Chapter 2 - THE BILLIONAIRE WHO WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE ON MY FLIGHT
For several seconds, Noah Whitman said nothing.
Then he looked toward Rebecca Stone.
"Where did he get the photograph?"
"We don't know yet."
"Was it recent?"
"Very."
Rebecca showed him an image on her phone.
I caught only a glimpse.
Noah standing outside a private office building.
Wearing the same navy jacket he'd worn on our flight.
The timestamp was from that morning.
My stomach tightened.
"Someone was watching you too?"
Noah nodded slowly.
"It appears that way."
I stared at him.
"Is this connected to Ryan?"
"I don't know."
For the first time since meeting him, he looked genuinely troubled.
Not frightened.
Not panicked.
But deeply concerned.
The airport officer asked whether either of us had received threats.
Noah exchanged a glance with Rebecca.
Then answered.
"Yes."
I turned sharply.
"What?"
He looked at me.
"My company has been dealing with an internal fraud investigation."
I frowned.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"Possibly nothing."
"That's not reassuring."
He gave a small, humorless smile.
"I know."
Rebecca stepped closer.
"Mr. Whitman, we should move this conversation somewhere private."
I immediately shook my head.
"No."
Everyone looked at me.
I swallowed.
"I'm not being taken into a private room without understanding what's happening."
Noah nodded.
"Then we explain first."
He turned toward Rebecca.
"Tell her what we know."
Rebecca hesitated.
Then continued.
"Whitman Group discovered unusual transfers involving one of its subsidiaries. Someone attempted to move almost forty million dollars through a network of accounts connected to a private investment firm in Texas."
My heart began pounding.
"Texas?"
"Yes."
I looked at Noah.
"Why are you telling me this?"
"Because one of the names connected to those accounts is Ryan Collins."
The world seemed to tilt.
"My husband?"
Noah nodded.
I shook my head.
"That doesn't make sense. Ryan manages commercial property accounts. He doesn't work for Whitman Group."
Rebecca glanced at her notes.
"His company has provided consulting services to one of our subsidiaries."
I felt cold.
Ryan had always been vague about his clients.
He'd traveled frequently.
Taken late-night calls.
And when I asked questions, he'd accused me of not understanding business.
I remembered the day he'd changed the locks.
He'd been furious because I'd opened a bank statement that arrived at our apartment by mistake.
A statement bearing a company name I didn't recognize.
I closed my eyes.
"Oh my God."
Noah leaned forward.
"Emily?"
I looked at him.
"Three weeks ago, Ryan received an envelope from a bank. It wasn't addressed to him personally."
"What company?"
I tried to remember.
Something with the word Meridian.
"Meridian Capital."
Rebecca's expression changed.
She looked toward Noah.
He went completely still.
"Emily," he said quietly, "are you certain?"
I nodded.
"Yes."
Noah looked at Rebecca.
"That's the company."
My pulse raced.
"What company?"
Rebecca answered.
"The firm investigators believe was used to move the missing money."
I stared at them.
Then something worse occurred to me.
Ryan had changed the locks the day after I opened that envelope.
He'd told me our marriage was over.
He'd cut off my access to our shared household account.
And now someone was waiting at the airport with photographs of me, Lily, and Noah.
I looked at the sleeping baby in my arms.
Then whispered, "Ryan didn't throw me out because he stopped loving me."
Noah watched me.
"Why do you think he did it?"
May you like
My throat tightened.
"Because he thought I'd seen something I wasn't supposed to see."
