Chapter 3 - The Secret Agreement
That night, the island looked completely different.
The wedding decorations had been removed.
The flowers were gone.
The tables had been cleared.
The music had stopped.
The only sound left was the ocean.
I sat beside Mia's bed while she slept.
Every few minutes, I checked her breathing.
I couldn't stop.
Marcus entered quietly.
He placed a folder on the table.
“You should read this.”
I opened it.
The first document was a bank statement.
The second was a company registration.
The third was a contract.
My hands became cold.
“What's this?”
Marcus pointed.
“Greg's family doesn't own the companies they claimed to own.”
I looked at him.
“Explain.”
“They've been presenting themselves as billionaires.”
“And?”
“They aren't.”
I stared at the documents.
“They're deeply in debt.”
“How deep?”
“Approximately forty-eight million dollars.”
I leaned back.
“Then why did they tell everyone they were wealthy?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Because they were trying to convince investors.”
“Investors?”
“And your family.”
I looked at him.
“My family?”
Marcus nodded.
“We found emails between your father and Greg.”
I opened the tablet.
The messages were unmistakable.
My father had contacted Greg eleven months earlier.
The subject line read:
ELENA'S ASSETS
My stomach twisted.
I read the first message.
She doesn't know we're aware of the inheritance.
Another.
Keep the relationship with Sarah moving.
Another.
Once the marriage happens, she'll eventually help her sister.
My hands began shaking.
Marcus continued.
“There are more.”
I kept reading.
They had discussed my company.
My properties.
My investments.
My trust funds.
Even Mia.
One message made me stop.
If Elena becomes emotionally attached to the marriage, she won't refuse family.
I closed the tablet.
I couldn't breathe.
They had never wanted me.
They wanted access to my money.
Sarah had never wanted a sister.
She wanted a financial safety net.
Greg had never wanted Sarah.
He wanted my family name and access to my assets.
My parents had never been embarrassed by my poverty.
They had been pretending I was poor because they didn't want me to realize they were planning around my wealth.
I stood.
“Marcus.”
“Yes?”
“Find everything.”
“Everything?”
“Every transfer. Every email. Every contract. Every conversation.”
He nodded.
“Already working on it.”
I looked toward Mia.
“And Greg?”
“He's still on the island.”
“Don't let him leave.”
Marcus nodded.
“What about your parents and Sarah?”
I thought for a moment.
“Let them stay.”
He looked surprised.
“Why?”
“Because I want them to believe they still have control.”
The next morning, Sarah came to the clinic.
She didn't ask about Mia.
She walked directly toward me.
“You ruined my life.”
I stared at her.
“You pushed my daughter.”
“It was an accident.”
“You never apologized.”
She crossed her arms.
“You humiliated me.”
I couldn't believe it.
“You think this is about you?”
“Yes!”
Her voice cracked.
“Do you know what everyone is saying?”
“No.”
“They think I'm a fraud.”
“You are.”
She slapped her hand against the wall.
“You always thought you were better than me.”
I shook my head.
“No, Sarah.”
“You were always the favorite.”
I stared at her.
“Mom and Dad told me I was worthless.”
Sarah laughed bitterly.
“Because you were.”
The words were painful.
But strangely, they didn't destroy me.
They clarified everything.
Sarah continued.
“You always acted like you were so innocent.”
“I never claimed that.”
“You hid your money from us.”
“I protected it.”
“You should have shared it.”
I stared at her.
“There it is.”
“What?”
“The truth.”
Sarah's expression changed.
“You never wanted me to succeed.”
“No.”
She blinked.
“You wanted me to fund your success.”
She looked away.
I knew I was right.
Then Greg appeared at the doorway.
“Sarah.”
She turned.
“What are you doing here?”
He looked exhausted.
“Can we talk?”
“No.”
He walked toward me.
“Elena, I need to explain.”
“You don't.”
“I didn't know your family was doing this.”
“You knew enough.”
He shook his head.
“I didn't know about the money transfers.”
“You accepted them.”
“I was trying to protect my parents.”
“You were trying to protect yourself.”
He said nothing.
I looked at him.
“Why did you marry Sarah?”
His face fell.
“I loved her.”
“Do you?”
Silence.
That silence answered everything.
Sarah stared at him.
“You don't love me?”
Greg looked away.
She began crying.
I felt no satisfaction.
Only sadness.
Because this entire wedding had been built on lies.
Then Marcus called.
I answered.
“Madam Chairwoman.”
“Yes?”
“We found the biggest transfer.”
“How much?”
“Twenty-five million dollars.”
I stood.
“Where did it go?”
“Into an offshore account.”
Whose name?
Marcus paused.
“Your mother's.”
I froze.
Then he added:
“There is something else.”
“What?”
“The money came from an account belonging to your grandfather's estate.”
My heart stopped.
My grandfather's estate had been closed years ago.
Someone had reopened an account.
Someone inside my family.
May you like
And suddenly I realized this wasn't just about the wedding.
It was about a theft that had been happening for years.
