Chapter 6 - The Mistress Who Wanted More Than a Husband
Petra Wyland did not panic when Finn summoned her to his office.
She arrived twenty minutes late.
Her hair was perfectly styled. Her charcoal coat was worth more than most people's monthly rent.
She carried a leather handbag and the confidence of a woman who believed she had already won.
Finn waited behind his desk.
He did not offer her a seat.
“Where's the money?”
Petra stopped.
“What money?”
“Six million dollars.”
She sighed.
“Finn, we've discussed the consulting fees.”
“Not with documentation that supports them.”
Her expression cooled.
“Careful.”
He came around the desk.
“Did you submit a forged authorization bearing Vivian's signature?”
Petra looked at him.
Then she laughed.
“Is that what your wife told you?”
“Answer me.”
“I didn't forge anything.”
“Then who did?”
“Ask your lawyers.”
Finn studied her.
For the first time, he saw something beneath her polished exterior.
Not affection.
Not loyalty.
Calculation.
“You used me.”
Petra raised an eyebrow.
“That's an interesting accusation from a married man who spent six months telling me his wife didn't understand him.”
Finn said nothing.
She stepped closer.
“You wanted someone who admired you. Someone who didn't ask difficult questions. Someone who made you feel like the most powerful man in the room.”
Her smile became sharp.
“I gave you exactly what you wanted.”
“And the money?”
“That's a business matter.”
“I'm ending our relationship.”
Petra's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“You don't get to do that without consequences.”
Finn folded his arms.
“Try me.”
She reached into her handbag and removed a small envelope.
Inside were photographs.
Finn standing beside Petra outside a private restaurant.
Finn kissing her in a hotel elevator.
Finn entering her apartment.
He stared at them.
“Blackmail?”
“Insurance.”
“Against what?”
“Men who think they can use women and walk away.”
Finn looked up.
“You knew I was married.”
“And you knew I wasn't the only person involved in the European deal.”
That stopped him.
“What does that mean?”
Petra slipped the photographs back into the envelope.
“You should ask your father what happened to Mercer Development in 2008.”
Finn frowned.
“Vivian's father's company?”
Petra smiled.
“Interesting family history.”
She turned toward the door.
“Tell Bernard I said hello.”
Then she left.
Finn stood motionless.
He had expected threats about the affair.
He had not expected Petra to mention his father.
Or a year that had nearly destroyed Vivian's family.
That afternoon, Vivian visited the obstetrician for a scheduled examination.
Her blood pressure was mildly elevated.
The doctor recommended rest, monitoring, and avoiding unnecessary stress.
Vivian almost laughed at the last suggestion.
Her phone vibrated while she waited for the elevator.
A message from an unknown number.
You should stop digging into things your father wanted buried.
Vivian stared at the screen.
A second message appeared.
Ask Bernard why your father really died.
Her breath caught.
Her father, Thomas Mercer, had died six years earlier after a sudden cardiac event.
He had been sixty-two.
Healthy enough to hike.
Stubborn enough to refuse a driver.
His death had devastated her.
Finn had handled the funeral arrangements while she barely managed to get out of bed.
Vivian called Daniel immediately.
“Someone sent me a message about my father.”
“Forward it to me.”
She did.
There was a long silence.
Then Daniel said, “Vivian, don't respond. We'll preserve it and contact the appropriate authorities if necessary.”
“Do you think Petra sent it?”
“I don't know.”
“Why would anyone mention my father's death?”
Daniel hesitated.
“There's something I've been trying to verify.”
Vivian felt cold.
“What?”
“Your father requested an independent review of certain joint ventures shortly before he died.”
“With the Cole family?”
“Yes.”
“Did he find something?”
“I don't have the complete report.”
“Why not?”
“His office was cleared after his death. Some records disappeared.”
Vivian leaned against the wall.
“Daniel.”
“Yes?”
“Are you telling me my father suspected the Coles of stealing from him?”
“I'm telling you he had questions about transactions involving their companies.”
Vivian closed her eyes.
For eight years, she had believed her marriage united two families.
Now she wondered whether the union had helped conceal a financial conflict neither family wanted examined.
That evening, Finn confronted Bernard.
His father sat in the study of his suburban home, reading beneath a brass lamp.
“What happened in 2008?”
Bernard slowly lowered his book.
“That's a long time ago.”
“Mercer Development.”
The old man's face changed.
Finn noticed.
“Petra mentioned it.”
Bernard stood.
“Stay away from that woman.”
“What happened?”
“Business.”
“Don't insult me.”
Bernard walked toward the window.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he spoke.
“Your grandfather and Thomas Mercer had a partnership. There were losses. Accusations. Nothing was ever proven.”
“Did you know?”
“I knew enough to stay out of it.”
Finn stared at him.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Bernard turned.
“I expect you to understand that the people who ran this family before you were not always honorable.”
Finn felt his stomach tighten.
“What did they do?”
Bernard's eyes looked suddenly old.
“Some of them believed everything had a price.”
“And Thomas Mercer?”
Bernard's voice dropped.
“He was the one man who refused to be bought.”
Finn stepped closer.
“Dad. Tell me what happened.”
Before Bernard could answer, his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His face went pale.
May you like
Finn saw the caller's name.
Petra Wyland.
