Chapter 4 - The Mistress Who Knocked on the Wrong Door
Livia Dayne arrived at Mara Velez's office carrying a black leather briefcase and looking as though she hadn't slept in two days.
The receptionist recognized her immediately.
Everyone in New York with an internet connection seemed to recognize her now.
Her photograph had appeared beside Serena's on gossip websites.
Some headlines called her a social climber.
Others called her Dominic Carbone's secret lover.
One particularly vicious article described her as the woman who destroyed a billionaire marriage.
Livia had read every word.
For nine months, she'd enjoyed the privileges of being wanted by a powerful man.
Now she was discovering what it meant to be publicly associated with his worst decisions.
The receptionist asked her to wait.
Ten minutes later, Mara appeared.
"Miss Dayne."
Livia stood.
"Thank you for seeing me."
"I haven't agreed to represent you."
"I know."
"And you should understand that I represent Serena Carbone. Our conversation is not confidential in the way a conversation with your own attorney would be."
Livia nodded.
"I've spoken with a lawyer already."
"Good."
Mara studied her.
"What do you want?"
Livia swallowed.
"I have documents your client needs."
Mara didn't move.
"Then give them to your attorney and have your attorney contact me."
"I need to speak with Serena."
"No."
"Please."
Mara's expression remained firm.
"Serena has already endured enough. You do not get access to her because you suddenly feel guilty."
Livia flinched.
"I know what I did."
"Do you?"
Livia looked down.
For a moment, she seemed on the verge of leaving.
Then she opened her briefcase.
She removed a single printed page.
Mara glanced at it.
Her expression changed.
"Where did you get this?"
"Arthur Bell's office."
Mara picked up the page.
It was an email.
Sent from Daniel Voss to Arthur Bell.
The subject line read:
DAYNE TRANSFER — FINAL AUTHORIZATION.
Mara read the body twice.
Then she looked up.
"Did you alter this?"
"No."
"Can you authenticate it?"
"I have the original message file. I copied it from a company archive I had authorized access to before Arthur ordered the records removed."
Mara studied her.
"Why did Arthur send you those messages?"
Livia swallowed.
"He didn't. They were part of a transaction file my department was asked to organize. I wasn't supposed to notice what they meant."
"Which was?"
Livia looked directly at her.
"Arthur wanted Serena's ownership transferred before Dominic realized the financing proposal was a takeover."
Mara set the paper down.
"I'll ask Serena whether she's willing to meet with you. No promises."
Livia nodded.
"That's all I'm asking."
Serena read the email that evening.
She had spent the afternoon resting after her doctor recommended reducing stress and monitoring her blood pressure.
Her pregnancy had been medically reassuring so far, but the memories of her earlier losses made every unfamiliar sensation frightening.
Maya had prepared chicken soup.
Serena had eaten three spoonfuls before her phone rang.
Now Mara sat opposite her with Livia's document.
Serena read the subject line.
DAYNE TRANSFER.
Her stomach tightened.
"It's real?"
"We're still verifying it, but it matches several documents already produced by the company."
"And Livia wants to see me."
"Yes."
Serena looked out the window.
She had imagined meeting Dominic's mistress dozens of times.
In her imagination, she had shouted.
Thrown wine.
Demanded explanations.
Asked what Livia possessed that she didn't.
Now those questions seemed strangely unimportant.
She knew why Dominic had cheated.
Not every detail.
Not every excuse.
But the essential truth.
He had wanted something and allowed himself to take it.
Serena didn't need to compare herself with another woman to understand that.
"What does she want?" Serena asked.
"She says she has evidence that can help stop Arthur."
"And she can't give it without seeing me?"
"She can. I've told her that. But she insists there's something she needs to explain."
Serena considered for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Set it up."
Mara frowned.
"Are you certain?"
"No."
Serena touched her stomach.
"But I'm tired of people making decisions about my life without looking me in the eye."
The meeting took place the next morning in a conference room at Mara's law firm.
