Chapter 4 - CLOVER’S SIDE OF THE STORY
Clover looked nothing like the woman from my birthday.
No silver dress.
No champagne.
No smile.
She sat in Noah’s private conference room wearing sweatpants, an oversized coat, and no makeup.
There was a bruise along her throat.
I stopped in the doorway.
She looked at me.
Shame crossed her face.
“Flora.”
I almost turned around.
Then remembered.
Everything true.
Even truth from people I hated.
I sat.
My brothers remained outside except Julian.
My lawyer.
My choice.
Clover looked at him.
“Can we speak alone?”
“No.”
She nodded.
“Fair.”
I crossed my arms.
“You have five minutes.”
She swallowed.
“I’m sorry.”
“No.”
Her eyes lifted.
“You don’t get to start there.”
She nodded.
The same lesson apparently applied everywhere.
“What do you want?”
“Protection.”
“From Isaac?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because he knows I sent the whistleblower files.”
I stared.
“You did?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Her eyes filled.
“Because Arthur is going to let that bridge fail.”
The room went cold.
“Explain.”
Clover had worked for Vance Construction before I met her.
Not publicly.
Her father had been a structural engineer.
Thomas Reese.
He died four years earlier in what was ruled a single-car accident.
Clover believed it happened after he confronted Arthur over falsified steel tests.
“Proof?”
I asked.
She slid a flash drive across the table.
“His files.”
Julian did not touch it.
“Chain of custody first.”
Clover nodded.
“I brought the original laptop too.”
Smart.
Prepared.
“What does this have to do with your affair with Isaac?”
Her face changed.
“It started because I wanted access.”
I stared.
“You slept with my husband to investigate his company.”
“At first.”
The answer hurt differently.
“And later?”
She looked ashamed.
“Later it became real.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Real.”
“Yes.”
“You smiled while he hit me.”
She began crying.
“I know.”
“You drank champagne.”
“I know.”
“You watched.”
“I know.”
No excuse.
Good.
Then:
“Why did Wendy pay you?”
Clover went still.
“You know?”
“Yes.”
She exhaled.
“Wendy knew about my father.”
“What?”
“She came to me after his death.”
“Why?”
“She hated Arthur.”
Julian leaned forward.
“Interesting.”
Clover continued:
“Arthur controlled everything.”
“Money.”
“Her trust.”
“Properties.”
“Even which charities she could support without questions.”
Wendy.
The woman laughing beside the champagne tower.
Victim and abuser could coexist.
Uncomfortable.
True.
“She wanted evidence,” Clover said.
“So she paid you?”
“Yes.”
“To seduce Isaac?”
“No.”
“That was me.”
At least she owned it.
“I thought if Isaac trusted me, I could access files.”
“Then why stay after you found them?”
Silence.
“Because I liked the money.”
There.
“And Isaac?”
“I thought I loved him.”
I almost smiled.
“You have poor taste.”
She actually laughed through tears.
“Apparently.”
Julian asked:
“Who forged Flora’s digital signatures?”
Clover looked at me.
“Arthur.”
I stared.
“Isaac knew?”
“Yes.”
My stomach turned.
“Why?”
“To create fallback liability.”
“If the vendor fraud surfaced, they could say you approved family-development expenses.”
“So my husband planned to blame me.”
“Yes.”
“Before he whipped me at my birthday.”
Clover flinched.
“That wasn’t planned.”
I stared.
“Comforting.”
“No.”
She wiped her face.
“He lost control.”
“No.”
My voice hardened.
“He chose.”
Clover nodded.
“Yes.”
That mattered.
Julian asked:
“Why the whistleblower packet now?”
“Because the bridge’s next inspection was falsified.”
“When?”
“Two weeks ago.”
“And your father’s original report?”
“Proved the steel supplier substituted lower-grade material.”
“Did Arthur know?”
“Yes.”
“Isaac?”
“Yes.”
“Wendy?”
Clover hesitated.
“Not initially.”
Then:
“She found out last year.”
I stared.
“And kept quiet.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Arthur told her if she spoke, he’d destroy Isaac.”
I laughed.
“Her poor baby.”
Clover looked down.
“Wendy has always protected Isaac.”
“She watched him humiliate me.”
“I know.”
“Stop saying that.”
“Sorry.”
I rubbed my temples.
“Why would Isaac kill you?”
“I copied everything.”
“Arthur knows?”
“Now.”
“What happened?”
“Isaac came to my apartment last night.”
“After we left?”
“Yes.”
“He demanded the files.”
“And?”
“I lied.”
“Then?”
Clover touched the bruise at her throat.
“He grabbed me.”
Julian’s face hardened.
“Police?”
“No.”
“Why come to Noah?”
Clover looked at me.
“Because I knew Flora’s brothers were the only people Isaac was afraid of.”
I almost laughed.
“They’re not gangsters.”
Clover looked toward the glass wall where five men waited.
“I know.”
“Isaac doesn’t.”
