The rain began to fall in heavy, rhythmic sheets against the windshield as I pulled up to the abandoned villa on the outskirts of the city. This wasn't The Sector, and it wasn't a corporate office. This was a place where the past came to rot.
The Private Investigator, a man named Marcus who looked like he hadn't slept since the 90s, was waiting for me under the dripping eaves of the porch. In his hand, he held a tattered, blue-covered ledger.
"You should have let her come," Marcus rasped, his eyes darting to the street. "This isn't just about money anymore. This is about blood."
"She's been through enough," I said, snatching the book from his hand. My fingers were cold, and my heart was thumping a frantic rhythm against my ribs. I flipped to the first page, my eyes scanning the faded ink.
My breath caught in my throat. I had to read the name three times before my brain would accept it. It wasn't Catherine. It wasn't the Auditor.
"Chief Sir Ben...?" I whispered the name aloud.
It was the man who had been the Principal of the girls' school. The man everyone respected. The man who was supposed to be a family ally. According to this ledger, he hadn't been a friend to Alexandra's father—he had been the one holding the silent "Contract" over the entire family's head for twenty years.
"He's the one who authorized the original 'Hidden Husband' clause," Marcus explained, leaning in close. "He didn't do it to help Alexandra. He did it because he knew that if she married a 'nobody' like you, he could control the shares from the shadows. He didn't count on you actually falling in love with her. He didn't count on you being... you."
I felt a cold, sharp anger settle into my bones. While Alexandra and I were in the safehouse, finally finding peace, the real puppet master was someone we had treated with nothing but respect.
"He's coming to the villa tonight," Marcus warned. "He thinks Catherine failed, so he's going to handle the 'disposal' himself."
I looked at the ledger, then at the ring on my finger. The romance of the morning felt like a dream. This was the reality of the street.
"Let him come," I said, my voice dropping to a deadly, quiet tone. "He thinks I'm just a guy she picked up to save her company. He's about to find out that the 'Hidden Husband' is the most dangerous mistake he ever made."
I reached into my pocket and dialed a number. Not the police. Not the board.
"Alexandra?" I said when she picked up.
"You're late," she teased, her voice full of the warmth that I was now fighting to protect. "The sixty minutes are up."
"I know," I said, my eyes fixed on the dark road where a pair of headlights was approaching. "I'm coming home soon. But first, I have to close one last deal. I love you."
I hung up before she could ask questions. I tucked the ledger into my belt and stepped into the shadows of the villa.
The Principal was here. And he was about to learn that school was officially out.