MARRYING HIM WAS A MISTAKE

ly bland. A Portable glass desk, three office chairs, a hibiscus flower in a white vase, No

ed to a chai

My phone was recording-not that I

fingers flickering a pen. "I assum

g oth

what your hus

ey laundering, Fraud. You weren't just documentin

le. "Guilty

y caught m

mit it's t

s. Banks. My job is to make problems disappear. Your husband had

is il

"But you're not here to arrest me. The FBI does

que

mething that would help me make sense of

tiful cold efficient instrument of my husband

w why."Isabell

hat he was doing. You must have known that company was mine and that he stole

iet for a

"And because I don't make moral judgme

very Con

y I'm sorry I helped destroy your life. But I'm not. Because you destroyed your own life

anded like

w anything abo

r emails. Listened to your phone calls. Watched you slowly disappear while you

n't a

soft. Almost pitying. "You're not a

lap. "I came here for in

the restructuring, the offshore accounts, the creative accounting-that's business. Aggressive? Yes. Illegal

My voice rose. "He

fference." Isabelle's expression was ice. "I don't owe you expl

o watch you help him eras

th such cold stares

f you want information from me, you'll nee

spond, her phone

xpression changed just s

n, May

leave," she s

toward the door. "We'll talk again if yo

ne talking"

picked it up, read the scr

now. If he finds you here, it will com

od ran

e here when he comes into the building so

discuss the Chen si

t. Down the hall, take the stairs, not the el

y pushed me to

can we ta

I need to." She opene

heart hammering. Behind me,

rwell door and took the s

side exit into an a

ircled around, keeping my head

ran wasn

underground garage. Maybe

sure of anyt

ened the door, concern

lid into the backse

was alive wh

es kicked off in the entryway. The so

" I cal

nning, chocolate butter smeared

his little-boy smell, sugar and s

u home earl

He pulled away, bouncing on

to the dinin

old bow. Inside: champagne, chocolates, imported cheeses, caviar. The

school!" Jaden

rd nestled amo

ck. Gold embo

d Mrs.

ited to the Whitmore

y, 7:

ck

and commitment to excellence in education, we

grati

an Chen,

ok as I set

s' Ball. In

line as Olive

n't a co

is it?" Ja

o your school event ho

come?"

a little from my eyes. " But you're no

arent while you and m

falling over. "Alright d

the dinning. Looking at him run, I knew I could not let myse

the dining room, st

given me the flash drive. Who'd t

e was sh

ext from a number I

country! Lunch this week? I've m

scandal first began to create a buzz all over the internet.

e message, emo

To keep everyone at arm's leng

t that was tired of being

back: Ye

se came im

1 PM, The

be

vitation again. The gold lettering. The

everything woul

't know whose si