Mara remained throughout.
Livia's own attorney, Caroline Brooks, sat beside her.
Serena arrived wearing a cream maternity dress and flat black shoes.
Her blonde hair was pulled into a low bun.
She looked tired.
But when she entered, Livia immediately understood why Dominic had married her.
Not because Serena was more beautiful.
Not because she possessed some mysterious ability to keep powerful men interested.
Because she moved through the world as though she had long ago learned that dignity was something a person practiced, not something other people handed out.
Livia stood.
"Serena."
Serena took the chair opposite her.
"Sit down."
Livia obeyed.
For several seconds, neither woman spoke.
Finally, Livia cleared her throat.
"I'm sorry."
Serena looked at her.
"Which part?"
Livia's eyes filled.
"All of it."
"That's a very large apology."
"I know."
Serena folded her hands.
"Did you know I was pregnant when you started seeing my husband?"
Livia swallowed.
"No. I found out several weeks later."
"And you continued."
"Yes."
"Did you know we'd lost two babies?"
"Not until Dominic told me."
Serena felt something sharp pass through her chest.
"When did he tell you?"
Livia looked down.
"After your pregnancy announcement."
Serena stared at her.
Dominic had told another woman about the two most painful experiences of their marriage.
Memories Serena had believed belonged to them alone.
"And you continued," Serena repeated.
Livia's tears spilled.
"Yes."
Serena looked away.
There was a time when she would have enjoyed seeing Livia cry.
Now it simply made her tired.
"I don't need you to tell me how guilty you feel," Serena said. "I need you to tell me what you know."
Livia nodded shakily.
She opened her briefcase.
Caroline Brooks placed several folders on the table.
"These are copies," Caroline said. "The original electronic records are being preserved by an independent forensic firm."
Mara examined the first document.
Livia began explaining.
"Arthur brought me into the restructuring project four months ago. He said the company needed to consolidate ownership before refinancing."
Serena frowned.
"Why did he involve acquisitions?"
"Because my department handled the property valuations."
"And?"
"Several of those valuations were inflated."
Mara looked up.
"By how much?"
"In some cases, twenty to thirty percent."
Serena's expression hardened.
"Arthur used inflated numbers to make the company look more valuable?"
"Yes. But he also used them to conceal how much debt Bellcrest had already secured against other assets."
Caroline placed another document on the table.
"According to our preliminary review, the plan appears to have been to obtain Serena's voting shares through forged transfer paperwork, approve a refinancing, and use Carbone assets to support Bellcrest's obligations."
Serena stared at the pages.
"And Dominic?"
Livia hesitated.
"He signed the initial financing delegation."
"I know that."
"He also signed a consent allowing Arthur's lawyers to prepare supporting documents."
Serena's face went pale.
Mara leaned forward.
"Did he sign the actual share transfer?"
"No."
Livia's answer was immediate.
"Arthur's attorney produced the transfer documents. Dominic wasn't present when they were finalized."
Serena exhaled slowly.
"Then why does his name appear on the authorization?"
Livia opened another folder.
"This is the part Arthur didn't want anyone to see."
She slid a document across the table.
It was an internal memorandum.
The memo identified Dominic's office as the source of several electronic approvals.
But in the metadata attached to the documents, the files had been created on Daniel Voss's computer.
The date was the same night Serena had been admitted to the hospital.
"Voss copied Dominic's signature from a legitimate document," Livia said.
Mara examined the information.
"That would explain the identical signature image."
Serena stared at the page.
For a moment, relief moved through her.
Then she remembered something.
"Dominic gave Arthur access in the first place."
Livia lowered her eyes.
"Yes."
"And he never told me."
"No."
Serena nodded.
There it was.
The distinction she needed to remember.
Dominic might not have forged her signature.
But his secrecy had helped create the circumstances in which someone else could.
She looked up.
"Why are you helping me?"
Livia took a shaky breath.
"Because Arthur knows I copied the records."
"That's self-preservation."
