Chapter 11 - Six Women
Rebecca put the call on speaker.
“Caleb, start over.”
“I went into Mom’s office after they started arguing.”
His voice trembled.
“I found Elena’s folder.”
“And five others.”
“Who are they?”
“I recognize two names.”
He swallowed.
“They dated Julian.”
My skin went cold.
“How seriously?”
“One was before you.”
“One was maybe three years ago.”
“What are the other names?”
Caleb read them.
Rebecca wrote each one down.
I recognized none.
“What’s inside?”
“The same kind of stuff.”
“Property records.”
“Family information.”
“Jobs.”
“Parents.”
“Businesses.”
I closed my eyes.
It wasn’t romance.
It was research.
Julian had been building financial profiles of women he dated.
“How long has your mother known?”
I asked.
Caleb went silent.
“Caleb?”
Finally he whispered, “I think she made the folders.”
My father swore.
Rebecca remained controlled.
“Photograph every page you can safely photograph.”
“Already doing it.”
“Do not remove originals.”
“Okay.”
“Then get out.”
A door slammed somewhere behind him.
Caleb inhaled sharply.
“I have to go.”
The call ended.
For ten minutes, photographs arrived in batches.
One woman owned a medical practice with her father.
Another stood to inherit commercial property.
A third came from a wealthy farming family.
A fourth had a successful software company.
A fifth had a grandmother whose estate had recently gone through probate.
Every folder included handwritten notes.
Too suspicious.
Brother controls trust.
Prenup required.
Family debt.
Not enough liquidity.
Then we reached mine.
The notes were more detailed.
Father likes her.
Good credit.
No student loans.
12% company interest.
Grandfather trust - verify after marriage.
And one line written in red ink.
Very emotionally attached to J.
I couldn’t look away.
My love had been listed as an exploitable asset.
My father reached for the page.
His hands were shaking with anger.
Rebecca said quietly, “This is important.”
“Important?”
I laughed bitterly.
“It’s a hunting ledger.”
“Possibly.”
She pointed to another note.
Avoid prenup conversation until engagement. Then frame as distrust.
My stomach turned.
That was exactly what Julian had done.
When my father suggested a prenup, Julian had acted devastated.
He told me requiring one meant my family believed he was beneath us.
I had defended him.
I had told my father I would not start my marriage by insulting the man I loved.
Julian had known exactly which emotional button to press because someone had written it down in advance.
My phone suddenly rang.
Unknown number.
Rebecca answered it.
“Hello?”
A woman’s voice spoke.
“Is this Elena Hart?”
Rebecca looked at me.
I nodded.
“This is her attorney.”
There was a pause.
“My name is Samantha Price.”
Rebecca’s eyes dropped to the list.
Samantha was one of the six names.
The woman continued.
“I just got a very strange call from Caleb Voss.”
My heart began pounding.
“He said Elena married Julian yesterday.”
“Yes.”
Another pause.
May you like
Then Samantha whispered something that made every person in the room stop moving.
“Tell Elena to check whether Julian took out a life insurance policy on her.”
