Chapter 6 - Sienna Was Promised More Than Julian Could Give
After the anniversary scene, Sienna agreed to meet me privately.
Not because she suddenly respected me.
Because she was frightened.
We met the next morning in a conference room at Marcus’s office.
No glamour.
No sequins.
Sienna wore a gray sweater and no makeup.
She looked younger.
“Did Julian tell you to come?” I asked.
“No.”
“Does he know you’re here?”
“No.”
Good.
I placed the Charleston documents on the table.
“Did he promise you ownership?”
Her eyes lowered.
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Ten percent.”
“Of the hotel?”
“Of his management company.”
“When?”
“After the capital transfer.”
I nodded.
“Did he tell you where the capital came from?”
“At first, he said family money.”
“At first?”
“Later he said your mother left you a trust and you were transferring half to him.”
My jaw tightened.
“Did he tell you I was sick?”
“Yes.”
“Did that bother you?”
She closed her eyes.
“Yes.”
“Enough to stop?”
“No.”
Honest.
Ugly.
Better than excuses.
Sienna continued:
“He told me your marriage had been over emotionally for years.”
I almost laughed.
The universal phrase.
“He said you were staying together through treatment because divorce would be cruel.”
That was clever.
Julian had turned his failure to leave into evidence of compassion.
“What did he say would happen after?”
“You would divorce quietly.”
“And the money?”
She looked ashamed.
“He said it was already yours to give him. That you wanted him protected no matter what happened.”
I stared.
Some part of that had once been true.
That made the lie effective.
Then Sienna said:
“I believed you knew about Charleston.”
“What?”
“He said you supported it.”
I leaned back.
Again.
Julian had used my invisible approval to make his plans respectable.
“Did he tell you I knew about you?”
“No.”
“Then how could I support a company giving you equity?”
Sienna looked down.
“I didn’t ask enough questions.”
There.
Her responsibility.
Then she pushed a folder toward me.
“What is this?”
“Messages.”
“With Julian?”
“Yes.”
“Why give them to me?”
Her face hardened.
“Because after the party, he called me and said the whole thing was my fault.”
I stared.
Of course.
“He said I distracted him while he should have been checking what you were doing.”
The absurdity almost made me smile.
Sienna continued.
“He told me he could still save Charleston if I put money in.”
“How much?”
“Two million.”
“Do you have two million?”
“No.”
“So?”
“He wanted me to borrow against my parents’ company shares.”
My expression changed.
Julian had learned nothing.
One collapsed source of money.
Find another.
Sienna whispered:
“That’s when I understood he wasn’t choosing me.”
I looked at her.
“He was choosing the deal.”
May you like
Exactly.
And suddenly both women he had lied to were looking at the same man clearly.
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