PART 3: The Gathering Storm
The next morning, Ethan and I woke up in our bridal suite to the sound of his phone buzzing violently on the nightstand. It wasn't even 7:00 a.m.
Ethan groaned, reaching for the phone. I sat up, pulling the white duvet around my chest. I watched his face turn from sleepy confusion to absolute shock, then to a cold, hard anger.
"What is it?" I asked.
"It's the board of directors at the Mercer Group," Ethan said, his voice tight. "There's an emergency meeting called for 9:00 a.m. The FBI just raided the foundation's downtown headquarters. They've frozen all the corporate accounts. My mother is currently being detained for questioning."
He looked at me, his eyes widening as a sudden realization hit him. "Clara... the books Grandfather asked you to look at. Is this what you found?"
I climbed out of bed, walking over to my laptop bag. I pulled out a spare flash drive and handed it to him. "Your mother didn't just steal from your family, Ethan. She stole from dying children to fund her lavish lifestyle, her offshore real estate, and the silver designer dress she wore to our wedding yesterday. She thought I was temporary because of my cancer. She wanted me out of the picture because she knew that if a forensic accountant married into this family, her secret would be dead."
Ethan stared at the drive in his hand, a profound sadness washing over his face. He had always known his mother was snobbish and cruel, but he had never imagined she was a criminal who would steal from a charity.
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He stood up, walking over to me and wrapping his arms around my waist, burying his face into the crook of my neck. "I am so sorry she put you through this. I am so sorry I didn't protect you from her yesterday."
"You did protect me," I said, lifting his chin so he could look at me. "You stood by me when I was completely exposed. Now, let's go finish this."