"Partly."
Serena waited.
Livia wiped her cheeks.
"And because I saw the photographs at your anniversary."
Serena stiffened.
Livia continued.
"I believed what I wanted to believe about your marriage. I told myself I wasn't hurting you because Dominic made it sound as though the two of you had already drifted apart."
Serena didn't answer.
Livia looked at her pregnancy.
"Then I saw him looking at the ultrasound."
She swallowed.
"And I understood something. He wasn't a man waiting for permission to leave an unhappy marriage."
Her voice cracked.
"He was a man who wanted to keep everything."
Serena felt the words settle painfully inside her.
Because they were true.
Dominic hadn't chosen Livia over Serena.
He had chosen the luxury of never having to choose.
Livia continued.
"I can't undo what I did. I know that. And I don't expect you to forgive me."
"Good."
The word was gentle.
But firm.
Livia nodded.
"I just don't want Arthur to steal what you built."
Serena studied her for a long moment.
Then she asked the question that had been bothering her.
"Why did Arthur hire you?"
Livia blinked.
"What?"
"You joined the company fourteen months ago. Arthur personally recommended you. You were given access to major acquisitions almost immediately. Then you became involved with my husband."
Livia's expression tightened.
"Dominic and I weren't together when I started."
"I know."
Serena leaned forward.
"But Arthur encouraged it, didn't he?"
Livia looked at her attorney.
Caroline remained silent.
Finally, Livia nodded.
"He told me Dominic needed someone who understood the business."
Serena's eyes hardened.
"And a wife who didn't ask questions."
Livia said nothing.
Serena understood.
Arthur hadn't necessarily needed Livia to fall in love with Dominic.
He had needed Dominic distracted.
He had needed someone close enough to his office to keep track of his movements.
Someone ambitious enough to overlook uncomfortable details.
Someone who could become useful without knowing the entire plan.
Serena felt a bitter sadness.
"You were both easier to manipulate than you believed."
Livia looked down.
"Yes."
Mara closed the folder.
"We need to discuss how this evidence will be provided to the independent investigators."
Caroline nodded.
"My client is prepared to cooperate, subject to appropriate legal advice."
Serena rose carefully.
The meeting was over.
Livia stood too.
"Serena?"
Serena stopped.
Livia's voice trembled.
"Did you really love him as much as those photographs made it seem?"
Serena looked at her.
For a moment, she considered giving the answer Livia deserved.
An answer designed to hurt.
Instead, she told the truth.
"More."
Livia closed her eyes.
Serena continued.
"That's why what you did matters."
Then she walked out.
That afternoon, Dominic received a sealed envelope at his office.
There was no return address.
Inside were six photographs.
He recognized the warehouse immediately.
Brooklyn.
Seventeen years earlier.
The last night he had worked for his father's private security operation.
The night a man named Peter Rinaldi had nearly died.
Dominic stared at the photographs.
He remembered the argument.
His father's men had accused Rinaldi of stealing money.
There had been violence.
Dominic had arrived after Rinaldi was already unconscious.
He had ordered someone to call an ambulance.
Then his father had demanded that Dominic leave before the police arrived.
Dominic had obeyed.
For seventeen years, he had carried the shame of that choice.
Not because he had beaten Rinaldi.
He hadn't.
But because he had helped conceal the truth about who had.
Attached to the photographs was a handwritten note.
STOP YOUR WIFE.
OR THE WORLD WILL REMEMBER WHO YOU REALLY ARE.
Dominic slowly lowered himself into his chair.
He knew the handwriting.
Arthur Bell.
For years, Arthur had protected him from questions about his father's business.
Dominic had believed the older man was helping him build a respectable future.
Now he understood that Arthur had been keeping a weapon.
His phone rang.
Arthur.
Dominic answered.
"You're making a serious mistake."
Arthur sounded almost amused.
"Am I?"
"You think those photographs frighten me?"
"I think your wife would be very interested in them."
