Chapter 3 - THE COMPANY THEY BUILT BEHIND MY BACK
I went home that afternoon and looked at my engagement ring for eleven minutes.
Then I took it off.
Not dramatically.
No tears.
I simply placed it inside the ceramic bowl by the door where Luke dropped his keys every night.
Then I opened every joint financial account we had.
Wedding savings.
House fund.
Investment account.
Emergency reserve.
The wedding account stopped me.
Six months earlier, it held $148,000.
My contribution:
$102,000.
Luke’s:
$46,000.
Current balance:
$27,410.
I stared.
There had been no major vendor payments yet.
The venue deposit was separate.
The florist was separate.
Where had $120,000 gone?
I opened the transactions.
Four transfers.
ASTERLINE ADVISORY LLC.
I had never heard of it.
Priya Shah from internal finance helped me pull public registration records.
Company established four months earlier.
Managing member:
LUKE MERCER.
Minority member:
CAMELLIA BROOKS.
My hands became completely still.
Ownership:
Luke — 80%.
Camellia — 20%.
Business purpose:
STRATEGIC TRANSFORMATION AND IMPLEMENTATION SERVICES.
Exactly the kind of work Meridian would need after Halcyon finished its consulting engagement.
Priya leaned toward the screen.
“That is a conflict-of-interest nightmare.”
“Keep going.”
Asterline’s registered address was a virtual office.
Its seed capital totaled $120,000.
The exact amount missing from our wedding account.
Luke had taken money I contributed for our wedding and used it to start a business with his intern.
I called the wedding coordinator.
“Cancel everything that can be canceled.”
“Clover, are you certain?”
“Yes.”
“The venue deposit is nonrefundable.”
“How much?”
“Thirty-five thousand.”
“Cancel it.”
My voice did not shake.
The coordinator lowered hers.
“I’m sorry.”
“So am I.”
But mostly, I was done.
Then Camellia called.
I stared at her name.
Answered.
“Clover.”
She sounded like she had been crying.
“We need to talk.”
“Are you in Boston?”
“Yes.”
“With Luke?”
“No. He went downstairs.”
“Good.”
Silence.
Then:
“I didn’t know he used your login.”
“Did you know he took my Meridian work?”
“I knew he was giving me a bigger role.”
“That wasn’t my question.”
Another pause.
“Yes.”
Honest.
At least.
“He told me you wanted to step back after the wedding.”
“Did you believe him?”
“At first.”
“And later?”
“I wasn’t sure.”
“But you accepted the title Strategy Architect.”
“Yes.”
She sounded ashamed.
I had little sympathy.
Not none.
Little.
“Are you sleeping with him?”
Camellia inhaled sharply.
“No.”
I almost believed her.
Then she added:
“We kissed twice.”
There it was.
“He told me your engagement was basically over.”
“Interesting. He forgot to tell the wedding coordinator.”
“I know that now.”
She began crying.
“Clover, I’m sorry.”
“I’m not the person you need comfort from.”
“I know.”
Then she told me something Luke had never mentioned.
Asterline was not supposed to be a small side consultancy.
Luke had promised Camellia that after Meridian approved Halcyon’s strategy, Asterline would be hired as the implementation vendor.
“How much?”
“I don’t know.”
“Guess.”
“Four or five million.”
I closed my eyes.
Luke planned to use my strategy to win Halcyon a $38 million account.
Take credit for the work.
Then steer millions more into his private company.
Funded partly with my wedding money.
Camellia continued:
“He said after the Meridian presentation, Martin was going to make him partner.”
My eyes opened.
“My partner slot?”
She went quiet.
“What did he tell you?”
Camellia whispered:
“He said there would only be one promotion this cycle.”
“And?”
“He said you wouldn’t need it after the wedding.”
I almost laughed.
“Why?”
“He said you were planning to slow down.”
I had never said that.
Then Camellia added:
“He said eventually you’d probably leave Halcyon anyway.”
“For what?”
Her voice became smaller.
May you like
“To support his career.”
The man I was supposed to marry in seven weeks had apparently already planned my retirement.
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