The Wife He Threw Away

Eleanor Cole sat frozen across from the man in her private office, her hands gripping the edge of her chair."Marcus, tell me exactly what you meant by that," she said. "What did you do to Richard Bennett's business all those years ago?"Marcus Vale smiled, slow and calm, like a man who had waited a long time for this moment."I simply made sure his business failed at the right time," he said. "I bought his suppliers. I pressured his buyers. I made sure Richard had no choice but to come to your husband for a loan."Eleanor's face went white."You are telling me my husband's loan to that family was part of your plan the entire time?""Edward never knew," Marcus said. "He thought he was doing a kind favor for a struggling business owner. He always did love playing the generous benefactor.""Why?" Eleanor asked. "Why go through all this trouble for a debt that means nothing to a company as big as ours?"Marcus's smile faded, and for the first time, something darker showed in his eyes."B

Claire's heart pounded."What do you mean it is not your father's handwriting?" she asked. "How is that possible?"Nathan sat back down slowly, staring at his phone like it might change what it said if he looked at it long enough."My legal team says the signature on the original loan document does not match my father's signature on any other paperwork from that same year," he said. "Someone else signed his name.""Are you saying someone forged your father's signature to create this loan?""That is exactly what I am saying," Nathan said. "Which means this loan, the one that forced you and me into this marriage, might not have even been real in the first place."Claire felt something twist inside her chest, somewhere between relief and horror."So all of this," she said quietly. "My father's debt, this wedding, all of it, could be based on a lie?""I do not know yet," Nathan said. "But I intend to find out."He stood up, already reaching for his jacket."Where are you going?" Claire as