Chapter 3 - THE PRICE OF SILENCE
Rose took a step back, her spine pressing against the cold side of the SUV. “What? No... I can’t do that. I didn’t see her jump.”
“You didn’t see my daughter push her either,” Evelyn snapped, her composure cracking into sharp rage. “Victoria loved Nathaniel! She worked for three years to secure that marriage! She wouldn't throw it all away two hours after signing the prenup!”
“The prenup?” Rose repeated.
Evelyn caught herself, taking a deep breath and smoothing down her emerald gown. “You’re a catering girl, Rose. You make twenty dollars an hour carrying silver trays for people whose shoes cost more than your family makes in a year. Do you have any idea how the world actually works?”
“I know what lying to the police means,” Rose said bravely. “It’s perjury.”
Evelyn smiled a cold, pitiless smile. She reached into her leather handbag and pulled out a checkbook. She wrote a number swiftly, tore the page out, and held it out between two manicured fingers.
Rose looked down.
Five hundred thousand dollars.
“This is half a million,” Evelyn said softly, her tone shifting into a mother’s desperate persuasion. “You sign an affidavit prepared by our attorneys tomorrow morning. You state that you saw Eleanor leaning over the railing deliberately, that she looked distressed all evening, and that Victoria was merely reaching out to grab her dress before she fell. You take this money, you pack your bags, and you go back to whatever small town you crawled out of. You buy a house. You live a good life.”
Rose stared at the check. Five hundred thousand dollars. It would pay off her mother’s medical debts in Ohio. It would pay for her younger brother’s college tuition. It would change her life forever.
“And if I say no?” Rose asked quietly.
Evelyn’s smile vanished completely. “If you say no, Rose... then you become the girl who interfered in a war between two of the most powerful families in New York. The Callaways will use you until Victoria is locked away for twenty years, and then they will throw you back into the gutter. And my family? We will ensure you never find work in this city—or any other city—again.”
Before Rose could answer, the heavy roar of a high-performance engine shattered the quiet night.
Headlights cut through the darkness, blinding them both as a sleek black Aston Martin tore up the driveway, spraying gravel across the manicured lawn.
The car screeched to a halt right behind the Lincoln.
The driver’s door flew open, and Nathaniel Callaway stepped out.
He wasn't wearing his wedding tuxedo jacket anymore. His white shirt was unbuttoned at the collar, his sleeves rolled up, revealing muscular forearms. His expression was pure carnage.
“Get away from her, Evelyn,” Nathaniel growled, stepping into the light.
Evelyn didn't flinch. “Nathaniel. How did you track this vehicle?”
“I own the security company that handles your estate, Evelyn,” Nathaniel said coldly. “I tracked the GPS the second it left the hospital parking lot.”
He grabbed Rose by her elbow, gently pulling her behind his solid frame. He looked down at her face. “Did she touch you?”
“No,” Rose whispered, her heart hammering against her ribs. “She... she offered me money.”
Nathaniel looked at the check still fluttering in Evelyn’s hand. He reached out, snatched it from her fingers, and tore it into four pieces, letting the scraps float down into the wet gravel.
“Attempted bribery of a key witness,” Nathaniel said smoothly. “Detective Miller is going to love hearing about this.”
“You idiot!” Evelyn yelled, dropping her sophisticated facade entirely. “You think Victoria tried to kill your mother? Look at the financial statements, Nathaniel! Look at what your mother did to Callaway Enterprises last month!”
Nathaniel went still. “What are you talking about?”
“Ask Eleanor why she was arguing with Victoria in the dressing room before the wedding!” Evelyn spat. “Ask her where the sixty million dollars from the offshore trust went! Victoria found out! Eleanor wasn't pushed—she jumped because she knew my daughter was about to expose her to the board!”
Nathaniel didn't answer. He opened the passenger door of his Aston Martin and looked at Rose.
“Get in,” he commanded softly.
Rose didn't hesitate. She climbed into the low, leather-scented interior.
May you like
Nathaniel slammed the door, walked around to the driver’s side, and looked back at Evelyn one last time.
“If your driver comes within a hundred yards of Rose again, Evelyn, I won't call the police. I’ll buy your family’s firm and liquidate every asset you own before sunrise.”
