Chapter 5 - The Bride Who Needed Claire Gone
Roman canceled his wedding at 9:12 the following morning.
Not privately.
Not gently.
He walked into Charles Mercer's Manhattan penthouse while Vivian was having breakfast with her father and placed Thomas Bennett's photograph on the table.
Vivian stared at it.
Charles didn't.
That told Roman everything.
"Wedding's off."
Vivian stood.
"Roman—"
"Sit down."
She did.
Claire wasn't there.
Roman had refused to bring her.
For once, she hadn't argued.
Charles Mercer folded his napkin.
"You seem emotional."
Roman looked at the dying man across the table.
Charles had lost weight.
His skin carried the gray undertone of someone whose body was quietly losing a war.
Roman felt no sympathy.
"You knew my father was murdered."
Charles smiled faintly.
"Careful."
"Northstar."
The smile disappeared.
Vivian looked at her father.
Roman saw genuine fear.
Interesting.
"Roman," she said, "whatever you think—"
"You sent Claire outside."
Vivian swallowed.
"I sent her for wine."
"There was no wine."
Silence.
"You knew the carriage house was locked."
Vivian's eyes flicked toward Charles.
Roman caught it.
"Tell him," Charles said.
Vivian stared at her father.
"Tell me what?"
She looked at Roman.
"I wasn't trying to kill her."
Roman's hands tightened.
"That's your defense?"
"I needed her out of the house."
"During a blizzard."
"For ten minutes."
"She almost died."
"I didn't know the storm would become that bad."
"Why?"
Vivian's composure cracked.
"Because someone was supposed to search her room."
Roman stared.
"For what?"
"The key."
Claire had no key.
Or so everyone thought.
Charles spoke.
"Thomas Bennett gave his daughter access to something that belongs to me."
Roman turned.
"The ledger?"
Charles's face changed.
Small.
Enough.
Roman smiled without warmth.
"Thank you."
Charles realized his mistake.
Vivian whispered, "Dad."
Roman stood.
"Northstar is finished."
Charles laughed.
"You think a few papers can dismantle thirty years?"
"No."
Roman buttoned his jacket.
"But federal prosecutors can."
Vivian stepped toward him.
"You can't."
"Watch me."
"Roman, please."
He stopped.
For the first time, Vivian wasn't performing.
Tears stood in her eyes.
"I didn't know about your father."
Roman studied her.
"I swear."
"Claire?"
Vivian looked down.
"I knew about the debt."
"You threatened Lily."
"My father told me Claire had something dangerous."
"So you threatened a disabled twenty-one-year-old woman."
"I never touched Lily."
"You didn't need to."
Vivian's voice broke.
"You don't understand what it's like growing up with him."
Charles didn't react.
Roman did.
Vivian looked toward her father.
"Every relationship. Every school. Every friend. Everything was useful or useless. When you proposed, he called it the best merger he'd ever arranged."
Roman felt something cold settle inside him.
Their engagement.
The business agreements.
The Mercer shipping contracts.
All of it.
"You knew."
"Not at first."
"When?"
"Three months ago."
"And you stayed."
"I loved you."
Roman's expression barely changed.
"No. You loved being safe beside me."
Vivian flinched.
Maybe because it was true.
Roman left.
Claire was waiting at DeLuca House.
She sat in the kitchen with Mrs. Patel drinking coffee.
Roman walked in.
Claire looked at his face.
"It's over."
"The wedding?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry."
Roman stared at her.
"For what?"
"Your life exploded because of my family."
He walked closer.
"My life exploded because people in my family and Vivian's spent years hurting yours."
"That's not the same."
"No. It's worse."
Claire looked down.
Roman sat opposite her.
"Vivian admitted she sent you outside so someone could search your room."
Claire frowned.
"For what?"
"A key."
"I don't have one."
Mrs. Patel suddenly stopped washing a cup.
Claire noticed.
"Mrs. Patel?"
The older woman turned slowly.
"What?"
"You know something."
"No."
"You're a worse liar than I am."
Roman almost smiled.
Mrs. Patel sighed.
"Your father gave me something."
Claire stood.
"What?"
"Two years ago."
Claire stared.
"My father was dead."
Mrs. Patel nodded.
"A man came here. Said he had worked with Thomas. He asked me to give you something only if anyone ever mentioned Northstar."
Roman and Claire exchanged a look.
"Why didn't you?"
"Nobody mentioned Northstar."
"What did he give you?"
Mrs. Patel disappeared into the pantry.
She returned with a tiny brass key.
Claire stared at it.
A number was stamped into the metal.
317.
Roman's phone rang.
Dominic.
"What?"
"I found another safe-deposit account."
Roman looked at the key.
"Box 317?"
Dominic went silent.
"How did you know?"
Roman looked at Claire.
"Where?"
"Harbor Ridge."
Claire's face changed.
"My sister's rehabilitation center?"
"Not the center. Bank branch across the street."
Roman stood.
Then Dominic said, "Roman, there's something else."
"What?"
"Harbor Ridge called your security office ten minutes ago."
Claire went pale.
"Lily?"
Roman's voice sharpened.
"What happened?"
"She left."
Claire grabbed the table.
"What do you mean left?"
"Someone signed her out."
"Who?"
Dominic paused.
"According to the facility, her sister."
Claire stopped breathing.
Roman stared at her.
Claire was standing directly in front of him.
Someone had walked into Harbor Ridge pretending to be Claire Bennett.
May you like
And Lily was gone.
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