That was almost funny.
Then she said:
“There’s something else.”
Of course.
“What?”
“Your birthday punishment wasn’t only about the dress.”
I stared.
“What do you mean?”
“He knew you had been in his office.”
My body went cold.
“The drawer?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Camera.”
I closed my eyes.
“He knew I photographed the invoices.”
“He suspected.”
“Then why wait three weeks?”
“Arthur told him to.”
Julian leaned forward.
“For what?”
Clover looked at me.
“To see who Flora contacted.”
My stomach tightened.
“They were watching me?”
“Yes.”
“Phone?”
“Possibly.”
“Car?”
“Yes.”
My skin crawled.
“Did they know I called Marcus?”
“No.”
“Why not?”
“You used a different phone.”
Thank God.
Then:
“They expected you to call Julian.”
My brother.
The criminal defense attorney.
“Why?”
“So they could argue you and your family were planning to extort them.”
I laughed in disbelief.
“They wanted me compromised.”
“Yes.”
“And the party?”
Clover’s face changed.
“Isaac thought humiliation would scare you into signing.”
“Signing what?”
She opened her bag.
Pulled out a document.
POSTNUPTIAL MARITAL PROPERTY ACKNOWLEDGMENT.
I had never seen it.
“What is that?”
Clover answered:
“Something Arthur planned to put in front of you the morning after the party.”
Julian read quickly.
Then his expression turned cold.
“What?”
I asked.
He looked at me.
“It waives any claim you have against Vance companies.”
“So?”
“And affirms you participated in family-development approvals.”
My stomach dropped.
“They were going to make me sign responsibility for the fraud.”
“Yes.”
Clover whispered:
“Isaac thought if he broke you enough in front of everyone, you’d sign anything the next day.”
The room went silent.
Thirty strikes.
Not random.
Not only cruelty.
Preparation.
I felt sick.
Then anger replaced it.
Not the explosive kind.
Useful anger.
The kind Caroline—no, wrong story. The kind my mother used to call cold fire.
I looked at Julian.
“What happens now?”
“We preserve every file.”
“Government?”
“Yes.”
“Bridge authority?”
“Immediately.”
“Workers?”
Marcus appeared at the doorway.
“I can build a plan.”
“What kind?”
“If Vance Construction loses Arthur and Isaac but underlying operations are viable, lenders may support interim management.”
Leo nodded from behind him.
“Especially if safety issues are isolated and corrected.”
I looked at Clover.
“You cooperate.”
She nodded.
“With everything.”
“No immunity promised by us.”
“I know.”
“You testify about my assault.”
Her eyes filled.
“Yes.”
“You tell the truth about yourself too.”
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
“Yes.”
“No heroic whistleblower story.”
“No.”
“You took money.”
“Yes.”
“You had an affair.”
“Yes.”
“You helped humiliate me.”
Her voice broke.
“Yes.”
I stood.
“Then maybe the truth does what it does.”
Clover whispered:
“Do you forgive me?”
I stared.
“No.”
She nodded.
Fair.
Then Caleb entered.
His expression was dark.
“What?”
Noah asked.
Caleb held up his phone.
“Arthur and Isaac know she’s here.”
Clover went pale.
“How?”
“Your car has a tracker.”
She looked horrified.
Caleb continued:
“They’re already moving.”
“Where?”
“Arthur’s private airfield.”
Julian stood.
“Leaving jurisdiction?”
“Looks like it.”
I stared.
“No.”
Everyone looked at me.
I turned to Julian.
“Can police stop them?”
“If there’s probable cause.”
“Do we have it?”
He looked at Clover.
“If she gives a statement now, maybe.”
Clover stood.
“I will.”
Then my phone rang.
Wendy.
I answered.
“Flora.”
Her voice shook.
Not laughing now.
“What?”
“Please don’t let your brothers destroy Isaac.”
I almost laughed.
“He destroyed himself.”
“You don’t understand.”
“I understand thirty very well.”
She started crying.
“Arthur is taking him out of the country.”
“Then tell police.”
Silence.
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
“Because Arthur has something on me.”
Of course.
“What?”
Wendy whispered:
“I signed the original steel substitution approval.”
The bridge.
My stomach turned.
“Why?”
“He told me it was a temporary materials change.”
“You signed.”
“Yes.”
“And later learned?”
“Yes.”
“How long ago?”
“Three years.”
“You stayed quiet.”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
“What do you want from me?”
“Help me.”
Not Isaac.
Herself.
Interesting.
I said:
“Tell the truth.”
“He’ll ruin me.”
“You may deserve consequences.”
She started sobbing.
“Flora—”
“No.”
My voice stayed calm.
“You laughed last night.”
Silence.
“You watched your son hurt me.”
“I know.”
“Then don’t ask me to save you from discomfort now.”
I ended the call.
Julian looked at me.
“That was cold.”
“No.”
May you like
I picked up my coat.
“That was a boundary.”
