Chapter 10 - Celeste’s Warning
Marin called her parents before Adrian could stop her.
They were safe.
At home.
Completely unaware that their address had appeared on a card from Richard Corwin.
Within an hour, Vale security had vehicles positioned near the Whitlock property.
Thomas objected.
Loudly.
Evelyn invited the security team inside for pie.
That was her mother.
By six, Marin sat in Adrian’s office forty floors above Boston Harbor.
This time she had chosen to come.
That mattered to her.
Adrian stood at the window.
Marcus Bell occupied one chair.
Luca another.
A fourth man Marin had never met was introduced as Daniel Cho, Vale Consolidated’s head of internal compliance.
On a screen behind them appeared a diagram of companies, accounts, and investment groups.
Marin understood almost none of it.
She understood one name.
Stephen Maddox.
Bennett’s client.
Daniel tapped the screen.
“Maddox has been purchasing Vale shares through three shell investment entities.”
Marin looked at Adrian.
“For Corwin?”
“We think so.”
“How does Bennett fit?”
“He arranged financing for one of the entities,” Marcus said.
“Knowingly?”
“No evidence of that.”
Adrian remained silent.
Marin noticed.
“You still think Bennett knew.”
“I think Bennett ignores information when ignoring it benefits him.”
That was uncomfortably plausible.
A knock came at the door.
Luca answered.
His expression hardened.
Then he looked toward Marin.
“Celeste Waverly is downstairs.”
Marin stared.
“Why?”
“She asked for you.”
Adrian immediately said, “No.”
Marin turned.
“What happened to choosing for myself?”
“This building is currently under heightened security.”
“And she passed it.”
Luca nodded.
“She’s clean.”
“Bring her up.”
Adrian looked irritated.
Marin raised an eyebrow.
“No omissions doesn’t mean you’re my father.”
He muttered something Italian under his breath.
Ten minutes later, Celeste entered.
She looked nothing like the perfectly composed woman from the engagement dinner.
Hair pulled back.
No makeup.
Dark coat over jeans.
She held Bennett’s laptop bag.
“Thank you for seeing me.”
Marin stood.
“What happened?”
Celeste’s eyes flicked toward Adrian.
“Can we talk privately?”
Adrian did not move.
Marin looked at him.
He sighed.
Five minutes later, Marin and Celeste sat in a small conference room.
Celeste placed the laptop bag on the table.
“Bennett lied to me.”
Marin almost laughed at the familiarity.
“About?”
“Work.”
“What exactly?”
“He told me Maddox was a normal client.”
“And?”
“Last night I heard him arguing with someone on the phone.”
“Corwin?”
“I don’t know.”
Celeste opened the bag.
“He said, ‘I gave you the address because you said you were sending flowers.’”
Marin went still.
“My address?”
“I think so.”
Anger surged.
“He gave Corwin my address?”
“He says he gave it to Maddox.”
“That doesn’t improve anything.”
“I know.”
Celeste’s eyes filled slightly.
“He told them where your family dinner was too.”
Marin stood.
“Why?”
“Because Maddox asked where Adrian Vale would be.”
“He knew Adrian was coming?”
“Bennett texted him after you arrived.”
Marin felt sick.
Not because Bennett had intended to hurt her.
Because he had cared so little about the consequences.
“What did Bennett get?”
“A promotion.”
There it was.
Celeste pushed the laptop bag toward Marin.
“I took this.”
“You stole his computer?”
“Yes.”
Marin stared.
Celeste gave a shaky laugh.
“I’m having a difficult twenty-four hours.”
Despite everything, Marin almost smiled.
“Why bring it to me?”
“Because Bennett won’t tell the truth unless the truth hurts him more than the lie.”
That sentence sounded painfully earned.
“Do you love him?” Marin asked.
Celeste looked down.
“I thought I did.”
Marin understood.
Celeste continued.
“I also thought he was different with me.”
There was the deeper pain.
The belief every new partner carried.
He hurt her because they were wrong together. He’ll be different with me.
Sometimes people changed.
Sometimes they simply changed audiences.
Marin touched Celeste’s hand.
“You didn’t steal him from me.”
Celeste looked up.
“I know that logically.”
“I mean it.”
Marin’s voice softened.
“He was already gone. I just hadn’t admitted it.”
Celeste swallowed.
“What happens now?”
Marin looked through the glass wall.
Adrian stood across the office, watching.
“Now we find out what Bennett gave them.”
Daniel examined the laptop.
Within thirty minutes, they found emails.
Not criminal evidence.
Not dramatic confessions.
Worse, in some ways.
Small betrayals.
Bennett providing names of Vale employees.
Travel information.
Addresses.
Meeting schedules.
Information collected because Maddox claimed his investors needed due diligence.
Bennett never asked why.
Because Maddox paid well.
Then Daniel found a message from two days earlier.
Need confirmation Vale will attend Whitlock event Saturday. Client considering timing.
Bennett replied:
He’s there. Arrived with Marin. Looks serious.
Marin closed her eyes.
Adrian read the message once.
Then walked out.
She followed.
“Where are you going?”
“To speak with Bennett.”
“No.”
He stopped.
“You don’t get to tell me no.”
“Then I’m coming.”
“Absolutely not.”
“Adrian.”
“He gave them information that placed you at risk.”
“He’s my ex.”
“And that matters because?”
“Because I decide what happens with my relationships.”
Adrian stared.
Then his anger changed direction.
Away from her.
Toward himself.
“You’re right.”
Marin blinked.
“I am?”
“Yes.”
“That was fast.”
“I’m learning.”
She almost smiled.
They found Bennett at his apartment.
Celeste refused to go.
“I’m done,” she said.
Marin understood.
Bennett opened the door and went pale.
“Marin.”
Then he saw Adrian.
“This is unnecessary.”
Marin pushed past him.
“You gave strangers my address.”
“They weren’t strangers.”
“That is not a defense.”
“They were clients.”
“You gave them Clara’s dinner location.”
Bennett looked toward Adrian.
“This is about business.”
Marin laughed once.
“You still don’t understand.”
“Understand what?”
“That people aren’t paperwork, Bennett.”
His expression hardened.
“I didn’t know anyone was threatening you.”
“You didn’t ask.”
“I had no reason to.”
“You had money.”
“That’s unfair.”
“No. Unfair was someone photographing my parents’ house because you wanted a promotion.”
His face drained.
“What?”
Marin showed him the card.
Bennett sank into a chair.
“I didn’t know.”
For the first time, she believed him.
And for the first time, it didn’t matter.
“You never know,” she said quietly. “Because knowing would require looking beyond yourself.”
Bennett lowered his head.
Marin turned to leave.
“Wait.”
She stopped.
Bennett looked at Adrian.
“Maddox said Corwin needed leverage before Monday.”
Adrian’s gaze sharpened.
“Leverage for what?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think.”
Bennett swallowed.
“He kept talking about South Harbor.”
Adrian’s face changed.
Marcus, standing near the door, went still.
Marin noticed.
“What is South Harbor?”
Adrian did not answer immediately.
Then:
“A property my father left outside the company.”
“So?”
“So Corwin doesn’t want the terminals.”
Marin’s stomach tightened.
“What does he want?”
Adrian looked at Marcus.
Marcus looked grim.
Finally Adrian said:
“He wants what’s buried underneath South Harbor.”
And before Marin could ask what that meant, every light in Bennett’s apartment went dark.
A second later, Luca shouted from the hallway:
May you like
“Everybody down.”
---
