Chapter 8 - Sydney's Secret Contract
Meline had spent her life believing Sydney was reckless.
Sydney chased attention, changed jobs, borrowed money, and blamed consequences on anyone nearby. She had stolen Meline's clothes, friends, birthdays, and now her fiancé.
But recklessness did not explain eleven months of secret meetings, forged signatures, and a corporate merger.
The next morning, Lena obtained a copy of a contract hidden in Jason's private cloud account.
It was not a marriage agreement.
It was a contingency arrangement between Jason Cole, Sydney Vale, and an entity called Rookwell Partners.
The document promised Sydney twelve million dollars if Meline signed over voting authority before the wedding.
If Meline refused, Sydney would receive two million for facilitating a "personal destabilization event."
Meline read the phrase again.
"What does that mean?"
Lena pointed to an attached schedule.
Public scandal.
Evidence of emotional instability.
Medical intervention if necessary.
Meline's chest tightened.
"What medical intervention?"
Jonah opened a second file.
Prescription records had been created in Meline's name for sedatives she had never taken. A private physician connected to Jason had signed them.
"They planned to say you had a breakdown," Evelyn said.
"At the wedding?"
"Possibly before. A public incident could justify emergency control by a spouse or appointed family guardian."
Meline remembered her mother's tears, her father's claims that she was unstable, and Jason's insistence that she come home.
Every insult had been rehearsal.
"Did Sydney understand all of this?"
"The contract contains her digital signature."
Meline looked at the screen.
"She signs without reading."
Jason had said the same about Meline.
But Sydney was not Meline.
Sydney read anything that promised her money.
Meline made a decision.
"I want to see her."
Evelyn refused immediately.
"No."
"She knows who Rookwell is."
"She also knows where you live if you meet her."
"Then we control the location."
They chose a closed restaurant owned by one of Eleanor's holding companies. Lena placed cameras in the dining room. Police waited nearby, though Meline did not trust them enough to explain everything.
Sydney arrived twenty minutes late wearing sunglasses despite the rain.
She stopped when she saw Meline.
"You look terrible."
Meline glanced at her sister's white coat.
"You look like you are still auditioning."
Sydney removed her glasses.
For the first time, Meline saw fear beneath the arrogance.
"Where is Jason?"
"I thought he was with you."
"He disappeared last night."
Meline watched carefully. "You do not know where he is?"
"No."
"Did Rookwell take him?"
Sydney's face changed.
That was enough.
Meline placed the contract on the table.
Sydney looked at it but did not touch it.
"He told me it was a consulting agreement."
"It pays you to destroy my credibility."
"You always think everything is about you."
"It has my name on every page."
Sydney folded her arms.
"Dad said the company would collapse if you got control. He said thousands of people would lose their jobs because Grandma made an emotional decision."
"And sleeping with Jason saved the employees?"
Sydney's mouth tightened.
"Jason loved me first."
The childishness of the sentence nearly made Meline sad.
"When?"
"Before he met you."
Meline felt the room shift.
"What are you talking about?"
Sydney looked toward the windows.
"Three years ago. At a conference. Dad introduced us."
Meline and Jason had met two years ago at a charity auction.
Their meeting had not been accidental.
Sydney continued, "He was supposed to get close to you. I was supposed to help. Then he proposed, and everything became real for you."
"For me."
Sydney looked down.
"Jason said after the transfer, he would end the marriage. He said we would leave together."
Meline pushed the contract closer.
"It says you receive money. It says nothing about leaving with Jason."
Sydney finally read it.
Her expression changed line by line.
"He told me there was another page."
"There is not."
"No."
"You were never his partner."
Sydney stood so quickly the chair fell backward.
"He loves me."
The lights went out.
A crash sounded in the kitchen.
Lena shouted from the monitoring room.
Meline reached for Sydney, but a man emerged from the dark service hallway and seized her sister.
Sydney screamed.
May you like
The man pressed a gun beneath her jaw.
"Give me the harbor ledger," he said to Meline, "or the wrong sister dies this time."
