Chapter 7 - ASHLEY'S REAL ROLE
The flight was stopped before boarding.
Jared was detained on an outstanding fraud warrant connected to a lender Christopher had never heard of.
Ashley was questioned and released that night.
She called me at 2:13 in the morning.
"You ruined everything."
Her voice sounded nothing like the woman who had toasted me at my rehearsal dinner.
"You did that yourself."
"You think you're innocent?"
"I think I wasn't secretly kissing the groom."
She inhaled sharply.
"Dwight was never supposed to fall for you."
My stomach tightened.
"Meaning?"
"Jared chose you because you were predictable. Stable job. No siblings. Dead grandparents. Assets. You were supposed to marry Dwight, sign the consolidation papers, then agree to a quiet divorce when he made you miserable enough."
Every word matched the spreadsheet.
"And your role?"
She laughed without humor.
"Keep Dwight focused."
"By sleeping with him?"
"By reminding him this wasn't a love story."
I closed my eyes.
"How long?"
"Eight months."
The answer hurt even though I thought I was beyond being hurt.
Eight months.
Engagement photos.
Dress fittings.
My birthday dinner.
The weekend Dwight told me he had food poisoning and couldn't visit my aunt.
Eight months.
"Why are you telling me?"
"Because Jared is going to blame me."
"Maybe he should."
"Listen to me. He has a copy of the Graham letter."
I sat upright.
"That's impossible."
"He got it before Graham died."
My blood went cold.
"How?"
"Ask your grandmother's former bookkeeper."
The call ended.
Christopher found the bookkeeper by noon.
Her name was Martha Bell.
Seventy-one years old.
Retired in Annapolis.
She agreed to meet us at a diner near the bay.
The moment I said Jared's name, she turned pale.
"I told Graham he was asking too many questions."
"What questions?"
"About your grandmother's trust. About what happened if you married. About whether a spouse could challenge the restrictions."
"Did he get the letter?"
Martha looked ashamed.
"A draft. Not the signed original."
Christopher leaned closer.
"What was in the draft?"
Martha stared at me.
"A clause your grandmother added because she was afraid of coercion."
"What clause?"
She lowered her voice.
"If a spouse or spouse's family attempted to obtain the trust through fraud, the trust would immediately lock for ten years."
I stared at her.
"Meaning Jared can't touch it."
"No," she said.
"Meaning neither can you."
---
(To be continued)
Thank you so much for reading this far.
May you like
If you enjoyed this story, be sure to bookmark my website: https://metro.treeiq.biz
New stories are posted every day, so check back often for the latest updates.
