Chapter 2 - The Groom’s AlibiThe private hangar at Teterboro Airport smelled of jet fuel, burning rubber, and expensive leather.
Cameron Caldwell checked his watch for the third time in two minutes. His reflection in the smoked-glass window of his Gulfstream G650 looked immaculate, composed, and completely untouchable.
“Flight plan filed, Mr. Caldwell,” the pilot announced, stepping out of the cockpit. “Direct to Nantucket Municipal. Weather is clear. You’ll touch down by 4:00 PM local time.”
“Good,” Cameron said, his voice smooth. “Is the car waiting on the tarmac?”
“Yes, sir. Black Mercedes Sprinter. Exactly as requested.”
Cameron nodded, smoothing the lapel of his tailored blazer. Everything was falling into place with terrifying precision. The Pierce Capital acquisition documents were signed—or rather, forged digital signatures had been routed through an encrypted proxy server in Zurich, making it look like Alexander Pierce had committed the final tranche of funding. In forty-eight hours, once the marriage to Vivienne was legally registered, Cameron would control the combined real estate portfolios of two dynasties.
He pulled his phone from his pocket to send one last reassuring text to Audrey in Paris—a picture of a croissant on a silver tray with the caption, “Thinking of you, darling. Hope you’re enjoying the Seine.”—when his screen flashed red.
DECLINED.
Cameron frowned, tapping the screen again. He opened his banking app. The corporate master account, which should have held eight million dollars in liquid operating capital, showed a balance of zero point zero zero.
A cold sweat broke out across the back of his neck.
“What the hell...” he muttered, dialing his chief financial officer’s number.
The line rang twice before a shaky, panicked voice answered. “Mr. Caldwell? Sir, we have a catastrophic issue.”
“What do you mean, catastrophic? I’m boarding a flight to Nantucket right now!”
“It’s the SEC, sir! And... and the state banking commission! They just froze all corporate and personal assets. Every single account linked to Caldwell Enterprises has been flagged for federal asset seizure due to suspected securities fraud and wire tampering!”
Cameron stopped dead in his tracks. The pilot turned around, raising an eyebrow. “Sir? Are we boarding or what?”
“Hold on,” Cameron barked into the phone, his face turning the color of ash. “Fraud? That’s impossible! Who authorized an audit? Pierce Capital hasn’t executed the final clause yet!”
“It wasn't Pierce Capital, sir,” the CFO cried out over the phone. “It was an emergency injunction filed by a private family trust. The legal representative listed on the filing... sir, it’s Jonathan Sullivan’s estate. It’s... it’s Audrey Sullivan.”
The world tilted on its axis.
Cameron dropped his phone. It bounced off the polished concrete of the hangar floor, the screen cracking into a spiderweb of white lines.
Audrey.
His mind raced backward through every detail of the last three years. The quiet dinners. The gentle smiles. The way she had never once raised her voice when he cancelled vacations. The locket she wore every single day.
She knows, the thought struck him like a physical blow. She’s known all along.
May you like
“Sir?” the pilot asked, stepping closer. “The flight is cleared for takeoff.”
Cameron stared down at his broken phone, his chest heaving as panic seized his throat. He had two choices: get on the plane and marry a woman who couldn't save him, or run back to Manhattan and face a wife who had just pulled the pin on a grenade he didn't even know was in his pocket.
