Chapter 6 - The AcquisitionThe marriage was a financial operationI barely slept that night.
Every memory became evidence.
Every romantic gesture became suspicious.
The restaurant where Dominic proposed.
The questions about my father's career.
The sudden interest in whether my parents owned property.
The jokes about inheritance.
Even the way he insisted on opening joint accounts.
I had called it love.
Maybe it had been research.
At 6:00 a.m., Elena brought coffee.
“You need to eat.”
“I don't feel hungry.”
“You're recovering from major surgery.”
I looked toward Leo.
“I'll eat.”
Dad entered carrying a newspaper.
“Dominic has a problem.”
“What?”
“His investors are asking questions.”
“About the transfer?”
“About everything.”
Elena nodded.
“The restrictions triggered automatic alerts.”
I almost smiled.
“So he can't move anything?”
“Not without scrutiny.”
Dad sat.
Then he said something unexpected.
“I want to offer Dominic a way out.”
I stared at him.
“What?”
“A controlled settlement.”
“He doesn't deserve one.”
“This isn't about deserving.”
“What is it about?”
“Containment.”
Dad had always spoken differently when strategy replaced emotion.
“If Dominic cooperates, the damage can be limited.”
“And if he refuses?”
Dad looked at Elena.
She answered.
“Then litigation.”
I nodded.
“Let him refuse.”
At 10:15, Dominic called.
I almost ignored it.
Instead, I answered.
“What do you want?”
“We need to talk.”
“We have attorneys.”
“Audrey, please.”
That word sounded strange in his mouth.
“Please.”
I said nothing.
“I made mistakes.”
“You abandoned me outside a hospital.”
“I was under pressure.”
“You gave me twelve dollars.”
“I was angry.”
“You stole my car.”
“It isn't stealing if we're married.”
I laughed.
“You've finally reached the part where you say what you really believe.”
Silence.
Then:
“Your father is behind this.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me who he was?”
“Because I wanted to know if you loved me without the name.”
“I did love you.”
“No.”
My answer was immediate.
“You loved what you hoped I could give you.”
“You don't know that.”
“I read the documents.”
He became quiet.
Then:
“What documents?”
“The ones your assistant created.”
His breathing changed.
“Vanessa has nothing to do with this.”
“Then why did she write that I was your gateway to my family resources?”
Silence.
Long silence.
Finally:
“I can explain.”
“No.”
“Audrey.”
“Do you remember what Dad said to me when I was twenty-two?”
He said nothing.
“He told me to learn who you were before I told you who I was.”
Dominic whispered:
“You lied to me.”
“I withheld information.”
“You knew what I was doing?”
“No.”
“Then why didn't you trust me?”
I looked at Leo.
“Because I watched what you did when you thought I had nothing.”
He had no answer.
I ended the call.
Two hours later, Dominic's attorney requested a meeting.
Elena agreed.
But something happened before the meeting.
Someone leaked the hospital footage.
Not the video of Dominic abandoning me.
The video of me leaving with Dad's security team.
Within hours, social media accounts were posting headlines.
MYSTERY WOMAN IN HIGH-SECURITY VEHICLE AFTER HOSPITAL EXIT.
WHO IS AUDREY BROOKS?
Then another headline appeared.
BILLIONAIRE MILITARY FAMILY HIDING FROM PUBLIC SCRUTINY?
That one was false.
But it was spreading.
I looked at Dad.
“Who leaked this?”
“We don't know.”
“Then find out.”
His eyes narrowed.
The investigation began immediately.
Meanwhile, Dominic's company began collapsing.
Two investors froze funds.
A board member demanded an emergency audit.
His father resigned.
Victoria stopped answering calls.
And Vanessa disappeared.
At 9:40 that night, Elena received another file.
She opened it.
Her face went still.
“What?”
She turned the screen toward me.
It was an old marriage application.
Dominic's handwriting was visible in one section.
Under expected financial contribution from spouse, he had written:
Potential family assets. Unknown.
Then beneath it, another handwritten note.
After marriage, obtain full access.
I stared at the words.
My hands became cold.
But the page wasn't signed by Dominic.
It was signed by Vanessa.
And at the bottom was one more name.
May you like
Victoria Vale.
End of Chapter 6Dominic had not planned the betrayal alone. His mother had signed off on it.
Related Stories
