Chapter 4 - THE FORGED BLUEPRINTS
"Don't play games with me, Eleanor," William said, his voice low and dangerous. He took a step toward the foyer table, his eyes fixed on the gold pocket watch. "Thomas is a convicted thief and a liar. Whatever he wrote to you is garbage."
Brooke stood frozen by the front door, watching the collapse of the man she had planned to siphon millions from.
Eleanor didn't back down. She picked up the watch and let the gold chain dangle from her fingers. "Thomas was a thief, yes. But he didn't steal this watch from your father, William. You did."
William’s jaw tightened. "That’s insane."
"Is it?" Eleanor asked, her voice steady and quiet, contrasting sharply with William’s rising panic. "Twelve years ago, your father discovered that you had been double-billing the city contractors on the Southside development project. You were facing federal prison."
Brooke gasped slightly, stepping further back toward the door.
"Shut up, Eleanor," William warned, glancing nervously at Brooke.
"Your father was going to turn you in," Eleanor continued, entirely unbothered by his threat. "He called you to the hardware store that night. But Thomas got there first. Thomas, who had just lost his job and needed money. You paid Thomas to take the fall for the embezzlement. You gave him fifty thousand dollars in cash, and you let him steal this watch to make it look like a robbery so your father would banish him before he could speak."
"Prove it," William challenged, crossing his arms. But his hands were shaking.
Eleanor reached into the pockets of her gray cardigan. She pulled out a small, blue velvet pouch and dropped it on the table next to the wooden box.
"I don't have to prove the embezzlement, William. The statute of limitations has passed," Eleanor said. "But the blueprint fraud hasn't."
William's arms dropped to his sides. "What?"
"The Southside development," Eleanor said. "The project that made you a multimillionaire. You told the investors you designed those buildings. You won the architectural award for them."
Eleanor untied the blue velvet pouch. She tipped it over.
A heavy, brass safety deposit box key clattered onto the table.
"My father designed those buildings," Eleanor said, her voice finally trembling with a deep, long-buried anger. "He drew those blueprints in 1995. You stole them from his study after his funeral. You scratched his name off the vellum and put yours on it."
William took a step back, hitting the wall. "How... how could you possibly know that?"
"Because my father never threw away his original sketches," Eleanor said. "He kept them in a safety deposit box at First National. He gave me the key the week before he died. I never opened it until last month, when I finally realized the man I married was a hollow shell."
William looked at the brass key. If those sketches went public, it wouldn't just be a divorce. It would be total professional ruin. The architectural board would strip his licenses. The city would sue him for fraud.
"Eleanor, please," William begged, his voice cracking. The arrogance of the man at the restaurant was completely gone. "If you release those, I lose everything. The company goes under. The money vanishes. You lose everything too."
Eleanor looked at him with profound pity. "I lost everything that mattered to me when you laughed at our thirty-year marriage in a room full of strangers. The money never meant anything to me, William. Only the truth does."
She turned to Brooke, who was desperately gripping the door handle.
"Brooke," Eleanor said calmly. "You can leave now. But before you go, you should check your purse."
Brooke frowned in confusion. She opened her designer handbag and peered inside. She pulled out a folded piece of heavy stock paper.
She unfolded it, and her eyes widened in terror.
It was a copy of a wire transfer receipt. Dated three days ago. Showing two million dollars moving from Sterling Vanguard’s corporate account directly into Brooke Sullivan’s personal offshore account.
"How did you get this?" Brooke whispered, horrified.
"Miriam is a very thorough attorney," Eleanor said. "When the SEC finishes reviewing William’s illegal share transfer, they are going to look very closely at the woman who facilitated it for a two-million-dollar bribe. I suggest you find a good lawyer."
Brooke didn't say another word. She dropped the paper, pulled the front door open, and ran into the night.
William watched her go, completely alone. He looked back at Eleanor, desperation taking over.
"Ellie. Ellie, baby, listen to me. We can fix this. I can fire Miriam. We can burn those sketches. I'll give you whatever you want."
Eleanor walked past him, heading toward the kitchen. "I already have what I want, William. I want you to feel what it's like to be utterly powerless."
She stopped in the kitchen doorway and looked back at him.
"Oh, and William? Charles Bennett called me this afternoon. He wants me to meet him tomorrow at the old New York property. The one my father bought."
William's face went completely slack. "Charles? Why is Charles going to New York?"
May you like
Eleanor gave him a small, cold smile.
"Because he's the one who gave my father the safety deposit box key."
