Chapter 6 – THE JUDAS IN THE SHADOWS

The music from the orchestra swelled as Richard began his speech, his deep voice echoing through the grand ballroom.

I stared at David, my heart hammering violently against my ribs.

“What do you mean, he knows?” I hissed, trying to wrench my wrist from his grip. “Let go of me, David!”

David didn’t let go. He pulled me deeper into the alcove behind the heavy velvet curtains, out of sight from the press pit. He was sweating, his eyes darting frantically toward the podium where Richard was speaking.

“Richard’s security team hacked Vanessa’s phone this morning,” David whispered, panic radiating from him in waves. “They intercepted the texts. They know she moved Mom. They know you have the real documents.”

My blood ran cold. “If he knew, why did he let me get in the car? Why did he bring me here?”

“Because he needed you in public!” David pleaded. “If you disappear from a gala with five hundred witnesses, it raises questions. He brought you here to control you. Catherine, you have to hand the envelope over to his security chief. Right now.”

I looked at my brother, disgusted. “You told him, didn’t you? You didn’t just stumble upon this information. You warned him.”

David’s face crumpled. “I had to, Cath! He called in the debt! I was going to jail! He promised me if I stopped you tonight, he would forgive the half-million and give me a job in his European division. I’m leaving for London tomorrow.”

I felt a profound, sickening wave of betrayal. My own brother. I had fought to save him, and he had sold me out for a plane ticket and a paycheck.

“You’re a coward, David,” I said, my voice dripping with venom.

“I’m surviving!” David shot back, tears in his eyes. “He’s too powerful, Catherine. Give me the envelope. If you hand it to the reporter, Richard’s men will arrest you for corporate espionage before you make it out the door. He has the police commissioner in his pocket!”

I looked through a crack in the curtains.

At the back of the room, standing right next to the Boston Globe reporter, were two of Richard’s massive private security guards. They were watching the crowd like hawks, waiting for me to make the exchange.

David was right. If I stepped out, they would intercept the envelope, claim I was an unstable, disgruntled wife, and bury the evidence forever.

Richard’s voice boomed over the speakers.

“…and this foundation is built on the core values of transparency, family, and unwavering trust.”

The hypocrisy made me nauseous.

I looked down at the clutch purse in my hands. The manila envelope inside felt heavy, radioactive.

“Give it to me, Cath,” David begged, holding out his hand. “I’ll give it to Richard. You go back to the table, smile, and play the good wife. He won’t hurt Mom if you surrender.”

I looked at David’s trembling hand.

I thought about the thirty-one years of silence. The dinners eaten alone. The mistress living in my father’s house. The smug, arrogant laugh when he told me I couldn’t survive without him.

I unclasped my purse.

I reached inside and pulled out the thick manila envelope.

David sighed in relief, reaching for it.

But I didn’t hand it to him.

I shoved the envelope down the front of my emerald-green gown, securing it tightly against my chest, hidden entirely by the structured bodice of the dress.

“What are you doing?” David panicked.

“I’m surviving,” I said coldly.

I reached into my purse again and pulled out the other envelope I had packed. The fake blue ledger pages that Vanessa had initially found—the decoy records. I shoved them into David’s hands.

“Tell Richard you stopped me,” I said. “Tell him I folded.”

“Catherine, if he finds out—”

“He won’t find out until it’s too late,” I promised.

I pushed past my brother, stepping out from behind the velvet curtains. I didn’t walk toward the press pit. I didn’t walk toward the exit.

I walked straight toward the stage.

The spotlight caught the shimmering emerald fabric of my dress. Heads turned as I strode purposefully down the center aisle.

Richard was in the middle of a joke about corporate synergy. He saw me approaching, and for a fraction of a second, his charismatic smile faltered. He expected me to be detained by his guards at the back of the room. He didn’t expect me to walk into the spotlight.

I climbed the short stairs to the stage.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Richard recovered smoothly, throwing his arm out in a welcoming gesture. “My beautiful wife, Catherine, everyone! Always keeping me on my toes.”

The crowd chuckled and applauded gently.

I stepped up to the podium, standing directly beside him. I could smell his expensive cologne—the same cologne he wore for Vanessa.

Richard leaned in, keeping his smile plastered for the cameras, but his grip on my waist was bone-crushing.

“What are you doing?” he hissed through gritted teeth. “David said he handled you.”

“David gave you the decoy, Richard,” I whispered back, my smile radiant for the five hundred guests watching us. “I have the real documents. Right here against my heart.”

Richard’s eyes widened slightly in pure panic.

“And Richard?” I added softly, leaning into the microphone so my next words would echo through the entire ballroom.

“I’d like to say a few words about the foundation’s true legacy.”

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