I Was the Only Employee Sitting Alone at My Boss’s Wedding — Then Her Younger Sister Whispered a Secret That Changed Everything
Chapter 2
I didn’t watch the flash drive immediately.
That was my first mistake.
Instead, I followed Olivia’s younger sister through the reception hall.
I found her near a balcony overlooking the lake.
Natalie was standing alone.
She looked nervous.
“Explain.”
She turned.
“Did you bring it?”
I held up the drive.
“Yes.”
“Don’t use a company computer.”
“Why?”
“Because they’re being monitored.”
I stared at her.
“Who is?”
She hesitated.
“Ethan.”
I didn’t like the sound of that.
“Why do you think your sister is in danger?”
Natalie looked toward the reception.
Olivia was dancing with Ethan.
“They’re leaving at one in the morning.”
“Where?”
“Blackwood Island.”
I knew the name.
A private island owned by Mercer Capital.
“Why?”
“Ethan says it’s their honeymoon.”
“And?”
Natalie looked at me.
“It isn’t.”
She opened her purse and removed a folded document.
“My sister signed this three days ago.”
I unfolded it.
It looked like a standard marital agreement.
Then I saw the corporate clauses.
Control of several Hartwell family assets would transfer to Ethan if Olivia became incapacitated.
I frowned.
“Why would she sign this?”
“She didn’t understand it.”
“You expect me to believe the CEO of Hartwell International didn’t understand a contract?”
Natalie shook her head.
“Not this part.”
She pointed to one paragraph.
The language was deliberately buried beneath unrelated provisions.
“If Olivia is unable to perform her duties for more than thirty days, temporary control of Hartwell’s voting shares transfers to the spouse.”
I stared.
“That’s dangerous.”
Natalie nodded.
“There’s more.”
She showed me a second document.
It involved Blackwood Island.
Then another.
The island had a private aircraft hangar.
An offshore trust.
Several dormant corporations.
My stomach tightened.
“Who drafted these?”
“Ethan’s lawyer.”
“Does Olivia know?”
“I don’t think so.”
I looked toward the ballroom.
“Why would he do this?”
Natalie whispered:
“Because he’s not marrying my sister for love.”
“Then why?”
“Control.”
The word landed hard.
I had spent six years watching Olivia fight to protect Hartwell International from hostile investors.
Ethan had been one of them.
He had bought nearly eight percent of the company’s stock over the previous year.
At the time, I thought it was normal investment.
Now it looked different.
“How did you get these documents?”
“My father kept old files.”
“Your father?”
She nodded.
“Before he died, he told me never to trust Ethan Mercer.”
I stared at her.
“When did he say that?”
“The week before the merger.”
I remembered.
The merger had nearly destroyed Hartwell.
Olivia’s father had died shortly afterward.
The official story was heart failure.
But there had always been rumors.
Natalie looked at me.
“He didn’t die naturally.”
I felt a chill.
“What are you saying?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then why are you telling me?”
“Because I found something in his safe.”
She pointed at the flash drive.
“Everything is on there.”
I looked at the drive.
“What happens if I’m wrong?”
“You give it back.”
“And if you’re right?”
Natalie looked toward Olivia.
“Then my sister walks into a trap at midnight.”
I looked at the clock.
11:02.
Less than two hours.
I turned toward the nearest exit.
“Where are you going?”
“Somewhere private.”
“Why?”
“To find out what we’re dealing with.”
She followed.
“I’ll come with you.”
I stopped.
“You’re risking your family.”
“So are you.”
She looked directly at me.
“That’s why I chose you.”
I didn’t know what she meant.
Not yet.
But as we left the reception, one thing became clear.
Natalie Hart was terrified.
And people who were terrified usually had a reason.
