Chapter 3 - THE MORNING AFTER
By seven the next morning, Willow's humiliation was online.
Someone had filmed the slap.
The video lasted nine seconds.
Lucas shouting.
Willow refusing to apologize.
His hand striking her face.
The champagne glass breaking.
Then laughter.
By breakfast, it had been viewed more than three million times.
The Sterling public relations machine responded immediately.
A statement appeared through several media outlets.
"Mr. and Mrs. Sterling experienced an intensely private marital disagreement during an emotionally charged family celebration."
Willow read the sentence twice.
"Private?"
Michael slid a cup of coffee toward her.
"Apparently six hundred people makes something private."
The statement continued.
"Both parties regret the incident and ask for privacy while they work toward reconciliation."
Willow's hands tightened.
"I didn't approve this."
"Of course you didn't."
Her phone rang.
Lucas.
She declined it.
He called again.
Then again.
On the fourth call, Michael asked, "Want me to answer?"
"No."
Willow picked up.
"Hello."
Lucas's voice was strained.
"Finally."
Willow said nothing.
"Where are you?"
"My father's house."
"Come home."
"No."
"Willow, stop acting like a teenager."
She almost laughed.
"You hit me."
"I lost control for one second."
"In front of six hundred people."
"You humiliated my father."
"He called me trash."
"He's seventy years old."
"So that makes it okay?"
Lucas exhaled.
"Look, I shouldn't have hit you."
Willow waited.
"But?"
Silence.
Then Lucas said, "You deliberately provoked me."
There it was.
She closed her eyes.
Lucas continued.
"Come home."
"We can fix the media problem."
"The media problem?"
"Yes."
"Our marriage isn't a media problem."
"You don't understand what's at stake."
Willow thought about the documents in Michael's study.
"Maybe I understand more than you think."
Lucas became quiet.
"What does that mean?"
Willow looked at her father.
Michael shook his head slightly.
Not yet.
"Goodbye, Lucas."
"Willow."
She ended the call.
Thirty seconds later, Richard called.
She ignored him.
Then Marion.
Then the Sterling family attorney.
Then Lucas again.
Michael's phone rang next.
He answered.
"Donovan."
His expression hardened.
"Understood."
He ended the call.
"What happened?"
"Someone broke into my garage last night."
Willow froze.
"What?"
"Nothing was stolen."
"Then why—"
"They were looking for something."
The flash drive.
Michael had already placed copies with attorneys in three different states.
But Richard did not know that.
Willow's fear transformed into anger.
"We go public."
Michael studied her.
"With everything."
"Not yet."
"Why?"
"Because evidence is useful only if you survive long enough to put it in the right hands."
Willow stared at him.
"You think Richard would hurt us?"
Michael did not answer immediately.
That frightened her more than a yes.
Finally, he said, "I think Richard Sterling has spent thirty years believing consequences are things that happen to other people."
Willow's phone buzzed.
A text from Helena.
PLEASE CALL ME.
Willow did.
Helena answered immediately.
"Thank God."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm not the one I'm worried about."
Helena lowered her voice.
"Willow, somebody came to your gallery this morning."
"Who?"
"Two men."
"They said they were from Sterling Corporate Security."
Willow stood.
"What did they want?"
"Your computer."
"What?"
"They said Lucas owns the gallery through a family subsidiary and they're conducting an internal security review."
Willow looked at Michael.
"They took my office computer?"
"I didn't let them."
Willow exhaled.
"Thank you."
"There's something else."
Helena's voice shook.
"One of them asked whether you kept any financial documents there."
Michael was already reaching for his keys.
"Helena, lock the doors."
"Already did."
"We're coming."
Willow ended the call.
Michael grabbed his coat.
"Call Bennett."
"Who is Bennett?"
"My attorney."
"You have an attorney named Bennett helping with this?"
Michael opened the front door.
"He's more than an attorney."
"What does that mean?"
"It means Richard knows his name."
Twenty minutes later they reached Willow's gallery.
A black Mercedes was parked across the street.
Michael noticed it immediately.
The engine started.
The car pulled away.
Willow's stomach turned.
Inside, Helena hugged her.
Then she saw Willow's cheek.
"Oh my God."
"I'm okay."
"No, you're not."
Helena looked furious.
"I'm going to kill him."
"Get in line," Michael muttered.
Willow entered her office.
Nothing looked disturbed.
Then she noticed the empty space beneath her desk.
Her backup drive was gone.
"Helena."
"What?"
"Did they come in here?"
"No."
Willow crouched.
"I had a portable drive right here."
Michael stepped closer.
"What was on it?"
"Gallery records."
"Anything Sterling-related?"
Willow thought.
Then remembered.
Six months earlier, Lucas had asked to use her gallery office printer because his laptop battery had died.
He had printed several documents.
She had automatically backed up everything scanned through the office system.
Her heartbeat accelerated.
"Maybe."
Michael looked at her.
"What?"
"Lucas printed something here."
"When?"
"About six months ago."
"Do you remember what?"
"No."
Willow rushed to her computer.
Helena stood beside her.
"The backup system mirrors everything to the cloud."
Willow logged in.
Folders appeared.
She searched by date.
There.
STERLING PROJECT ORION.
She clicked.
Michael leaned closer.
The first document opened.
CONFIDENTIAL ACQUISITION STRATEGY.
The second contained a list of properties.
The third was different.
It contained names.
Politicians.
Inspectors.
Bank officers.
Consultants.
Beside each name was a dollar amount.
Willow whispered, "What am I looking at?"
Michael's face went pale.
"A payoff ledger."
Then Helena pointed toward the bottom.
"Who's Daniel Cross?"
Michael did not answer.
Willow looked at him.
"Dad?"
Michael slowly sat down.
"Daniel Cross was the federal investigator who looked into Richard's company eighteen years ago."
"What happened to him?"
May you like
Michael looked at the screen.
"He disappeared."
