Chapter 4 - The Mistress Who Thought She Had Won|
Sloane Mercer woke the morning after the anniversary party convinced that Callum would apologize.
He always did.
Not directly.
Not with words.
But with gifts.
A bracelet.
A weekend in Paris.
An expensive handbag.
Something that proved she still mattered.
She checked her phone.
No messages.
She called him.
Voicemail.
Again.
Voicemail.
Her confidence began to crack.
She walked into the kitchen of her luxury apartment and opened the refrigerator.
Champagne.
Imported fruit.
Expensive chocolates.
Everything Callum had arranged.
She smiled bitterly.
He couldn't simply abandon her.
She knew too much.
And she had spent eight months making sure he needed her.
At eleven, she called his assistant.
"Tell Callum I need to speak with him."
The assistant hesitated.
"Mr. Voss is unavailable."
Sloane's expression hardened.
"Tell him it's urgent."
"I'm sorry, Miss Mercer."
The line ended.
Sloane stared.
Then she grabbed her coat and drove to Voss Tower.
The security guard stopped her in the lobby.
"Miss Mercer, you aren't authorized to go upstairs."
She laughed.
"Don't be ridiculous."
The guard remained still.
"Your access has been revoked."
Her face reddened.
"By whom?"
"Mr. Voss."
For one terrible moment, Sloane couldn't speak.
Then she turned and walked outside.
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered sharply.
"What?"
A man's voice spoke.
"You're making a mess."
Sloane stopped.
"Who is this?"
"You know who."
Her stomach tightened.
She lowered her voice.
"I did what you asked."
"Not exactly."
Sloane looked around.
"Rosalind left him."
"Yes."
"Then what's the problem?"
The man laughed softly.
"You humiliated her publicly. That wasn't the arrangement."
Sloane folded her arms.
"It worked."
"No. It made the sons suspicious."
Her confidence faltered.
"So?"
"So Gideon Voss is reviewing the family companies."
Sloane went cold.
"What?"
The voice continued.
"If he finds the transfer records, everything collapses."
Sloane swallowed.
"I can handle Gideon."
The man laughed.
"You couldn't even handle his mother."
The call ended.
Sloane stood motionless.
For months, she'd believed she was manipulating Callum.
Now she was beginning to realize someone else had been manipulating her.
At the beach house, Rosalind sat across from her attorney.
Margaret Shaw had represented the Whitmore family for nearly thirty years.
She was calm, precise, and not easily intimidated.
"Rosalind," she said gently, "you need to decide what you want."
Rosalind looked toward the window.
"A divorce."
Margaret nodded.
"And financially?"
"What's fair."
"That may be complicated."
Rosalind gave a sad smile.
"Everything about Callum has always been complicated."
Margaret opened a folder.
"There are several companies in which your ownership interests appear to have been used as collateral."
Rosalind frowned.
"With my authorization?"
"That's one of the questions we need to answer."
Her stomach tightened.
"What do you mean?"
Margaret turned the folder toward her.
"Some documents contain your electronic signature, but the transaction history needs verification."
Rosalind stared.
She had trusted Callum with access to certain business systems.
He had trusted her with protecting the family.
Or so she'd believed.
"Could someone have used my signature without permission?"
"It's possible."
Rosalind closed her eyes.
Another betrayal.
Or perhaps a mistake.
She refused to jump to conclusions.
"Then investigate."
Margaret nodded.
"We will."
That afternoon, Gideon arrived with disturbing news.
"Mom, we found several unusual transfers."
Rosalind looked up.
"From where?"
"One of the holding companies."
"To whom?"
Gideon hesitated.
"A private investment firm."
Rosalind frowned.
"Which one?"
"Mercer Capital Partners."
She went still.
Mercer.
Sloane Mercer.
Rosalind looked at her son.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded.
"The firm was incorporated eighteen months ago."
Rosalind stared.
Callum had begun seeing Sloane eight months earlier.
Had Sloane been connected to the business before the affair began?
Gideon continued.
"There's more."
Rosalind swallowed.
"What?"
"Mercer Capital received payments from a company controlled by one of Dad's old rivals."
Rosalind's expression changed.
"Who?"
Gideon hesitated.
Then said:
"Victor Kane."
Rosalind went cold.
Victor Kane.
A name she hadn't heard in fifteen years.
A name connected to one of the darkest periods of her marriage.
The man who had once threatened to destroy their family.
The man Callum believed was dead.
Rosalind stared at Gideon.
"That's impossible."
He shook his head.
"Apparently not."
Then her phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
A man's voice spoke.
Older.
Rougher.
But unmistakable.
"Hello, Rose."
Rosalind stopped breathing.
Nobody had called her Rose in years.
"Victor?"
The man laughed softly.
"Did you miss me?"
Her hands began trembling.
"What do you want?"
A pause.
May you like
Then he whispered:
"The same thing I wanted fifteen years ago. What Callum stole from me."
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