Chapter 5 - THE MARRIAGE THAT BEGAN AS A BUSINESS DEAL
For six years, I'd believed Adrien Moretti married me because he loved me.
He'd pursued me relentlessly.
Sent flowers.
Waited outside my office.
Remembered my birthday.
Made me laugh when I was exhausted.
On our wedding day, he whispered that I was the only woman who'd ever made him want to come home.
Now Thomas was suggesting our entire romance began with a business arrangement.
I stared at my brother.
"Are you sure?"
He looked devastated.
"Elena, I heard Harrison discussing it."
"When?"
"Before your engagement."
My chest tightened.
"What did he say?"
Thomas swallowed.
"That Adrien needed access to the Carter trust's waterfront assets."
I looked toward Vivian.
She remained quiet.
Waiting.
Thomas continued.
"Harrison told Adrien that marriage would make negotiations easier."
I felt sick.
"Did Adrien agree?"
Thomas hesitated.
"He agreed to meet you."
My heart pounded.
"That's not the same thing."
"I know."
For a moment, I hated that he was being careful.
I wanted certainty.
A clean answer.
Something I could be furious about without hesitation.
But the truth was rarely that simple.
After returning to Chicago, I requested copies of the earliest Moretti Maritime financing agreements.
Vivian reviewed them.
The timeline was unmistakable.
Adrien and I met in March.
Our engagement was announced in September.
The Carter trust approved its first major shipping investment in October.
We married in December.
The business benefited immediately.
And for years, I'd treated those agreements as ordinary decisions between spouses.
I sat alone at my aunt's kitchen table, staring at the dates.
Then Adrien called.
I'd ignored his messages for days.
This time, I answered.
"Elena."
His voice sounded exhausted.
"We need to talk."
I closed my eyes.
"About which problem?"
He hesitated.
"The bank."
I laughed bitterly.
"Of course."
"Elena, the shipping agreement is in trouble."
"Then hire a qualified executive."
"You don't understand."
"I understand perfectly, Adrien."
I looked at the documents.
"You want me to return to work so your business can continue functioning."
Silence.
Then he said, "I want my wife back."
I felt something crack inside me.
"Your wife?"
"Yes."
"The wife you divorced in front of two hundred people?"
He exhaled.
"That was a mistake."
I stared at the wall.
"Did you marry me for my grandfather's trust?"
Silence.
A terrible, unmistakable silence.
My heartbeat became painfully loud.
"Adrien?"
He whispered, "Who told you?"
I closed my eyes.
That was answer enough.
Then he said something I hadn't expected.
"I agreed to meet you because of the business."
I felt tears gathering.
"But I fell in love with you afterward."
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then I asked the question that mattered more than anything.
"Did Victoria know?"
Adrien hesitated.
"Yes."
I almost laughed.
Of course she did.
The mistress.
The woman who introduced us.
The woman who helped arrange the first deal.
May you like
Then Adrien whispered something that made my blood run cold.
"Elena, Victoria is the one who told me your brother was dead."
