Chapter 6 - The Woman Behind the Champagne Dress
Olivia rode in the back seat of the first SUV with Russell.
Celia sat beside her, wrapped in a blanket supplied by one of the security officers.
Behind them, Hayes Manor disappeared into the rain.
Olivia had expected relief.
Instead, she felt empty.
Her wedding ring remained on her finger.
She tried to remove it, but the cold had swollen her hand.
Russell noticed.
“You can take it off later.”
“I want it off now.”
Celia found lotion in a travel bag and helped slide the ring free.
Olivia placed it in the cup holder.
The diamond caught a passing streetlight.
Three years of her life reduced to something small enough to lose between the seats.
“Where are we going?” Olivia asked.
“Your father’s residence.”
“I’m not ready to see him.”
Russell looked out the window.
“He anticipated that.”
“Then why are we going there?”
“Because Victor Hayes will not let you disappear quietly.”
“He threw me out.”
“He performed throwing you out.”
Olivia looked at him.
“What’s the difference?”
“Performance is designed for an audience.”
Celia leaned forward.
“What do you think he’ll do?”
“He will tell the guests that Olivia suffered an emotional collapse. He will claim the trust agreement was misunderstood. He will say Kendra attempted to calm her and was attacked.”
“That is exactly what happened,” Olivia said bitterly. “Except for the truth.”
Russell nodded.
“Victor has spent years learning how to make the truth sound unreasonable.”
Olivia looked at her phone.
Messages were already arriving.
Some guests expressed concern.
Others asked whether she had been drinking.
One message contained a link to a social media post.
VICTOR HAYES WEDDING ENDS IN VIOLENT BRIDAL MELTDOWN.
The post claimed Olivia assaulted Kendra after discovering an innocent business meeting.
A blurry video showed Olivia slapping Kendra.
It did not show Kendra pulling her backward by the veil.
“They were ready,” Celia said.
Russell looked at the post.
“The footage was uploaded three minutes after we left. It had been edited before the confrontation ended.”
Olivia felt sick.
“So they planned the humiliation too?”
“Possibly.”
“Why would Victor publicly destroy the woman he needed to sign his agreement?”
Russell considered his answer.
“Because if you refused, he needed another way to challenge your legal competence.”
Olivia looked at him.
The meaning struck slowly.
“If I appeared unstable…”
“He could petition for emergency control of marital assets.”
Celia cursed under her breath.
Olivia stared at the rain on the window.
She remembered every time Victor had called her emotional.
Every time he encouraged her to rest while he handled documents.
Every time Kendra suggested therapy after Olivia questioned inconsistencies.
They had been building a record.
Not a relationship.
A case.
Olivia closed her eyes.
“Tell me everything.”
Russell shook his head.
“Your father should do that.”
“I’m not asking him.”
“He has the documents.”
“You had the folder.”
“That was only the first stage.”
Olivia turned toward him.
“What is the next stage?”
Russell’s expression became guarded.
“Kendra Vale.”
Celia leaned closer.
“What about her?”
“She is not merely Victor’s lover.”
“I know she’s his adviser.”
“No,” Russell said. “She is the architect.”
Olivia thought of Kendra blocking the study door.
“What did she build?”
“The financial structure that kept Hayes Global alive.”
“Through fraud?”
“Partly.”
“What else?”
Russell removed a tablet from the seat pocket and opened a photograph.
It showed Kendra at a private airport with a man Olivia did not recognize.
The man was older, silver-haired, and thin. He wore a long gray coat.
“Who is he?”
“Dr. Elias Voss.”
“What kind of doctor?”
“He is not a practicing physician.”
Russell swiped to another image.
Voss was entering a research facility owned by Hayes Global.
“He manages behavioral analytics projects.”
Celia frowned.
“What does that have to do with Olivia?”
Russell did not answer.
Olivia took the tablet.
The next image showed Voss standing outside her former apartment building.
The date was four years earlier.
Before she met Victor.
Her breath caught.
“Why was he there?”
Russell’s phone rang.
He answered.
His face changed almost immediately.
“When?”
He listened.
“Secure the residence. No one enters without biometric verification.”
He ended the call.
“What happened?” Olivia asked.
Russell looked toward the driver.
“Change of route.”
The SUV exited the highway.
“Where are we going now?”
Russell turned toward Olivia.
“Someone entered your father’s house.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know.”
“What did they take?”
May you like
Russell hesitated.
“Your mother’s letter.”
