Chapter 4: The Company He Tried to Steal
For a few seconds, I forgot how to breathe.
The words didn’t make sense.
Not because they were complicated.
Because they were impossible.
“Ownership transfer?””
My voice came out barely above a whisper.
The investigator nodded.
“Yes, Ms. Carter.””
I looked at Weston.
He wasn’t looking at me.
That was all the confirmation I needed.
A person who was innocent looked confused.
A person who was shocked asked questions.
A person who had no idea what was happening demanded answers.
Weston looked like someone watching a secret finally escape.
“What company?”” Corinne asked.
Her voice was quieter now.
Almost afraid.
The investigator glanced between us.
“Ms. Carter’s digital marketing agency.””
My agency.
The thing I built from nothing.
The thing I created before I ever met Weston.
The thing I worked through sleepless nights to build.
My hands curled into fists.
“No.””
The investigator looked at me.
“No?””
“I never signed anything transferring ownership.””
“I understand.””
“No,” I repeated.
This time louder.
“I mean there is no way.””
The woman holding the tablet stepped forward.
“We understand why this is difficult to accept. That’s why we’re here.””
She turned the screen toward me.
There were documents.
Pages of them.
Legal language.
Dates.
Electronic signatures.
My name.
My information.
My identity.
But not my decision.
I stared at the screen.
“Where did you get these?””
The investigator answered.
“During the review of Whitmore Technologies’ financial records.””
I looked at Weston.
“Your company had these?””
He didn’t respond.
“Weston.””
His eyes lifted.
“Ava…”
“Did your company have documents claiming ownership of mine?””
He swallowed.
“It wasn’t finalized.””
The room became silent.
I almost couldn’t believe what I had just heard.
Not denied.
Not explained.
Not defended.
Just minimized.
“It wasn’t finalized?””
“Ava, listen—”
“No.””
I raised my hand.
“Do not tell me to listen.””
My voice shook.
“But you can explain how you thought it was acceptable to even try.””
Weston stepped toward me.
“I wasn’t trying to steal your company.””
“Then what were you trying to do?””
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
The investigator looked at him.
“Mr. Whitmore, perhaps you should answer that.””
Weston’s face hardened slightly.
A small flash of anger replaced the fear.
“I was trying to protect our future.””
I stared at him.
“Our future?””
“Yes.””
“You mean the future where you secretly own my company?””
“No.””
“The future where you use my name to secure your debts?””
“That wasn’t the plan.””
“Then what was the plan?””
He looked frustrated.
Like I was the one making things difficult.
“I was going to merge our businesses.””
I blinked.
“You were going to what?””
“Your agency and my startup.””
I actually laughed.
A short, broken sound.
“You never discussed this with me.””
“I knew you would be against it.””
Exactly.
There it was.
The truth.
He didn’t make the decision because he believed it was right.
He made the decision because he knew I would refuse.
“You knew I would say no,” I whispered.
“Ava, you don’t understand the pressure I was under.””
I looked around the room.
At the locked door.
At the documents.
At the people who had been trying to control my money.
“I understand perfectly.””
My eyes met his.
“You were under pressure, so you decided my life was yours to gamble.””
Weston looked away.
The investigator cleared his throat.
“Mr. Whitmore, we need to clarify something.””
Weston turned.
“The ownership documents were not only unauthorized. They were submitted as evidence of collateral.””
Corinne looked confused.
“Collateral for what?””
The investigator looked at her.
“For a business loan.””
Her face changed.
“A business loan?””
Weston’s jaw tightened.
“Mom.””
“You told me investors were coming.””
“They were.””
“You told me the company was almost saved.””
“It was.””
“No.””
Her voice sharpened.
“You lied to me too.””
That was the first time I saw Corinne look truly hurt.
Not angry.
Not offended.
Hurt.
And strangely, it didn’t make me feel better.
Because I finally understood something.
Weston wasn’t just lying to me.
He had built an entire world of lies and invited everyone inside.
