I looked at her.
“How much were you promised?”
Her voice broke.
“Eight million.”
For several seconds, I couldn’t speak.
Eight million dollars.
That was the price they’d placed on my dignity.
My safety.
My right to control the company I’d built.
Then Kristen whispered something unexpected.
“Gloria, Malcolm isn’t the one who planned the whole thing.”
My stomach tightened.
“What?”
She looked terrified.
“He was working with someone you trust.”
I felt cold.
“Who?”
Before she could answer, headlights swept across the driveway.
Kristen went pale.
“Oh, God.”
She backed away from the door.
“He’s here.”
I looked at the camera.
A black car had stopped near the gate.
A man stepped out.
He wore a dark suit.
For one terrible moment, I thought it was Malcolm.
Then he moved beneath the security light.
And I recognized him.
Daniel Pierce.
My attorney.
***
I stood motionless.
Daniel walked toward Kristen.