Dominic stared at the image of his younger self standing beside a warehouse door.
"Serena knows my father wasn't a good man."
"Does she know you helped cover up an assault?"
Dominic went silent.
Arthur continued.
"Does she know you spent seventeen years keeping that information from the police?"
Dominic's hand tightened around the phone.
"What do you want?"
"Friday's vote goes forward. Serena withdraws her objections. The financing closes."
"And then?"
"Then everyone keeps what belongs to them."
Dominic looked at Serena's photograph.
He thought of their daughter.
The tiny person who would soon enter the world carrying both their names.
For years, he had told himself that secrecy was the price of protecting his family.
Now he saw what secrecy had done.
It had left Serena vulnerable.
It had given Arthur control.
And it had taught Dominic to believe that telling the truth was always more dangerous than hiding it.
He closed his eyes.
Then answered.
"No."
There was silence.
Arthur's voice hardened.
"Excuse me?"
"No."
"Dominic, consider carefully—"
"I have."
"You could lose everything."
Dominic looked at the photograph of his pregnant wife.
"I already lost the most important thing."
Arthur laughed coldly.
"How sentimental."
Dominic stood.
"Send the photographs wherever you want. I'm contacting the authorities and an attorney."
"You think they'll believe you?"
"I don't know."
Dominic took a breath.
"But I'm finished letting you decide what I can afford to tell the truth about."
He ended the call.
Then immediately called Mara Velez.
She answered on the fourth ring.
"Mr. Carbone."
Dominic swallowed.
"I need to give you something."
"If it concerns company records, coordinate through your counsel."
"It concerns Arthur Bell."
Mara went silent.
Dominic looked at the photographs.
"And something I should have confessed seventeen years ago."
That evening, Serena received another message.
This one wasn't from Dominic.
It came from Arthur Bell.
A photograph appeared on her screen.
Dominic standing outside the Brooklyn warehouse.
His face was younger.
His shirt was stained.
Beside him lay a man on a stretcher.
Serena stared at the image.
Then read Arthur's message.
YOUR HUSBAND HAS BEEN LYING TO YOU LONGER THAN YOU THINK.
ASK HIM WHAT HAPPENED TO PETER RINALDI.
A second message arrived.
IF YOU WANT YOUR DAUGHTER TO HAVE A FATHER WHO ISN'T IN PRISON, YOU'LL CANCEL FRIDAY'S CHALLENGE.
Serena felt a cold wave of fear.
For years, Dominic had kept the darkest parts of his family's history carefully separated from their marriage.
Now that history was reaching through the walls.
She showed the message to Mara.
Mara read it twice.
Then her expression hardened.
"Don't respond."
Serena looked at her.
"Is Dominic going to prison?"
"I can't answer that from photographs and a threatening message. We need to establish what happened."
Serena lowered herself onto the couch.
Her daughter kicked beneath her ribs.
"Arthur knows exactly how to frighten me."
Mara sat beside her.
"He knows what you care about."
Serena touched her stomach.
"Dominic."
Mara watched her carefully.
Serena shook her head.
"Not the marriage."
She looked at the photographs again.
"But I don't want my daughter's father destroyed for something he may not have done."
Mara nodded.
"Then we find out what happened."
Serena took a deep breath.
"And if he did something wrong?"
Mara held her gaze.
"Then he has to face it."
Serena looked toward the window.
For twelve years, she had protected Dominic from the consequences of his decisions.
She had defended him.
Explained him.
Forgiven him.
Loved him through things he refused to examine honestly.
She wasn't going to do that again.
But neither would she allow Arthur Bell to use her child as leverage.
She handed Mara the phone.
"Save everything."
Mara nodded.
"And Serena?"
"Yes?"
"Arthur's message is evidence."
Serena looked at her.
"Of what?"
"An attempt to pressure you into abandoning your legal rights."
For the first time since receiving the photograph, Serena felt something stronger than fear.
May you like
Resolve.
"Then let's make sure he regrets sending it."
