Chapter 2: Smaller Than You Think
Julian didn't raise his voice.
He didn't need to.
"Marcus Mercer," he said quietly.
"I've been looking forward to meeting you in person."
Marcus tried to recover.
"Julian.
I had no idea you and Evelyn were—"
"Married?
Four years now." Julian glanced down at Emma, who was still resting her head on my shoulder, completely unbothered.
"And this is our daughter."
Chloe's smile had gone completely still.
Marcus cleared his throat.
"Well.
Small world."
"Smaller than you think," Julian said.
"My legal team has been reviewing your company's financials for the acquisition.
Interesting records.
Evelyn, you mentioned you still had copies of some older documents?"
The color drained from Marcus's face so fast that the man beside him actually reached out to steady him.
"What documents?" Marcus said.
His voice had lost everything — the smoothness, the confidence, all of it gone.
I looked at him calmly.
"The ones from our marriage.
The ones you forgot I'd seen."
Chloe grabbed Marcus's arm.
"Marcus—"
"Not now," he snapped.
Emma lifted her head from my shoulder and looked up at Marcus with innocent curiosity.
"Mommy, why does that man look scared?"
Nobody answered her.
Julian's phone buzzed in his jacket pocket.
He glanced at the screen, and something shifted in his expression.
"We need to talk," he said to Marcus.
"Tonight."
---
What was on that phone — and what do those documents actually prove?
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