Chapter 5 - The Penthouse Above Boston
Elsie remained silent during the drive into the city.
Maren sat beside her, holding her hand while Boston passed beyond the tinted windows.
After several minutes, Elsie asked, “Did Grandma make us homeless?”
“No.”
“Are you and Dad getting divorced?”
Maren did not want to lie.
“I don’t know yet.”
Elsie hugged the rabbit.
“Is it because I brought the suitcase downstairs?”
Maren immediately turned toward her.
“None of this is your fault.”
“But Grandma said Dad had enough problems before you brought me.”
Maren felt a rush of anger, but she kept her voice gentle.
“Grandma was wrong. You are not a problem. You are the best part of my life.”
“Dad didn’t tell her to stop.”
“No,” Maren said quietly. “He didn’t.”
Alden Tower rose above the harbor, its blue glass reflecting the afternoon sky. The SUV entered a private underground garage and stopped beside an elevator reserved for the top floor.
The penthouse occupied the final three levels of the building.
When the doors opened, Elsie stepped into a sunlit living room with floor-to-ceiling windows, warm wooden floors, soft furniture, and a view stretching from Beacon Hill to the water.
There was no cold museum-like perfection. The space felt comfortable and lived in.
Elsie noticed a row of framed photographs on a shelf.
Pictures of her.
Her first day of school. Her ballet recital. A summer afternoon at Cape Cod. A photograph of Wade carrying her on his shoulders.
“You already lived here?” she asked.
“Sometimes, when I worked late.”
“Why didn’t we come before?”
Maren looked around the home she had kept hidden to protect Wade’s pride.
“Because I made a mistake.”
Tessa arrived an hour later with groceries, documents, and two members of Maren’s legal team.
She had worked with Maren for eleven years and knew every important detail of her business.
“I prepared the occupancy termination notice,” Tessa said. “The agreement allows thirty days because Lorraine violated the conduct provision.”
Maren read the document.
“What about Wade?”
“As your spouse, his situation is more complicated. But the house remains your separate property.”
Maren nodded.
“And the company announcement?”
“Ready whenever you are.”
For years, Alden Meridian Holdings had operated without identifying its majority owner. Maren had chosen the name before meeting Wade. Alden was her father’s middle name, inherited from Maren’s grandmother.
The coincidence had amused her when she first met Wade Alden.
Later, Wade assumed she had named the company after his family.
Maren never corrected him because he never asked.
Now the hidden ownership had become dangerous. Lorraine had used the Alden name to secure invitations, negotiate credit, and present herself as the owner of properties that were not hers.
Tessa placed another folder on the table.
“We found something else.”
Inside were copies of loan applications signed by Lorraine.
She had listed the Bellweather Lane mansion as collateral.
Maren stared at the forged documents.
“She tried to borrow against my house?”
“Three times.”
“Did Wade know?”
“We don’t know.”
Maren looked toward Elsie, who was exploring her new bedroom.
The situation was no longer only about insults.
Lorraine had attempted fraud.
And Wade’s silence had allowed her to believe she could do anything.
“Release the ownership statement,” Maren said.
May you like
Tessa nodded.
Within an hour, the truth began spreading across Boston.
