Chapter 9 - The Woman in the Emerald Dress“DOMINIC TOLD ME YOU WERE UNSTABLE. HE NEVER TOLD ME HE WAS STEALING FROM YOU.”
Vanessa Quinn stood outside Tessa's office early Monday morning, holding a small black handbag against her chest.
Her emerald gown was gone.
She wore a cream sweater, dark trousers, and almost no makeup.
She looked exhausted.
Tessa had agreed to the meeting only after confirming that Vanessa came voluntarily and understood that our interests were not the same.
I sat across from her in the conference room.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then I asked the question that had been sitting in my chest for ten months.
“How long have you been sleeping with my husband?”
Vanessa looked down.
“Almost a year.”
The answer hurt.
Even after everything else.
I folded my hands.
“Did you know he was married when the affair began?”
“Yes.”
“Then don't pretend you were innocent.”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I wasn't going to.”
That surprised me.
Vanessa swallowed.
“I made a selfish choice. I liked the attention. I liked what Dominic represented. He told me your marriage had been over for years.”
I stared at her.
“And you believed him?”
“I wanted to.”
It was the first completely honest thing she'd said.
Tessa sat beside me, taking notes.
“Ms. Quinn, you requested this meeting. What information do you want to provide?”
Vanessa opened her handbag.
She removed a small external drive and placed it on the table.
“Dominic asked me to prepare a public relations strategy in case the Meridian transaction became controversial.”
I looked at the drive.
“What kind of strategy?”
“A narrative about why the redevelopment was necessary. Economic growth. Modern housing. Revitalization.”
“And the residents?”
Vanessa's face reddened.
“We were told the buildings were mostly vacant.”
I thought of Rosa Alvarez.
The children in the reading room.
The elderly man learning to use a computer.
“Did you ever visit?”
Vanessa shook her head.
“No.”
“Then you were willing to tell the public something you hadn't checked.”
She nodded.
“Yes.”
Tessa leaned forward.
“What's on the drive?”
“Presentations, draft press releases, communications with consultants, and some internal emails.”
“Were you authorized to retain those materials?”
“They were part of my work files. I haven't altered them.”
Tessa's expression remained serious.
“We'll need to review how the records were obtained and preserve them properly. You should also get your own attorney.”
Vanessa nodded.
“Dominic told me that if the deal fell apart, he would make sure I never worked in Chicago again.”
I looked at her.
“Why are you telling me this now?”
She was quiet for a long moment.
“Because I saw you with Richard Mercer.”
I waited.
“And I saw Dominic's face.”
Her voice shook.
“He wasn't angry that his marriage was ending. He was terrified because you were standing next to someone who knew what he'd done.”
I thought back to the gala.
Vanessa continued.
“After you left the ballroom, he went into a private room with Gerald. They argued for almost twenty minutes.”
“About what?”
“Gerald said the audit had uncovered more than they expected. Dominic said they needed to move the assets before anyone could freeze them.”
Tessa made another note.
“Did you hear them directly?”
“Yes.”
“Did either of them know you were there?”
“I don't think so. The conference room door hadn't closed completely.”
I leaned forward.
“What else?”
Vanessa's hands trembled.
“Dominic said something about your mother's letter.”
My heart stopped.
“What did he say?”
She looked at me.
“He said he should have destroyed it years ago.”
The room seemed to grow colder.
I gripped the edge of the table.
“Did he say where it was?”
“No.”
I forced myself to remain calm.
“What happened afterward?”
“Gerald told him that if the original documents surfaced, the entire arrangement could collapse.”
Tessa looked at her.
“Did you record any of this?”
Vanessa hesitated.
“I recorded part of the conversation on my phone because Dominic had been threatening to blame me for the public statements.”
She looked toward me.
“I was afraid.”
I didn't feel sympathy immediately.
Vanessa had knowingly participated in an affair.
She had helped build a false public image.
She'd ignored questions that might have exposed harm to vulnerable families.
But fear was familiar.
I'd lived with the quieter version of it for years.
The fear of disappointing Dominic.
Of losing his approval.
Of being told I wasn't enough.
“I'll listen to the recording,” I said. “But don't mistake that for forgiveness.”
Vanessa nodded.
“I understand.”
Tessa arranged for the material to be preserved and reviewed.
Before Vanessa left, I asked one more question.
“Did Dominic ever tell you why he wanted to marry me?”
She looked startled.
“No.”
“Think carefully.”
Vanessa hesitated.
Then her expression changed.
“Once, during an argument, he said something strange.”
“What?”
“He said you were the best investment he'd ever made.”
I felt the words settle in my chest like stones.
Vanessa looked ashamed.
“I thought he was being cruel. I didn't realize he meant it literally.”
After she left, Tessa and I listened to the recording.
Dominic's voice was unmistakable.
We can't afford another delay.
Gerald answered.
Then you should have secured her consent properly.
Dominic sounded furious.
Don't pretend you weren't involved.
A pause.
Then Gerald said something that made my skin crawl.
The beneficiary notices were supposed to remain under your control until the transfer was complete.
I closed my eyes.
Eight years of notifications.
Forty-seven approvals.
A forged marriage-related authorization.
Everything connected.
The recording continued.
Dominic spoke again.
Once those buildings are transferred, there won't be anything left for Evelyn to stop.
Tessa paused the audio.
She looked at me.
“That's important evidence of their intentions, though we'll still need authenticated records and financial proof.”
I nodded.
Then I remembered something.
“Vanessa said he still has my mother's letter.”
Tessa leaned back.
“If we can locate it, it may help establish what Dominic knew.”
My phone rang.
The caller was Richard.
I answered.
“Evelyn, we have a problem.”
“What now?”
“Gerald has been placed on administrative leave pending the investigation. But before our security team restricted his access, someone downloaded a large archive of trust records.”
My stomach tightened.
“Who?”
“We're still determining that.”
Richard hesitated.
“There's something else. The bank financing Dominic's redevelopment has issued a default notice connected to the disputed transaction.”
“What does that mean for the buildings?”
“If the lender attempts to enforce certain collateral rights, those properties could become entangled in an immediate foreclosure dispute.”
I thought of Rosa.
The learning center.
The eighty-four households.
“How soon?”
“Possibly this morning, unless our attorneys obtain relief.”
I turned to Tessa.
She was already reaching for her phone.
Richard's voice became grave.
“Evelyn, Dominic may have failed to transfer the properties Saturday night.”
May you like
He paused.
“But he may have arranged for the bank to take them instead.”
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