Chapter 4 - THE SECRET INSIDE THE WATERFRONT DEAL
Z
Sofia Ramirez met me the next morning in a bright office on Madison Avenue.
She was in her forties, with silver-framed glasses and a calm manner that made it easy to speak without feeling rushed.
She didn't ask why I'd stayed so long.
She didn't ask whether Spencer had ever been kind.
She asked what I wanted to happen next.
"I don't know," I admitted.
"That's a perfectly acceptable answer."
She explained my legal options, including how to document the injuries, protect my financial records, and seek independent advice about the marriage. She encouraged me to contact a domestic-abuse support organization for confidential safety planning, even though I wasn't certain how to describe what had happened.
"I wasn't beaten," I said.
Sofia folded her hands.
"Physical abuse doesn't have to involve a closed fist. Repeatedly hurting you, intimidating you, or using fear to control your behavior is serious. You don't have to choose a label today to deserve support."
I looked down at my bandaged arm.
For years, Lorraine's nails had seemed too small to count as violence. Each incident had been brief. Each mark faded. And because Spencer called it family tension, I'd taught myself to call it nothing.
Sofia's words didn't solve everything.
But they gave me permission to stop minimizing it.
Before I left, I signed nothing and made no immediate decisions about divorce. Sofia gave me copies of the documents we'd discussed and reminded me that I could take as much time as I needed.
Then she asked whether I knew anything about the Whitcomb waterfront acquisition.
I hesitated.
"I know Spencer has been working on it for months."
"Has he mentioned a company called Harbor Meridian?"
I shook my head.
"Not by that name."
Sofia made a note.
"Mr. Castellano has concerns about the transaction. He asked me to determine whether the documents presented to his investment advisers are consistent with the public records."
"Why tell me?"
"Because you may have seen information relevant to your husband's business. But I don't want you investigating or accessing anything you aren't authorized to access."
I appreciated the distinction.
For once, nobody was asking me to be useful before asking whether I was okay.
---
That afternoon, Spencer called from a number I didn't recognize.
I answered because I wanted to hear what he would say.
"June, where are you?"
"I'm safe."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I'm giving you right now."
He exhaled sharply.
"Mother wants you to come over and clear this up."
I closed my eyes.
"Clear what up?"
"Last night."
"What exactly does she think needs clearing up?"
He was silent.
Then he said, "She believes you deliberately embarrassed her."
I looked out the hotel window.
"Did you see the blood on my sleeve?"
"Yes."
"Did you see her holding my arm?"
Another pause.
"June, you know how she is."
"Yes," I said. "I do."
I ended the call.
My hands shook afterward, but I didn't call him back.
---
Two days later, Sofia contacted me with an update.
A preliminary review had raised questions about a set of ownership documents connected to the waterfront deal. The discrepancies weren't proof of fraud, she emphasized, but they were significant enough that independent counsel had recommended further examination.
She asked whether I had ever seen a blue folder in Spencer's home office marked Harbor Meridian.
I remembered it immediately.
Spencer had left it on the desk several weeks earlier. I hadn't opened it. I had simply moved it away from a coffee cup before cleaning the room.
"I remember the folder," I said. "I didn't read the contents."
"That's fine. Don't search for it or take anything. If you already have any personal correspondence about the deal, preserve it and let your own lawyer review it."
I promised I would.
When we ended the call, I sat for a long time with my phone in my hand.
The Whitcombs had always treated wealth as proof of virtue.
But now their business reputation was under scrutiny, and I was beginning to understand why Anthony Castellano had been watching the table so closely.
Perhaps he hadn't been looking for a reason to humiliate Spencer.
May you like
Perhaps he'd been waiting to see whether the man who wanted his investment could behave honorably when he thought nobody important was watching.
And the night of Lorraine's birthday, Spencer had failed a test he didn't even know he was taking.
