Chapter 8 - Brandon's Version)
Elena agreed to meet Brandon because Claire believed his reaction might reveal more than his silence.
The meeting took place in Claire's office with security nearby.
Brandon arrived wearing the navy suit Elena had bought him for their tenth anniversary.
For one irrational moment she remembered the store.
He had hated trying on jackets.
She had laughed while adjusting his collar.
The memory felt like evidence from another person's life.
Brandon entered the conference room.
His eyes went immediately to Elena.
"You look tired."
Claire said, "Sit down."
He ignored her.
"Is your mother okay?"
Elena stared.
"You hit her."
"I pushed her away."
"Her face says otherwise."
"She grabbed my shirt."
"She's sixty-eight."
"I know how old she is."
"Then you knew exactly who you were hitting."
Brandon's jaw tightened.
Claire stepped in.
"This meeting is voluntary. If you want it to continue, answer questions."
Brandon sat.
His attorney Warren Pierce was absent.
That surprised Claire.
Elena opened with the question she had rehearsed.
"What is Harker Residential Partners?"
Brandon's face revealed almost nothing.
"A company."
"That I own thirty percent of?"
"On paper."
"Without knowing?"
Brandon exhaled.
"Elena."
"Answer me."
"It was temporary."
"For eighteen months?"
"I was fixing it."
"By stealing $170,000?"
"I moved the money."
"Without permission."
"To keep Serena from taking it."
Elena stopped.
Claire leaned forward.
"Serena Vale?"
Brandon realized instantly he had said too much.
His eyes moved toward Elena.
"You talked to Nathan."
"We found Nathan."
Brandon looked genuinely alarmed.
"Where?"
Claire smiled coldly.
"Interesting question."
Brandon ignored her.
"Where is he?"
"Safe."
"You don't know that."
Elena said, "He says you helped him hide."
Brandon rubbed both hands over his face.
For the first time, he looked less angry than frightened.
"I told him to leave the townhouse."
"Why?"
"Because Serena knew."
"Knew what?"
"That I had him."
Elena stared at him.
"So it's true."
"What?"
"You were working with her."
Brandon looked down.
"Yes."
The word entered the room quietly.
Twelve years of marriage reduced to one syllable.
"Since when?"
"Two years."
"Why?"
"At first, money."
Margaret had not come to the meeting.
Elena was grateful.
She could not imagine her mother hearing how casually Brandon admitted it.
"What did you do?"
"I identified distressed property opportunities."
"And people."
He looked at her.
Nathan had been telling the truth.
Elena's voice hardened.
"Did you give Serena my information?"
"No."
"Did you give her my mother's?"
"No."
"Then how did she get it?"
Brandon hesitated.
Elena understood.
"From you."
"Not intentionally."
"Explain."
"She had access to files."
"What files?"
"My client database."
"My mother isn't your client."
"You are."
"I am not."
"You were listed as a spouse on internal financial documents."
Claire asked, "What data did that include?"
Brandon did not answer.
"Social Security information?" Claire asked.
Silence.
"Tax returns?"
Silence.
"Property holdings?"
Silence.
Elena whispered, "You gave her everything."
"I didn't know what she was doing at first."
"How long before you knew?"
Brandon's face tightened.
"About a year."
"And you stayed."
"I was already involved."
"That isn't an answer."
"If I walked away, she would expose me too."
Elena laughed.
"So you protected yourself."
"I was trying to protect you."
"You put companies in my name."
"Serena did."
"And you knew."
"Eventually."
"You increased my life insurance."
Brandon went pale.
That was the first accusation that truly affected him.
Elena noticed.
"So that was you."
"No."
"Don't."
"I didn't touch your insurance."
"Your company had my information."
"Elena, listen to me. I did not increase that policy."
Claire studied him.
"Who did?"
"Serena."
"Why?"
Brandon's voice dropped.
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
Elena leaned across the table.
"Then explain Nathan's warning."
Brandon looked at her.
"What warning?"
"He said Serena was preparing for me to disappear."
Brandon stood so fast the chair struck the wall.
"No."
Claire remained seated.
"Sit down."
"Where did he hear that?"
"From you."
"I never said that."
Elena stared.
"He says you told him Serena accelerated the timetable."
Brandon's face had lost all color.
"I said she was accelerating the unwind."
"What does that mean?"
"Closing entities. Moving balances."
"Then why is my insurance suddenly two million dollars?"
"I don't know."
"Why was Serena inside Mom's house?"
"I didn't know she was."
"She had Mom's deed."
Brandon swore softly.
He began pacing.
Claire asked, "Where did you move the $170,000?"
"Three accounts."
"We know."
"They're under my control."
"For how long?"
"Until I could separate it from Serena."
"Return it."
"I can't yet."
Elena stood.
"Why?"
"Because the minute I move it back, she'll know which account I'm using."
"Then send it through Claire's trust account."
Brandon shook his head.
"You don't understand."
"Stop saying that."
"She's watching everything."
"Who is?"
"Serena."
"Then go to the police."
"I can't."
"Why?"
"Because I have no deal."
"You mean immunity."
"Yes."
Elena looked at him with disgust.
"You want protection before telling anyone what you've done."
"I go in without an agreement, I go to prison."
"You forged my signature."
"I never forged it."
"You knew someone did."
"Yes."
"You let me be used."
Brandon's eyes filled with something that looked almost like shame.
"I thought I could reverse it before you found out."
"And Mom?"
"I never meant for Margaret to be involved."
"You struck her."
His expression hardened again.
"She found documents. I panicked."
"That's your explanation?"
"No."
"Good. Because it isn't one."
Claire asked the question that mattered most.
"If Serena Vale is dangerous, what will she do now?"
Brandon looked at the closed conference room door.
"She'll assume Elena has evidence."
"What evidence?"
"I don't know."
"Why would she assume that?"
"Because of something Nathan took."
Claire's eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"A drive."
"What's on it?"
"Transactions. Names. Copies of original agreements."
"Where is it?"
"I don't know."
"Nathan doesn't have it."
Brandon became still.
"How do you know?"
"Because he told investigators."
Brandon stared at Elena.
Then a strange expression crossed his face.
Fear.
Recognition.
"Elena."
"What?"
"When you left the house, what did you take?"
"My purse."
"Anything from my office?"
"No."
"From the hallway?"
"No."
"From the blue vase?"
Elena blinked.
"The vase was broken."
"I know."
"What does that have to do with anything?"
Brandon stepped closer.
Claire moved between them.
Brandon ignored her.
"Your mother broke the vase."
Elena frowned.
"No. She said you did."
"I knocked it off the table during the argument."
"Then why ask about it?"
"Because Nathan gave me the drive two months ago."
Elena's heartbeat accelerated.
"Where did you put it?"
May you like
Brandon looked at her.
"Inside the base of that vase."
