Chapter 9 - THE HUSBAND SHE KEPT HIDDEN
Victoria Hail wasn't simply Adrien's mistress.
She was a married woman working with her husband to control the companies my family had helped build.
Her husband's name was Daniel Hail.
He'd been born Daniel Mercer.
A corporate attorney with a history of complicated financial litigation.
Five years earlier, he married Victoria and adopted her surname.
The marriage had been kept out of public view through private arrangements and carefully managed business records.
Now the reason was becoming obvious.
Victoria's relationship with Adrien had never been about romance alone.
It was access.
Influence.
Signatures.
Trust funds.
And money.
Vivian examined the recovered documents.
"Daniel prepared the disputed transfer authorizations."
I nodded.
"And Victoria tried to obtain Adrien's approval."
"Yes."
My stomach tightened.
"What happens if they succeeded?"
Vivian opened the financial model.
"The proposed restructuring would have shifted valuable ownership interests into entities controlled by the Hail family."
I stared.
"How valuable?"
"Potentially hundreds of millions."
For a moment, I couldn't speak.
My marriage had been destroyed as part of a corporate takeover.
Victoria didn't merely want my husband.
She wanted the financial structure I'd spent six years protecting.
The discovery made me furious.
But there was also something strangely liberating about it.
For months, I'd believed Adrien chose Victoria because she was younger.
More glamorous.
More exciting.
Now I understood that she'd cultivated his insecurity and turned it into a weapon.
That didn't excuse him.
Nothing did.
But it explained why the betrayal had felt so calculated.
The following week, investigators questioned Daniel Hail.
Financial records showed his firm received substantial payments from shell companies connected to Harrison Hail.
Several transfers coincided with attempts to change Moretti Maritime's ownership structure.
Meanwhile, the Carter Family Investment Trust filed civil claims challenging the disputed authorizations.
I attended every meeting with my own attorneys.
I refused to let anyone speak for me without permission again.
Then something unexpected happened.
Marco contacted Vivian.
Adrien's security chief wanted to provide information.
We met at a law office.
Marco looked exhausted.
"Mrs. Moretti."
I folded my arms.
"Elena."
He nodded.
"Elena."
He sat across from me.
"I owe you an apology."
I waited.
"Mr. Moretti ordered me to locate you after you left."
"I know."
Marco looked ashamed.
"I should've respected your wishes immediately."
I nodded.
"Yes."
He swallowed.
"There's something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Victoria approached me before the party."
I leaned forward.
"About what?"
"She offered me two million dollars to provide access to the security system."
My blood ran cold.
"Did you accept?"
"No."
"Then why didn't you report it?"
Marco looked down.
"Because I thought it was a family dispute."
I stared.
"A two-million-dollar bribe?"
He nodded miserably.
"I was wrong."
Then he placed a small drive on the table.
"She left this in my office."
Vivian examined it.
"What is it?"
Marco took a breath.
"A recording from the mansion."
My heart hammered.
"When?"
"The night Adrien announced the divorce."
May you like
He looked directly at me.
"And it shows Victoria doing something after you left."
