Chapter 97

Fiona

Grabbing my bag, I make my way to the elevator. I chance one more glimpse at Ethan’s office, but it’s still empty. He didn’t come back after the meeting, and I didn’t look for him. We both need time to assess the situation in order to make the correct decisions.

No matter how much my heart screams for him, we have to force ourselves to make decisions with our heads, not our hearts. It’s the only way to keep the peace.

Literally, in Ethan’s case.

Sighing, I close my eyes and let my head fall back against the metal pane of the elevator as it descends. Too soon, the bell dings to signal I’ve arrived at the lobby, and I have to pull myself back together. All my broken pieces rearrange and settle in their places, a fake smile landing on my face as the last part.

“Fiona!”

Sophie waves at Ryan’s side, and I pause. Do they know what happened? Will they be angry that I’m leaving? Are they going to support the marriage between Ethan and Angela?

“Are you leaving, Fiona?” Ryan asks, his eyes finding my bag in my hand.

“Um, yeah. I’m not feeling well, so I’m going home…” my words trail off, and my heart slams into my ribs as tears fill my eyes. “Or I guess I’m going to my friend’s house.” My words come out soft and broken as I think about my house being a pile of ash.

I don’t have a home to go back to.

“Do you need someone to take you?” Sophie asks gently, touching my arm. I look up through blurry eyes and shake my head. I appreciate their kindness and the small support they’re showing, but I need to get used to doing things on my own.

Something in my chest cracks, and I’m sure it’s my heart.

“Well, we’re here if you need us,” Ryan says, pulling my attention to him. Why are they being so nice? Don’t they know Ethan will leave me soon?

“Th-thanks,” I mutter, turning and practically running out of the building. I don’t stop until I’m at the bus stop two blocks away.

Collapsing onto the bench at the stop, I ignore the curious and judgmental gazes of the people around me. I try to catch my breath, forcing myself to breathe slower to stop the burning in my throat.

Once I’m calm, I gather my bag into my lap and keep my eyes down, jumping when my cell phone rings. For a brief moment, I wonder if it’s Ethan. If he’s looking for me, but I shake the thought away. He’s probably working or talking with his parents about the wedding.

“Hello, this is Fiona Aldridge.”

“Fiona, this is Mr. Adair,” my lawyer says, and I sit up straighter.

“Did you get the results back?”

“I did. Could you come to the office on your lunch break? I have a few things to discuss with you.”

“I can come now, if that’s okay. I’ve taken the day off,” I tell him. He makes a sound of surprise on the other end of the phone and then speaks again.

“Of course. I’ll let reception know you’re coming so you can bypass security and come straight up.”

“Thank you. I’ll be there soon.”

Hanging up, I stand and flag down a taxi. Taxis are much faster than buses due to less stops, and because I need to know what Mr. Adair found, I don’t mind paying the fees.

Luckily, I find a taxi quickly, and when I get in, I rattle off the address of the Law Firm. What would have taken thirty minutes by bus takes only ten in the taxi, and when I get out, I thank the driver and scan my phone to pay.

Inside, the woman at reception smiles and waves me through just like Mr. Adair said they would. My nerves grow causing me to be a bit jittery when I finally reach the floor where Mr. Adair’s office is.

“Fiona,” he greets as I step off the elevator. I offer my best smile, but even I can tell it’s not as genuine as it usually is.

“What did you find?” I ask as soon as we make it into his office.

“The lab sent back the forged signature as well as your samples. They wrote an official letter stating the document Golden Harmony Cruise Line received from your husband are forged like you said,” he tells me, and I deflate in the chair I’m sitting in.

Finally, some good news.

“What’s our next step?” I ask.

“You need to divorce Jack immediately,” he tells me, and I sit up again. “I’m already getting the court dates approved, and as soon as I know them for certain, I’ll send the dates to you. One thing I do want to bring up is that this is not a hearing for your inheritance recovery. There will be demands on assets that will be split or taken during the divorce, but your inheritance will need a separate court hearing since.”

“What will happen to the money he stole from me?”

“Because he forged these documents and has been gaining illegal income—”

“Illegal income? What did he do?” I ask, surprised. Imaging Jack doing anything illegal is almost comical, but I don’t put it past him. I didn’t think he was a bad person until recently, and I found out that I already don’t know him like I thought I did.

Mr. Adair passes two papers to me, and I read through them. I don’t fully understand everything, but I look up at Mr. Adair when I’m done.

“Tax evasion and illegal money laundering?”

“Money laundering, yes, but he’s used the loophole of tax avoidance more than full on evasion,” he explains. My head throbs from all the information, but it seems Mr. Adair isn’t done.

“The further we dug into Golden Harmony the more we found that they are a front for illegal businesses and many other illegal acts. These documents prove your husband has broken several laws, so more than likely, Jack’s illegal assets will be seized by the government,” he tells me as I pass the papers back to him.

“So they will keep my money?” I ask, hoping not.

Mr. Adair shakes his head, answering, “Stolen money is usually distributed back to the original owner if they can be found. It may take a bit of time after to get a secondary court hearing for your inheritance and stolen money set, but I’ll take care of that.”

“Does this mean Jack is going to jail?”

“It very well could unless he takes a plea deal to expose the operation. He may just get off with a very substantial fine at that point,” he answers, making my world spin. Jack, lawyer extraordinaire -as he would call himself- and golden boy, is using the law to get away with his own crimes.

It’s a shock. Before he hurt me, I never would’ve guessed that Jack would sabotage himself, but knowing what I know now, I see that his pride blinds him.

He didn’t think he’d get caught, or if he did, he thought he could get out of it.

“For now, I need you to stay away from Jack and get ready to appear in court when the dates are confirmed,” Mr. Adair says.

“I can definitely do that. I don’t want anything to do with Jack, and I may be taking some personal days soon, so I’ll be ready.”

Thanks to Mr. Adair, I leave his office feeling a little better than when I entered. With the weight of the divorce almost off my shoulders, I can focus on other things, like where I’m going to live and whether I need to stay at the Silverclaw Company or not.