Chapter 7 - The Billionaire They Had Ignored
Richard’s mouth opened, but no words came out.
Cynthia stared at Blake as though he had transformed in front of her.
Penelope’s tears stopped.
“Your wife?” Richard finally whispered.
Blake kept one arm around Amelia.
“Yes.”
“You’re Blake Campbell?”
“I introduced myself at Eleanor’s funeral.”
Richard appeared to remember the brief handshake he had barely considered worth his time.
“You said you worked in development.”
“I do.”
“But nobody said—”
“Nobody should need a financial statement to decide whether another person deserves respect.”
Amelia looked at Blake.
He was angry, but his voice remained controlled.
That frightened Richard more than shouting would have.
Richard dropped to his knees.
“Mr. Campbell, please. This was a family misunderstanding.”
Amelia could hardly believe the transformation.
Only moments earlier, Richard had called her unwanted. Now he was kneeling because he had discovered her husband controlled the company that held Hartwell’s largest debt.
Blake’s attorney, Naomi Chen, approached with a tablet.
“Mr. Hart,” she said, “Campbell Credit has suspended all remaining Harbor Crown funding. Your company was notified electronically ten minutes ago.”
Richard looked at Amelia.
“You did this.”
“No,” Amelia said. “Your documents did.”
The investigator opened a folder.
“The permit confirmations attached to your loan application were altered. Two signatures do not match government records.”
Richard stood again.
“This is not the place to discuss business.”
“You made it the place,” Blake replied, “when you attempted to force a trustee to sign a fraudulent agreement during a wedding.”
Penelope moved toward Blake.
“My father made mistakes, but canceling the loan would destroy the ceremony.”
“The ceremony was paid for using money taken from a restricted trust.”
“I didn’t know.”
Amelia held out the papers she had found in the dressing room.
“Your signature is on the Everlight account.”
Penelope looked at the ground.
Marcus, who had remained silent near the ceremony arch, stepped forward.
“Penelope, what account?”
She reached for him.
“It’s complicated.”
“Did you know this wedding was being paid for with trust money?”
“My father said it would be replaced.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
Penelope’s face twisted.
“You’re supposed to support me.”
Marcus looked around at the mansion, flowers and hundreds of guests.
“I thought your family could afford this.”
“We can.”
“No,” Amelia said. “They can’t.”
Richard pointed at her.
“Stop talking.”
Blake moved between them.
“Your authority over my wife ended a long time ago.”
Richard laughed bitterly.
“You think marrying her makes you understand this family? Amelia has always created conflict.”
Blake looked at the soaking woman beside him.
“She discovered fraud, refused to participate and tried to leave peacefully. You responded by throwing her into a fountain.”
“She provoked me.”
“There is no sentence she could have spoken that would justify what you did.”
Naomi handed Blake another file.
He opened it.
“There is one more issue,” he said.
Richard’s face lost what little color remained.
“During the review, our auditors discovered payments from the Hartwell employee pension account to three shell companies connected to you.”
The wedding guests erupted in whispers.
Several Hartwell executives moved closer.
Richard shook his head.
“That’s impossible.”
“The records are here.”
Amelia felt something cold settle inside her.
Trust money was serious.
But the pension account belonged to employees who had spent decades building the company.
“How much?” she asked.
Naomi answered carefully.
“Approximately twenty-three million dollars.”
Amelia closed her eyes.
Richard had not merely betrayed Eleanor.
He had stolen from everyone who trusted him.
Sirens sounded beyond the estate gates.
May you like
The wedding was over.
The consequences were only beginning.
