CHAPTER 3: THE WOMAN AT THE DOOR
Vanessa wore a cream coat, diamond earrings, and the satisfied expression of someone arriving to inspect property she had already purchased.
Khloe opened the door but did not invite her inside.
“Richard isn’t home.”
“I know.”
Vanessa glanced at Khloe’s stomach.
“I came to speak with you.”
“There’s nothing to discuss.”
“Oh, there’s plenty.”
She stepped closer.
“Richard has wanted out for years. He stayed because he felt sorry for you.”
Khloe felt the words strike, but she refused to react.
Vanessa smiled.
“You were always crying about treatments, appointments, and babies you couldn’t keep. Do you know how exhausting that became for him?”
Khloe’s fingernails pressed into her palms.
“Leave my property.”
“For now.”
Vanessa removed a folded document from her handbag. It was a rendering of a luxury penthouse nursery decorated in pale gold and ivory.
At the bottom was a project title.
Baby Harrington Residence.
Khloe looked at her.
“You’re pregnant?”
Vanessa’s hand moved toward her flat stomach.
“Seven weeks.”
The cruelty was deliberate.
Vanessa believed she was announcing the replacement of both wife and child.
“Richard wants a family that doesn’t feel like a hospital waiting room,” she continued. “Sign the papers quietly. He’ll make sure you’re comfortable.”
Khloe lifted her eyes.
“Does Richard know you came here?”
For the first time, Vanessa hesitated.
That was the answer Khloe needed.
“No,” she said. “He thinks you’re fragile. I think you’re stubborn.”
Khloe stepped outside and closed the door behind her.
“You should be careful, Vanessa.”
“Is that a threat?”
“No. It’s architectural advice.”
Vanessa frowned.
Khloe looked toward the mansion.
“Beautiful structures can hide fatal defects. Sometimes the collapse has already begun before anyone hears the first crack.”
Vanessa’s smile vanished.
At 3:15, Khloe left through the service entrance carrying one bag and Harrison’s device. A black sedan waited beyond the rear gate.
As soon as she climbed inside, Harrison handed her a bottle of water.
“Did she touch you?”
“No.”
“Did she threaten you?”
“Not directly.”
“She admitted the affair?”
“She admitted everything except the crimes.”
Harrison connected the device to his laptop.
Files began appearing across the screen.
Contracts.
Bank transfers.
Private messages.
Then a video opened automatically.
It showed Richard inside his office with a man Khloe recognized from television.
Judge Malcolm Pierce.
Richard placed a thick envelope on the desk.
The judge picked it up.
May you like
And Harrison whispered one word.
“Got him.”
