Chapter 2 - Daniel Chases Emily Into The Rain
Emily had almost reached the hotel entrance when Daniel caught up with
her.
Rain hammered the glass doors beyond the marble lobby.
“Emily, please.”
She turned.
The red mark on her cheek was still visible.
Daniel stopped several feet away.
He did not touch her.
“Why didn’t you say anything?” she asked.
“I was trying to keep the banquet from becoming a scene.”
Emily gave a broken laugh.
“Your mother made it a scene when she hit me.”
“I know.”
“No. You know now because I walked away.”
Daniel looked down.
That was answer enough.
Emily reached into her evening bag and removed a folded bank document.
“I found this three hours ago.”
Daniel recognized the Whitmore Foundation letterhead.
His face changed.
Emily handed him the page.
It showed a transfer of $2.4 million from a charitable housing fund into
a private company called DMR Holdings.
The authorization carried Daniel’s digital signature.
Emily watched him carefully.
“Tell me you know what that is.”
Daniel stared at the page.
“I don’t.”
“Your signature is on it.”
“I never approved this.”
Emily wanted to believe him.
But after watching him remain silent while Margaret slapped her, belief
no longer came easily.
Daniel looked at the transaction date.
“That was the week I was in Chicago.”
“Which doesn’t prove anything.”
“No.”
He did not ask her to trust him.
That mattered.
Then Margaret appeared at the far end of the lobby.
She had followed them.
When she saw the document in Daniel’s hand, all the anger disappeared
from her face.
“Where did you get that?”
Emily turned.
“So you recognize it.”
Margaret stopped.
Daniel looked between them.
“Mom?”
Margaret whispered:
“You were never supposed to see that account.”
Emily felt something inside her go cold.
The slap had not happened because she embarrassed Margaret.
It happened because, during dinner, Emily had quietly mentioned DMR
Holdings.
Margaret had panicked.
Daniel finally understood.
May you like
His mother had not been defending the family’s reputation.
She had been trying to stop Emily from saying one more word.
