Chapter 3 - Lucas Arrives Before She Leaves
Beatrice called Lucas.
Of course she did.
He arrived twenty minutes later.
No apology.
No confusion.
Anger.
“What the hell are you doing?”
I looked around my restaurant.
“Working.”
He grabbed the audit folder.
I let him.
He flipped through the pages too quickly.
That told me he already understood them.
“This accountant doesn’t know how our business works.”
“Our business?”
Lucas froze.
Lumina was my separate company.
I founded it eighteen months before our wedding.
Lucas had no ownership interest.
He did have limited financial access because I trusted him to approve
certain vendor payments while I handled expansion.
That trust had become a door.
I asked:
“What does Pacific Crest do?”
“Marketing.”
“Show me one deliverable.”
He could not.
“What does Serena Vale do?”
His face changed.
Beatrice stood.
“Camilla, don’t embarrass your husband.”
I looked at her.
“He used my company to pay his girlfriend.”
Lucas snapped:
“Lower your voice.”
May you like
“No.”
That single word felt better than I expected.
