Chapter 7 - The Betrayal Inside My Office
Eleanor resigned on Wednesday morning.
She left a handwritten letter on my desk.
And beneath it was a photograph that made me question everything I thought I knew about my marriage.
The photograph showed Thomas, Mike, Gregory Vale, and Eleanor standing outside a commercial building.
All four were smiling.
The date printed on the back was June 14, 2020.
I remembered that day.
My father had undergone emergency heart surgery.
I had spent fourteen hours at the hospital, sitting beside my mother and waiting for news.
Thomas had told me he couldn't come because he was attending a regional sales conference.
Eleanor had said she was visiting family.
Neither had been where they claimed.
I sat at my desk and read her letter.
Rose,
I know you have every reason to hate me.
I should have told you the truth years ago. I convinced myself that silence was protecting the firm, but I was protecting myself.
I didn't create Carolina Meridian. I helped prepare its original financial projections. Thomas told me you had approved the arrangement.
When I discovered the ownership documents were questionable, I should have gone directly to you.
Instead, I let him frighten me.
I'm resigning because I no longer deserve your trust.
There is something else you need to know.
The original financing plan was discussed at a meeting in June 2020. Thomas wasn't the person who brought everyone together.
Gregory did.
Please be careful.
I read the letter three times.
Then I called Sarah.
“I have Eleanor's resignation.”
“Did she explain anything?”
“Some things.”
“Rose, don't make any decisions about her employment records yet. We need to preserve everything.”
“I know.”
“Are you all right?”
I looked at the photograph.
“No.”
It was the first honest answer I'd given in days.
By noon, Sarah had arranged a meeting with Gregory's attorney at a neutral office downtown.
Gregory arrived looking nothing like the confident executive I'd seen in business magazines.
His face was gray.
His tie was crooked.
He looked like a man who hadn't slept.
Sarah sat beside me.
Paul attended by video.
Gregory's attorney opened the meeting.
“My client is prepared to cooperate with the relevant investigations. This conversation is not a substitute for formal testimony or document production.”
I appreciated the clarity.
Gregory looked at me.
“Mrs. Whitaker, I owe you an apology.”
I didn't answer.
He continued.
“Thomas represented that you were a silent investor in Carolina Meridian.”
“And you believed him?”
“He provided documents.”
“Did you ever speak to me?”
“No.”
“Then you didn't verify anything.”
Gregory looked down.
“No.”
I leaned forward.
“Why did you meet with Eleanor?”
“She was supposed to prepare projections for the business.”
“Who authorized her?”
“Thomas said you did.”
I stared at him.
“You keep saying Thomas told you things.”
Gregory swallowed.
“I understand how that sounds.”
“Do you?”
Sarah placed a hand on my arm.
“Rose.”
I took a breath.
Gregory opened his briefcase.
“I brought the original meeting notes.”
He slid them across the table.
I read the first page.
Carolina Meridian had been proposed as a financing vehicle for medical equipment distribution.
Gregory's company needed working capital.
Mike claimed to have banking contacts.
Thomas offered access to potential investors.
Eleanor was supposed to provide financial analysis.
And my name had been placed beside the words proposed controlling investor.
I stared at the phrase.
“Who wrote that?”
Gregory hesitated.
“Thomas.”
“Then why did you say he didn't create the company?”
“Because he didn't suggest the structure.”
“Who did?”
Gregory looked toward his attorney.
The attorney nodded.
“Rebecca Shaw.”
I sat very still.
The commercial lending officer.
Thomas's other mistress.
Rebecca had been involved from the beginning.
“Where is she now?” I asked.
Gregory shook his head.
“I don't know.”
“Is she still employed at the bank?”
“She's been placed on administrative leave.”
I looked at Sarah.
“Did you know?”
“We received confirmation this morning.”
Gregory leaned forward.
“There's something else.”
His attorney immediately raised a hand.
“Gregory, we've discussed the scope of this meeting.”
“I know.”
He looked at me.
“The financing package included personal information about you that Thomas shouldn't have possessed.”
“Such as?”
“Copies of old financial records. Account information. Identity documents.”
I thought of the archive key.
My office.
The documents Thomas could have accessed during our marriage.
“Did Rebecca know those records might have been obtained without permission?”
Gregory hesitated.
“I can't speak to what she knew.”
“Then tell me what you know.”
He looked at his attorney again.
Finally, he said, “Rebecca raised concerns about the signatures in 2022.”
My heart stopped.
“Four years ago?”
He nodded.
“She told Thomas the documentation needed to be corrected before any additional financing.”
“And what happened?”
“Thomas said you were refusing to cooperate because of marital problems.”
I laughed once.
A short, bitter sound.
“Our marital problems hadn't even started.”
Gregory looked ashamed.
“They may have started before you realized.”
The words hurt more than I expected.
After the meeting, I drove to my mother's house.
She lived in a modest brick home outside Charlotte, surrounded by roses my father had planted before he died.
She opened the door and immediately knew something was wrong.
“Oh, sweetheart.”
That was all it took.
I began crying.
Not the restrained tears I'd shed alone.
Not the quiet anger I'd carried into Sarah's office.
I cried like a woman who had finally reached the end of her strength.
My mother held me.
For a long time, neither of us spoke.
Then she said, “Your father never trusted Thomas.”
I pulled away.
“What?”
She looked uncomfortable.
“He thought Thomas cared too much about appearances.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“He did, once. Before your wedding.”
I remembered an argument I'd had with my father.
He'd asked whether Thomas respected my work.
I'd accused him of judging the man I loved.
My mother touched my cheek.
“Your father wasn't always right. But he worried about you.”
I sat at the kitchen table.
“Mom, I don't know who I married.”
She sat beside me.
“Then stop trying to understand who he pretended to be.”
I looked at her.
“Find out who he is.”
My phone rang.
An unknown number.
I almost ignored it.
Then I answered.
“Hello?”
A woman's voice spoke.
“Rose Whitaker?”
“Yes.”
“My name is Rebecca Shaw.”
I stood.
“Rebecca.”
“Please don't hang up.”
I looked at my mother.
“What do you want?”
Rebecca's voice shook.
“I need to tell you something about Thomas.”
“Then talk.”
She took a breath.
“Thomas didn't just use your name to borrow money.”
I gripped the phone.
“What else?”
“He used it to open an account that received payments from companies you've never worked with.”
“How much?”
“I don't have the complete records.”
“Rebecca.”
May you like
Her voice broke.
“The last balance I saw was over two million dollars.”
