.
“Nicole, come with me.””
I remained seated.
“We're leaving.””
“No.””
“Don't make me ask again.””
I looked at him.
“You don't get to give me orders anymore.””
He leaned toward me.
“You think you've won?””
I stood.
“I think I've finally stopped losing.””
He stared at me.
Then he walked out.
The door slammed behind him.
For a moment, the room was silent.
Brooke sat down.
She looked at me.
“Nicole, I know you hate me.””
I didn't answer.
“I deserve that.””
“Yes,” I said.
She nodded, accepting it.
“But I didn't know about the forged documents. I swear.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Can we confirm whether Mark is exposed to these loans?””
“We'll need to examine the original agreements and contact the lender.””
Brooke wiped her eyes.
“Please. I don't want him to lose everything because of me.””
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because I had spent the morning discovering that my own family might lose everything because of the same man.
Margaret sat beside me.
“Nicole, we should go.””
I nodded.
As we left the building, Daniel received a call.
He listened for several seconds.
Then he stopped walking.
“What?””
Margaret turned.
“What is it?””
Daniel covered the phone.
“The bank has confirmed the existence of a second guarantee.””
My stomach tightened.
“Another one?””
He nodded.
“It's connected to the same loan network.””
Margaret frowned.
“Whose name?””
Daniel looked at me.
I felt the blood drain from my face before he even answered.
“Yours.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
He lowered the phone.
“Your personal investment account was listed as collateral for a $900,000 facility.””
I shook my head.
“I don't have a $900,000 investment account.””
Daniel opened his tablet.
“The account was created using your identity.””
I felt the ground shift beneath me.
Ethan had forged my signature.
He had tried to take our house.
He had used Mark's identity.
And now there was an account in my name that I had never opened.
Margaret gripped my arm.
“Nicole, don't panic.””
But I was already thinking about the children.
Their savings.
Their future.
The money Robert had left to protect our family.
I looked at Daniel.
“Who opened the account?””
He checked the preliminary registration.
Then he looked up.
“Your husband.””
I swallowed.
“Then we need to find out where the money went.””
Daniel nodded.
“I think we already have a lead.””
He turned his tablet toward me.
A transaction history appeared.
The first transfer was dated six months earlier.
The final transfer had been made just three days ago.
The recipient's name was unfamiliar.
But the address attached to the account wasn't.
I recognized it immediately.
It was the address of the house where Ethan had told me he was attending a three-day business conference.
The house belonged to someone named Victoria Shaw.
Margaret stared at the screen.
“Who is Victoria Shaw?””
I shook my head.
“I've never heard that name.””
Daniel enlarged the transaction details.
Then he read the account's secondary authorization.
There were two names.
Ethan Whitmore.
And Victoria Shaw.
Margaret's face went pale.
“No,” she whispered.
I looked at her.
“You know her?””
Margaret slowly lowered herself onto the nearest bench.
“Victoria Shaw was Robert's personal assistant.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Margaret looked toward the glass tower.
“She disappeared shortly before Robert died.””
Daniel scrolled farther down.
At the bottom of the screen was a note attached to the most recent transfer.
*Final payment upon release of the original trust amendment.*
My heart began pounding.
“What trust amendment?””
Margaret looked at me.
Then she said something that made the entire situation feel much darker.
“Nicole, I think Ethan wasn't trying to steal the company for himself.””
May you like
She paused.
“I think someone else has been paying him to steal it for them.””
