Chapter 6 - The Money Between Them
Adrian arrived at Grant’s office carrying the relaxed expression of a man who expected a routine conversation.
It disappeared when he saw the independent auditor.
Grant indicated a chair.
“We need to discuss Mercer Advisory.”
Adrian set his folder down.
“What about it?”
“Start with what it did for Southgate.”
“Site acquisition consulting. Community outreach. Preliminary vendor coordination.”
The auditor slid several invoices across the desk.
“We haven’t located supporting records for these services.”
“I can have my team pull them.”
“They already tried,” Grant said.
Adrian looked at him.
Something old and familiar shifted between them.
For thirteen years, Grant had trusted this man with decisions involving millions of dollars.
He had confused reliability with loyalty.
“You’re making a mistake,” Adrian said.
“Then help us correct it.”
Instead, Adrian asked whether Grant was doing this because of Claire.
The question answered more than he intended.
Grant leaned forward.
“Why did Mercer pay Caleb Rowan?”
Adrian’s face became still.
“I don’t manage their payroll.”
“No. You approved the money that funded it.”
The interview ended shortly afterward.
Adrian was placed on leave. His access to financial systems was suspended. Counsel preserved the relevant records and began the appropriate reporting process.
Grant did not call Claire until the auditor had prepared a factual summary.
When she answered, he kept his voice steady.
“There’s information about Southgate you need to receive through Olivia.”
“About Mercer?”
He closed his eyes briefly.
“Yes.”
“I’ve already found false documents from Caleb.”
Grant felt no satisfaction.
“I’m sorry.”
“Send what you have.”
The next morning, they met in Olivia’s office.
Claire wore a navy suit and the expression Grant remembered from their first negotiation.
The ring was absent.
The records established that Mercer had received substantial fees for work nobody could verify. Its disclosed manager had signed documents on Adrian’s behalf in another venture. Payments to Caleb began shortly before his return to Claire’s life.
There was still no complete explanation.
There was enough to demand one.
Claire reviewed the dates.
“Did you know any of this when you investigated him?”
“No.”
“Did Adrian?”
“I don’t know how much he knew then. I know he omitted Mercer’s connection to our project.”
She nodded once.
Grant placed another document beside her.
“My company will cover the cost of this review pending final allocation. No project funds will be used.”
“Your board agreed?”
“After a difficult conversation.”
“What did you tell them?”
“That this happened under my oversight.”
Claire looked at him for a long moment.
Then she turned back to the records.
That afternoon, Caleb came to Olivia’s office at Claire’s request.
He brought his own attorney.
Seeing the attorney hurt Claire in a way she hadn’t expected.
It meant he knew the truth required preparation.
The meeting lasted ninety minutes.
Caleb admitted Adrian had contacted him after learning about his history with Claire. Adrian offered paid consulting work and suggested reconnecting might help restore her confidence in men who understood her past.
At first, Caleb insisted, he had believed the opportunity was legitimate.
Then the requests changed.
Tell her Grant’s board is worried.
Encourage her to separate Southgate from Holloway financing.
Ask whether she would support selling the project debt to a new investment group.
Caleb had complied with some requests.
He denied knowing the invoices were fraudulent.
He denied intending to obtain Claire’s company.
Claire heard every word.
Then she asked the only question that mattered to her personally.
“When you proposed, did you know Adrian wanted me to make business decisions that would help him?”
Caleb’s attorney began to speak.
Caleb lifted a hand.
“Yes.”
Claire looked down at the plain ring she had brought in a small envelope.
He started crying.
“I love you.”
She believed he might.
That was the cruelest part.
Love, whatever he felt, had not prevented him from accepting the arrangement.
“Did you return my money with money Adrian gave you?”
His silence stretched.
“Yes.”
Claire pushed the envelope across the table.
“I thought that repayment meant you finally understood what you took from me.”
“I did.”
“You let another man finance your apology.”
He lowered his head.
She stood.
The wedding was canceled.
By evening, Caleb’s mother had called Ruth in distress. Several relatives had already purchased plane tickets. A cousin mentioned social media.
Ruth’s reply was immediate.
“Plane tickets are refundable. My daughter’s life is not a group accommodation.”
Claire heard that from the hallway.
May you like
For the first time all day, she laughed.
Then she went upstairs, shut her bedroom door, and cried until there was nothing graceful left about it.
