Chapter 4 - THE FAMILY AGREEMENT
Celeste summoned Elena to the drawing room the next morning.
She was waiting beside the fireplace with Daniel and the family attorney, Marcus Venn.
A document rested on the table.
Marcus gestured toward it.
“This is a temporary acknowledgment confirming that Mrs. Mercer authorized the transfer as a family loan.”
Elena did not sit down.
“You want me to lie.”
Celeste’s voice remained smooth.
“We want you to protect your husband.”
“He committed fraud.”
“Daniel made a decision under pressure.”
“He used my identification and copied my signature.”
Celeste stood.
“You have benefited from this family for nine years.”
Elena almost laughed.
“My grandmother’s inheritance paid off Daniel’s first business loan.”
“And you received our name, our connections, and our social standing.”
“I had a name before I married him.”
Margaret and Robert Vale had built their fortune through a medical technology company. Elena had never needed the Mercers’ money or status, but Daniel had convinced her to distance herself from her parents after the wedding.
He said they were controlling.
He said they would never respect him.
Over time, Elena’s phone calls with them had become shorter and less frequent.
Now she understood why.
Isolation had made her easier to control.
Daniel approached her.
“Sign the agreement, and this ends.”
“No.”
Marcus closed his briefcase.
“You should understand that public accusations could harm you as well. The funds paid for services associated with your sister-in-law’s wedding. Your attendance could be presented as acceptance.”
Elena looked at him.
“Is that a threat?”
“It is advice.”
Elena picked up the document and tore it in half.
Celeste’s calm expression vanished.
“You ungrateful little woman.”
Daniel caught his mother’s arm before she moved closer.
Elena turned toward the door.
Daniel called after her.
“If you embarrass this family, you will lose everything.”
May you like
Elena looked back.
“I already lost everything when I believed you.”
