The Scratch
Chapter 03 - The Scratch
On the afternoon of the gala, Claire received an anonymous message: If you want to know why they need you married before Friday, go to Ethan's penthouse. Check the black desk.
She almost deleted it. Then she remembered the missing shelter payments and the way Ethan had changed the password to the shared company drive. She drove across town with her pulse beating against her throat.
The penthouse door was unlocked. Voices drifted from the study.
Eleanor stood beside the black desk with a stack of contracts. Ethan was near the window, arguing with a woman Claire recognized as Vanessa Cole, the public relations director who had been appearing at Ethan's side in every recent photograph.
"She signs tonight," Eleanor said. "After the announcement, the voting rights transfer automatically. By Monday, the Rowan trust is ours."
Claire froze in the hallway.
Vanessa lifted a document. "And the design patents?"
"Included," Ethan replied. His voice sounded tired, but not surprised. "Once we're married, the company owns everything she created during the engagement."
The room tilted. Claire stepped inside before fear could stop her.
Ethan stared at her. "Claire—"
"How long?" she asked.
No one answered.
She crossed to the desk and saw her father's signature beneath a transfer agreement dated three days after his death. The handwriting looked convincing, but Thomas had broken two fingers in his right hand during his final month. He had signed every legal paper with his left.
Claire grabbed the blue folder.
Vanessa moved first. She caught Claire's arm, trying to pull the file away. Claire twisted free, and Vanessa's diamond ring cut across her cheek. The sting was sharp, followed by warmth.
Ethan seized the folder, but Claire held on. For one second, they stood inches apart, each waiting for the other to remember the love they had claimed to share.
"Let go," he said.
"You first."
Eleanor pressed a silent alarm beneath the desk. Footsteps sounded in the hall.
Claire released the folder suddenly. Ethan stumbled backward. Before anyone recovered, she snatched the flash drive from the open laptop and slipped it into her bag. Security entered as Eleanor pointed at Claire.
"She's having an episode," Eleanor said. "Escort her out."
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Ethan did not correct his mother. He did not ask whether Claire was hurt. He only looked at the blood on her cheek and said, "Please don't make this worse."
That was the moment their engagement ended—not when the ring came off, but when Claire understood he would rather protect a crime than protect her.
