Chapter 13
I stared at Jake.
My heart racing.
"Someone else? Who?"
Jake shook his head.
"They don't know yet. All they found was a name. And some bank records. But the name... it's someone we know. Someone we trusted."
"Who, Jake? Tell me."
He took a deep breath.
"Jonathan Pierce."
I froze.
Jonathan Pierce.
My father's business partner.
His best friend.
The man who'd been like an uncle to me.
The man who'd given me away at my wedding to Bennett.
The man who'd been on the board of Halloway Enterprises.
The man who'd been my advisor.
My mentor.
My friend.
He was working with Eleanor?
It couldn't be true.
Jonathan was good.
Kind.
Honest.
He'd helped me through everything.
He'd supported me when I took over the company.
He'd been there for me.
He couldn't be working with Eleanor.
But Jake's face was serious.
"The evidence is real, Tessa. Bank records showing payments from Eleanor to Jonathan. Emails between them. Plans. He's been working with her from the beginning. He was the one who helped her poison your father. He was the one who helped her launder money. He was the one who gave her information about us. About the security. About the wedding."
I felt sick.
Jonathan.
The man who'd been like family.
He'd been working with the woman who murdered my father.
Who'd tried to destroy me.
It was all too much.
Another betrayal.
Another person I'd trusted.
Another monster in disguise.
"Why?" I whispered. "Why would he do this?"
"Money," Jake said. "Power. Eleanor promised him half the company once she took over. He was going to be her partner. They were going to run everything together."
I thought about Jonathan.
About all the times he'd been there for me.
All the times he'd told me he cared.
All the times I'd trusted him with the company.
With Hope.
With my life.
It had all been lies.
Every word.
Every gesture.
Every promise of friendship.
He'd been Eleanor's spy the whole time.
And he was still out there.
Free.
Dangerous.
Planning God knows what.
"We have to find him," I said, my voice cold and determined. "We have to find him before he hurts anyone else."
The FBI was already looking for him.
But Jonathan was smart.
He'd covered his tracks.
He'd disappeared.
There was no sign of him.
No credit card activity.
No phone calls.
No sightings.
It was like he'd vanished off the face of the earth.
But I knew Jonathan.
I knew how he thought.
I knew what he wanted.
He wanted the company.
He wanted power.
And he wanted revenge.
Revenge on me for taking what he thought was his.
He wouldn't run.
He'd stay and fight.
He'd try to take what he thought belonged to him.
And I knew exactly where he would strike.
At the company.
The annual shareholders' meeting was in three days.
Jonathan was going to try to take over the company.
He was going to use his shares.
And the shares he'd bought through shell companies.
To vote me out.
To take control.
He was going to try to steal everything I'd built.
Everything I'd worked so hard for.
And he was going to do it in front of all the shareholders.
All the board members.
All the press.
He was going to humiliate me.
Destroy me.
And take what he thought was his.
But I was ready for him.
I'd been betrayed too many times.
I'd learned my lesson.
I trusted no one.
I'd been watching Jonathan.
I'd been suspicious of him for months.
I'd been gathering evidence.
Waiting for the right moment.
And now that moment had come.
The shareholders' meeting arrived.
The room was packed.
Shareholders.
Board members.
Reporters.
Everyone was there.
I stood at the front of the room.
Ready.
Jonathan walked in.
He looked calm.
Confident.
Smiling.
He thought he was going to win.
He thought he was going to walk out of there as the new CEO of Halloway Enterprises.
He had no idea what was waiting for him.
The meeting began.
I gave my report.
I talked about the company's success.
About our growth.
About our future.
And then it was time for the vote.
Jonathan stood up.
He smiled at the crowd.
"Before we vote, I have something to say. Something important. Tessa Halloway is not fit to run this company. She's been distracted by her personal problems. By her legal issues. By her dramatic personal life. She's made mistakes. Costly mistakes. And the company is suffering because of it."
He paused.
"I have here a petition signed by shareholders representing forty percent of the company. We're calling for a vote of no confidence. And we're voting to replace Tessa Halloway as CEO. With me."
The room erupted in whispers.
Reporters started taking notes.
Cameras flashed.
Jonathan smiled.
He thought he'd won.
But I smiled back.
"Before you vote, I have something to show you."
I signaled to the back of the room.
The lights dimmed.
And the screen behind me came to life.
Emails between Jonathan and Eleanor.
Bank records.
Plans to poison my father.
Plans to launder money.
Plans to take over the company.
And audio recordings.
Jonathan's voice, clear as day.
"Once Eleanor takes care of Tessa, the company will be ours. We'll be rich. Powerful. Nobody will be able to stop us."
"Your father's death was necessary. He was in the way. He had to be eliminated."
"The shareholders will never suspect a thing. They'll think Tessa is incompetent. They'll vote her out. And we'll take over."
The room was dead silent.
Everyone stared at the screen.
Shocked.
Disgusted.
Angry.
Jonathan stood frozen.
His face white.
His smile gone.
The lights came back up.
I looked at him.
"You thought you could steal my company, Jonathan? You thought you could get away with murdering my father? With betraying everyone who trusted you?"
I paused.
"You were wrong."
Two FBI agents walked into the room.
They approached Jonathan.
"Jonathan Pierce, you're under arrest for conspiracy to commit murder, fraud, and money laundering."
They cuffed him.
He didn't fight.
He didn't say a word.
He just stared at me.
Defeated.
The agents led him out.
The room erupted in applause.
The shareholders cheered.
The board members congratulated me.
The vote was unanimous.
I was reconfirmed as CEO.
With a standing ovation.
I had won.
Again.
But as I stood there, basking in the applause, I thought about my father.
About how Jonathan and Eleanor had taken him from me.
About how they'd almost destroyed everything he'd built.
And I knew I had to do something.
Something to honor him.
Something to make sure his legacy lived on.
I announced the creation of the Thomas Carter Foundation.
Named after my father.
It would support small businesses.
Entrepreneurs.
People who were trying to build something from nothing.
Just like my father had.
The room cheered again.
The announcement was all over the news.
"Tessa Halloway honors father's memory with new foundation"
"Pierce arrested for murder and fraud"
"Halloway Enterprises stronger than ever"
Everything was falling into place.
All the villains were gone.
All the betrayals were over.
Justice had been served.
And I was finally free.
That evening, Jake and I went to visit my father's grave.
I brought flowers.
I told him about the company.
About the foundation.
About Hope.
About Jake.
About our wedding.
I told him I loved him.
That I missed him.
That I was making him proud.
Jake stood beside me.
Holding my hand.
Supporting me.
We stood there for a long time.
Quiet.
Peaceful.
And then we walked back to the car.
Ready to go home.
Ready to start our new life.
But as we drove away, I saw something in the rearview mirror.
A car was following us.
May you like
It had been following us since we left the cemetery.
And I had a feeling I knew who was in it.
