Chapter 4: The Man Who Knew My Name
The man beside the Cadillac closed the driver's door without taking his eyes off Marcus.
He was tall, perhaps in his early forties, wearing a charcoal suit despite the Georgia heat. His expression was controlled, almost bored, but the way Marcus stood frozen beside the pool told me this was no ordinary confrontation between a husband and his wife's lover.
Brianna clutched the towel against her chest.
“Daniel,” she whispered.
So that was her husband's name.
Daniel glanced at her, then at the pool, then at the fireplace where Marcus's clothes were still smoldering.
Finally, he looked at me.
“Lauren Bennett?””
My heart gave a hard, uncomfortable thump.
I hadn't introduced myself.
“Yes,” I answered cautiously.
“Who are you?””
“Daniel Whitmore. Brianna's husband.””
He extended a hand, but I didn't take it.
“I'm sorry you had to meet me this way,” he said.
I looked at Marcus.
“Apparently, this is the afternoon for introductions.””
Daniel followed my gaze.
“Marcus Reed,” he said, his voice calm.
“I believe we've heard quite a lot about each other.””
Marcus forced a laugh.
“Daniel. This isn't the place for this.””
“Interesting. You seemed perfectly comfortable making it the place for an affair.””
Brianna closed her eyes.
“Daniel, please. Can we talk somewhere private?””
He turned toward her.
“We will talk. But first, I want an answer to a question.””
His attention returned to Marcus.
“Why did you tell my wife that Lauren didn't own this house?””
The question landed harder than any shout could have.
I stared at Daniel.
Then I stared at Marcus.
“What did you just say?””
Marcus immediately stepped between us.
“Daniel, you're missing some important context.””
“Then provide it.””
“This is a personal matter.””
Daniel gave a small, humorless smile.
“You brought my wife into a property dispute involving another woman. It stopped being personal the moment you used her to conceal what you were doing.””
My fingers went cold.
“Property dispute?”” I asked.
Marcus turned toward me.
“Lauren, don't listen to him. He's trying to stir things up.””
Daniel reached into his jacket and removed a slim leather folder.
“I didn't come here to argue about your relationship,” he said.
“I came because I received a message this afternoon that suggested you were about to be deceived in a way that could cost you far more than a boyfriend.””
Marcus went pale.
Brianna looked at Daniel.
“You said you weren't going to bring that here.””
“I said I wouldn't discuss it until I had verified the facts.””
Daniel opened the folder.
Marcus moved toward him.
“Put that away.””
Daniel didn't even look at him.
“Take another step, Marcus, and this conversation will happen with the police present.””
Marcus stopped.
I looked from one man to the other.
“What facts?””
Daniel pulled out a single sheet of paper.
“I had a business meeting scheduled with Marcus this afternoon. He asked me to consider investing in a company he claimed to control. During our preliminary checks, my attorney found inconsistencies involving the property listed as collateral.””
My stomach tightened.
“What property?””
Daniel looked at me.
“This house.””
The backyard seemed to tilt beneath my feet.
Marcus shook his head violently.
“This is ridiculous.””
Daniel continued as if he hadn't spoken.
“The documents I reviewed indicate that someone has been representing this property as an asset available to secure a business loan.””
I couldn't breathe properly.
“That isn't possible,” I said.
“Marcus and I have a mortgage, but we never agreed to use the house as collateral for his business.””
Daniel's eyes narrowed.
“Did you sign anything recently?””
I thought about the papers Marcus had brought home two months earlier.
He had left them on the kitchen island, neatly arranged beneath a blue folder. He'd explained that our mortgage company needed updated household information. I remembered signing several pages while preparing dinner, trusting that he had already explained everything.
I had asked him whether there was anything else I needed to do.
He had kissed my forehead and said, “That's my girl. You always make things easier.””
My throat tightened.
“I signed some paperwork,” I admitted.
“But he told me it was related to our mortgage.””
Marcus seized on the answer.
“Exactly. It was routine paperwork.””
Daniel looked at him.
“Then you won't mind explaining why the signatures attached to the collateral authorization don't match the original records.””
Marcus's face changed.
Only slightly.
But I saw it.
“Forgery?”” I whispered.
“No conclusion has been reached,” Daniel replied.
“That's why I'm here to verify what happened before proceeding with the investment.””
Marcus pointed at him.
“You're not a law enforcement officer.””
“No. And I haven't claimed to be one.””
“Then you have no business interfering.””
Daniel calmly returned the document to the folder.
“I have every business verifying information presented to me by someone seeking my money.””
Brianna began crying.
Not the quiet tears of someone embarrassed by an affair. These were frightened, angry tears.
“You told me this was just a relationship,” she said to Marcus.
“You told me Lauren was leaving and everything was almost settled.””
Marcus rounded on her.
“Not now.””
“You said you were going to start over with me!””
“Brianna, stop talking.””
She threw the towel onto the chair.
“No! I'm tired of being told when I can speak!””
Her voice cracked across the patio.
“You made me believe you were building a future with me. You said your business was about to take off. You said you needed a little help getting everything organized.””
Daniel looked at his wife.
“What kind of help?””
Brianna hesitated.
Marcus's expression became dangerous.
“Don't.””
She stared at him, then at Daniel.
“He asked me to transfer money into an account for a business expense. He said it was temporary.””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“How much?””
“Twenty-five thousand dollars.””
The silence that followed was absolute.
Even I forgot about the fireplace.
Daniel looked at Marcus for several seconds.
“Did you tell her that money would be used to secure the investment?””
Marcus didn't answer.
“Did you tell her the property belonged to Lauren?””
Still nothing.
I stepped forward.
“Marcus, look at me.””
He did.
“Did you use my signature?””
His eyes flickered toward the open gate.
That was enough to make my knees feel weak.
“Answer me,” I demanded.
“I was trying to protect our future.””
I stared at him.
“That's not an answer.””
“I needed the money for a short-term opportunity. I was going to replace it.””
“With what?””
“My company was about to close a deal.””
“You said that last year.””
His face tightened.
“And it would have worked if everyone had stopped getting in my way.””
There it was.
Not remorse.
Not even fear of what he'd done to me.
Resentment.
He genuinely believed that the people he had deceived were responsible for the consequences.
Daniel shut the folder.
“I've heard enough for today.””
Marcus stepped toward him.
“You can't just walk in here and accuse me of crimes.””
“I haven't accused you of a crime. I've asked questions you refuse to answer.””
Daniel turned to me.
“Lauren, I strongly recommend that you obtain independent legal advice before signing anything else. Don't rely on documents Marcus provides, and don't assume your interests are protected simply because your name appears on the property records.””
I nodded slowly.
My mind was racing through every document I'd signed, every transfer we'd discussed, every time Marcus had asked me to trust him because we were building a life together.
Then Daniel said something that made me look up.
“One more thing. The company Marcus approached me about isn't the only place where your name has appeared.””
Marcus lunged forward.
“Daniel, shut your mouth!””
Daniel took a step back, his composure finally cracking.
“Your name appears in a business filing that was submitted last week.””
I stared at Marcus.
“What filing?””
Daniel looked directly at me.
“A company registration. One that lists you as a director.””
I had never agreed to become a director of any company Marcus owned.
I had never even seen the name of the business.
“What company?”” I asked.
Daniel opened the folder again.
He turned the page toward me.
At the top was a company name I had never heard before.
May you like
Beneath it was my full legal name.
And beside my name was a signature that looked disturbingly like mine.
