Chapter 4 - THE GHOST OF THE PLAZA
The mention of the Plaza Hotel landed between us like a physical blow,
shattering the last remnants of Grant's confidence.
I could see the memories rushing back to him,
each one a step closer to his ruin.
He remembered the annual charity gala,
just three weeks ago,
where he had walked in with Sienna on his arm.
He remembered seeing Sienna wearing my mother's priceless emerald earrings,
heirlooms that had been passed down through three generations of my family.
He remembered standing on the stage,
announcing a new executive position for Sienna,
a position that had never existed,
funded by money he had stolen from my mother's company.
He remembered letting Sienna tell a ballroom full of Manhattan's elite that I belonged to the past,
that my time had run out,
and that the future belonged to them.
And most of all,
he remembered me walking onto that stage,
smiling warmly,
kissing Sienna on both cheeks,
and welcoming her into the family business.
Everyone in that room had mistaken my reaction for surrender,
believing I was too broken,
too weak to fight back.
Grant had believed it most of all,
thinking his victory was complete.
But it had not been surrender.
It had been the moment I allowed him to tie his own noose.
Grant's gaze shifted away from me,
moving down the table until it landed on Arthur Bell,
the elderly trustee who sat quietly by the window.
"Arthur,"
Grant said,
his voice shifting into a placating,
reasonable tone.
"Surely you do not need to be part of this.
This is an emotional ambush,
a domestic dispute that has nothing to do with the trust."
Arthur adjusted his spectacles,
looking at Grant with a cold,
unblinking stare.
"Formerly your wife's trust,
Mister Whitmore,"
Arthur said,
his voice dry and precise.
"And as the trustee,
it is my duty to protect the assets from unauthorized distribution."
Sienna turned to Grant so quickly that her camel coat slipped open further,
revealing the black silk robe underneath.
"Formerly?"
she gasped,
her face turning pale.
May you like
"Grant,
what does he mean by formerly?"