The investigator continued.
“The loan agreement was based on the assumption that Mr. Whitmore had access to significant personal assets.””
My stomach turned.
“What personal assets?””
The investigator looked at me.
“Yours.””
The word landed like a punch.
I closed my eyes.
For years, I thought Weston loved my ambition.
My independence.
My strength.
But maybe those were the exact things he had been waiting to use.
“Did you ever tell them I agreed?”” I asked.
Weston looked at me.
“Ava—”
“Did you?””
He stayed silent.
The investigator answered.
“According to the documents, yes.””
My chest tightened.
“He told them I agreed?””
“Yes.””
“And did they believe him?””
The investigator looked uncomfortable.
“Initially.””
“Why?””
“Because the documents appeared legitimate.””
Appeared.
That word mattered.
Because nothing about this was real.
Not the signature.
Not the ownership.
Not the promise.
Not the future I thought I was building.
My phone buzzed.
I looked down.
Another message from Martin.
*I’m sorry you found out this way. There’s one more thing you need to know before the investigators review the remaining files.*
My fingers went cold.
I opened it.
*Weston didn’t just use your signature. He created a timeline showing you agreed to become a business partner.*
I stared at the message.
A timeline.
A fake story.
A version of events where I was willing.
Where I approved.
Where I participated.
I looked up.
“Why?””
Nobody answered.
I turned to Weston.
“Why did you need to make it look like I agreed?””
His expression shifted.
Because he knew.
He knew exactly what I was asking.
“You were worried about investors,” I said.
“No.””
“You knew nobody would accept that I had no idea.””
“Ava…”
“You needed everyone to believe I was part of this.””
He looked down.
And that was the confession.
Not words.
Not an admission.
Just the inability to deny it.
Corinne slowly walked toward her son.
“You made her part of your company?””
Weston didn’t answer.
“She didn’t know?””
Still nothing.
Her face changed.
“You used the woman carrying your child?””
“Mom, stop.””
“No.””
Her voice cracked.
“You locked her in this house because she wouldn’t give you more money.””
Weston’s expression tightened.
“You don’t understand.””
“I understand more than you think.””
For the first time, Corinne wasn’t defending him.
She was seeing him.
And I wondered if this was the first time anyone had.
The investigator closed the folder.
“Ms. Carter, we’ll need you to come with us to review your statements and confirm what you did and did not authorize.””
I nodded.
Then I looked at the door.
The same door Weston had locked.
The same door I had almost begged him to open.
Now it was open.
And somehow, I felt different walking toward it.
Not free.
Not yet.
But awake.
I reached the doorway.
Then I stopped.
Because Weston said my name.
“Ava.””
I didn’t turn around.
“I’m sorry.””
Those two words.
The words I had waited months to hear.
The words I thought would fix everything.
They did nothing.
Because apologies were easy.
Consequences were not.
“You’re sorry because you got caught,” I said quietly.
“No.””
“Yes.””
I looked back at him.
“You weren’t sorry when I was paying your bills.””
Silence.
“You weren’t sorry when you hid the documents.””
Silence.
“You weren’t sorry when your mother pushed me.””
His face changed.
But he still didn’t move.
“And you weren’t sorry when you locked the door.””
I stepped outside.
The cool evening air touched my face.
For the first time in hours, I could breathe.
But as I walked toward the investigator’s car, my phone buzzed again.
Another message.
This one wasn’t from Martin.
It was from my own company’s legal department.
I opened it.
My heart stopped.
*Ava, we need to speak immediately. Someone attempted to remove you as CEO of your company this morning.*
I stared at the screen.
Because there was only one person who could have done that.
And he had been sitting across from me six hours earlier, asking me to trust him.
The message continued.
*The request was approved using a document signed by you.*
I looked back at the house.
At Weston standing in the doorway.
At the man who had once promised me forever.
And I realized the wedding wasn’t the thing he had been planning.
May you like
The wedding was just the distraction.
The real plan had always been my life.
