Chapter Five: Brenda’s Price
Brenda had always believed survival belonged to the person who betrayed everyone else first.
By two that afternoon, she was sitting across from Rebecca Sloan in a private conference room.
Her crimson gown was gone.
She wore dark glasses and a plain coat borrowed from one of the mansion’s former housekeepers.
“I want immunity,” she said.
Rebecca folded her hands.
“You’re not negotiating with prosecutors.”
“But you can influence Mariana.”
“I can advise her.”
Brenda leaned forward.
“I have information.”
“Everyone says that when they become frightened.”
“This isn’t about the necklace.”
Rebecca waited.
Brenda removed a small flash drive from her handbag.
“Andrew has been moving money for years.”
“We know about the shell companies.”
“Not all of them.”
Rebecca’s attention sharpened.
Brenda placed the drive on the table.
“There’s a company called North Meridian Consulting. Andrew used it to pay judges, inspectors, and procurement officials.”
“Do you have proof?”
“Emails. Payment schedules. Recordings.”
“How did you get them?”
“Andrew kept everything on a private laptop in the penthouse.”
“You stole it?”
“I copied it.”
Rebecca did not touch the drive.
“Why?”
Brenda smiled bitterly.
“Because I never trusted him.”
That, at least, sounded true.
“How involved were you?”
“I attended dinners. I introduced him to people.”
“Did you transfer money?”
“Once.”
“How much?”
“Three million.”
Rebecca’s expression remained neutral.
Brenda shifted in her chair.
“He told me it was for a property investment.”
“But you knew it wasn’t.”
Brenda looked away.
Rebecca studied her.
“You helped Andrew betray his wife. You participated in a false theft accusation. You benefited from stolen company funds. And now you want protection because he can no longer protect you.”
“I can help you destroy him.”
“Mariana doesn’t need your help to destroy Andrew.”
Brenda’s confidence faltered.
Rebecca continued.
“But she may need your help to protect innocent employees from the damage he caused.”
Brenda pushed the drive forward.
“Then give this to her.”
Mariana entered through the side door.
Brenda went still.
The bruise on Mariana’s cheek had deepened to purple, but her posture remained composed.
Brenda removed her glasses.
For a moment, neither woman spoke.
Then Brenda said, “I didn’t know who you were.”
Mariana sat across from her.
“Would that have changed how you treated me?”
Brenda opened her mouth.
No answer came.
Mariana looked at the flash drive.
“What’s on it?”
“Enough to put Andrew in prison.”
“Did he force you to participate?”
Brenda’s silence answered.
Mariana nodded slowly.
“You thought he would marry you.”
“He said he would.”
“And you thought the Whitmore fortune would become yours.”
Brenda looked down.
Mariana’s voice did not rise.
“There was no Whitmore fortune. There was my family’s money, my work, and my willingness to let Andrew receive the credit.”
Brenda’s eyes filled with anger.
“He lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“He said you were unstable.”
“Yes.”
“He said you were dependent on him.”
Mariana leaned back.
“And you believed him because the lie gave you what you wanted.”
Brenda’s anger disappeared.
Mariana pushed a legal pad toward her.
“You will provide a complete statement. Every account. Every payment. Every person involved.”
“And what do I get?”
“The truth recorded accurately.”
“That’s not enough.”
“It is more than you offered me.”
Brenda stared at her.
Mariana stood.
“Cooperate with the authorities, and they may consider it. Refuse, and the evidence will speak without you.”
As Mariana reached the door, Brenda called after her.
“Did you ever love him?”
Mariana stopped.
“Yes.”
“Then how can you do this?”
Mariana turned.
“Because love is not permission.”
She looked at the flash drive.
“And forgiveness is not the same as protecting someone from consequences.”
When she left, Brenda remained alone with the evidence she had collected as insurance against Andrew.
For months, she had dreamed of taking Mariana’s place.
Now she finally understood that Mariana’s power had never come from the mansion, the jewelry, or Andrew’s name.
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It came from knowing exactly who she was.
And Brenda had traded her own future for a seat beside a man who had never truly owned anything.
