Chapter 4 - Claire’s Morning
Claire had arrived at the hotel at seven.
Noah with her.
She was supposed to help Vanessa prepare.
Their relationship had never been warm.
Claire thought Vanessa moved too quickly into my life.
Vanessa believed Claire treated me like family property.
Both had accused the other of control.
That morning, Claire went to the bridal suite because Vanessa asked for a copy of my family-office contact list.
Why would a bride need that?
Claire wondered the same thing.
Vanessa said:
“For the honeymoon emergency folder.”
Claire refused.
Vanessa laughed.
Then left the room to speak with the florist.
On the table beside her handbag was a printed bank confirmation.
Claire recognized the Whitmore Meridian treasury header.
She should not have been seeing it.
Claire chaired our family foundation.
She knew the account format.
The transaction listed:
$3,200,000.
Recipient:
Cobalt Advisory Services.
Purpose:
Harborstone acquisition due diligence reimbursement.
Claire took a photograph.
Then another document beneath it showed:
$2,850,000.
Aster Ridge Management.
Same acquisition.
Same week.
Claire called our CFO.
No answer.
Wedding morning.
People were busy.
So she opened the family-office dashboard through her authorized read-only access.
Three more transactions appeared.
Total:
$11.7 million.
All described as costs associated with the Harborstone hotel portfolio acquisition.
Claire knew something I had not told Vanessa.
May you like
The Harborstone deal had been paused six days earlier.
No additional disbursements should have been moving.
