Chapter 7: The Real Target
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
My father’s words hung in the room like a warning I wasn’t ready to understand.
“Me?””
I looked at him.
“Vanessa was trying to get close to me?””
My father nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
Adrian looked just as confused.
“Why would she care about Claire?””
My father didn’t answer immediately.
He walked toward the window and looked out at the city.
A habit I knew well.
Whenever my father was choosing his words carefully, he looked away.
“She didn’t know you as Claire Hart,” he said.
My stomach tightened.
“What does that mean?””
“She knew you as Claire Ellison.””
The room went silent.
I felt like the air had disappeared.
“That’s impossible.””
My father looked at me.
“Is it?””
I thought back.
The years before Adrian.
The people who knew my family.
The business events I attended as a teenager.
The photographs.
The interviews.
The charity dinners.
My father’s name had always been public.
But I had spent years trying to escape it.
I had changed my last name.
I had built a quiet life.
I thought I had disappeared.
Apparently, I hadn’t.
Adrian slowly stood.
“So Vanessa knew who Claire was before she met her?””
“Yes.””
His face changed.
“And she approached me because of that?””
My father looked at him.
“That is what our investigation suggests.””
I watched Adrian process those words.
For months, he believed Vanessa was the only person who understood him.
The only person who supported his ambitions.
Now he was realizing she had been studying him.
Using him.
Just like he had used me.
The irony wasn’t lost on either of us.
“What did she want?”” I asked.
My father turned back.
“Your family’s influence.””
I frowned.
“She could have approached me directly.””
“No.””
My father’s expression became serious.
“Because you were protected.””
I understood.
My father had always been careful about who entered our world.
But Adrian…
Adrian was different.
He was the doorway.
“She needed someone close to you,” my father continued.
“Someone you trusted.””
My eyes moved toward Adrian.
He looked away.
Because he knew.
That person had been him.
The man I married.
The man I believed would protect me.
A painful silence filled the room.
Then Adrian said something unexpected.
“I need to fix this.””
I looked at him.
“Fix what?””
He looked at me.
“Everything.””
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was impossible.
“You think you can fix three years of lies?””
“No.””
His voice was quiet.
“I know I can’t.””
That honesty surprised me.
For once, he wasn’t defending himself.
He wasn’t explaining.
He was admitting.
“I hurt you, Claire.””
I didn’t answer.
“I betrayed your trust.””
Still nothing.
“I let someone convince me that you were my enemy.””
His voice cracked slightly.
“And I became someone I don’t recognize.””
Those words should have made me feel something.
Maybe sadness.
Maybe anger.
But all I felt was exhaustion.
Because apologies were easy.
Consequences were harder.
My father placed another folder on the table.
“This came from Vanessa’s apartment.””
Adrian looked up.
“You searched her apartment?””
“No.””
My father shook his head.
“She left it behind.””
That caught my attention.
“Left?””
My father nodded.
“She disappeared this morning.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“She ran?””
“Yes.””
Adrian immediately reached for his phone.
“She knew.””
My father looked at him.
“She knew what?””
“That we found out.””
He stared at the screen.
“She’s not answering.””
I wasn’t surprised.
People like Vanessa didn’t stay when the room stopped benefiting them.
They left.
I opened the folder.
Inside were photographs.
Notes.
Records.
Plans.
My eyes moved over the pages.
Then I saw my name.
Not Claire Hart.
Claire Ellison.
There were dates.
Meetings.
Observations.
My hands became cold.
“She was watching me.””
My father nodded.
“Yes.””
I looked at Adrian.
“She knew everything.””
He swallowed.
“I didn’t.””
I believed him.
And strangely, that hurt too.
Because it meant he had been both the person who hurt me and another victim of her manipulation.
My father pointed to one document.
“Look here.””
I read the line.
And my heart stopped.
A transfer.
A payment.
From an unknown company.
To Vanessa.
For information regarding…
My family.
“Who paid her?””
My father’s expression changed.
“We’re still investigating.””
“Still?””
“Yes.””
He looked at me.
“But we know one thing.””
“What?””
“This was never about Mercer Dynamics.””
I looked down at the folder.
The belt.
The accusations.
The mistress.
The fake evidence.
Everything had been a distraction.
A performance.
Vanessa wanted me focused on Adrian.
She wanted us fighting each other.
Because while we were destroying our marriage…
She was moving toward something bigger.
My phone suddenly buzzed.
Unknown number.
I stared at it.
Nobody spoke.
Then another message appeared.
Not a text.
A voicemail.
I pressed play.
Vanessa’s voice filled the room.
“Claire.””
Everyone froze.
“I know you found the files.””
I looked at Adrian.
Her voice continued.
“You probably think this is where I lose.””
A pause.
A soft laugh.
“You still don’t understand.””
My grip tightened around the phone.
“I didn’t spend years planning this just to take Adrian’s company.””
Another pause.
“I wanted something much bigger.””
The voicemail ended.
But one sentence remained.
Something much bigger.
Adrian looked at me.
My father looked at me.
And for the first time, I realized the truth.
Vanessa had not attacked my marriage because she wanted my husband.
She had attacked my life because she wanted my family.
Then my father’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed instantly.
“What?””
We waited.
A few seconds later, he slowly lowered the phone.
“Claire.””
“What?””
His eyes were serious.
“She made her next move.””
My heart sank.
“What did she do?””
My father looked at Adrian.
May you like
Then back at me.
“She released information about your family.””
