CHAPTER 6: THE BABY’S FATHER
The former executive agreed to speak with Parker.
His name was Raymond Cole.
Three years earlier, Alyssa had worked as his assistant. They had an affair, and she soon announced she was pregnant.
Raymond prepared to leave his wife.
Then his attorney demanded a prenatal paternity test.
Alyssa refused.
Two days later, she claimed she had lost the baby.
Raymond paid her $200,000 in exchange for silence.
The money had been transferred to an account shared by Alyssa and Evan Reed.
“They were together?” I asked.
“Engaged,” Raymond said. “At least that’s what I later discovered.”
Alyssa and Evan had been running variations of the same scheme for years.
But Connor was different.
Connor did not merely have money.
He controlled access to a company worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
Evan had positioned himself inside the company.
Alyssa had positioned herself inside Connor’s bedroom.
Together, they had persuaded him to destroy his marriage and prepare an illegal sale.
The unborn baby completed the illusion.
A son gave Connor emotional motivation.
It gave Betsy a reason to support Alyssa.
And it gave investors a family-friendly story to celebrate during the acquisition announcement.
The only remaining question was whether Evan was actually the father.
Parker obtained hotel records, credit-card statements, and location histories through the corporate investigation.
Alyssa and Evan had spent three nights together at a resort during the week her doctor estimated conception occurred.
Connor had been in London attending a conference.
The evidence was overwhelming.
But it was not yet proof.
That evening, I received a call from Alyssa.
Her voice was shaking.
“I know you’ve been investigating me.”
“You accessed my medical records.”
“I didn’t call to argue.”
“Then why did you call?”
“Because Connor found one of Evan’s messages.”
I sat upright.
“What did it say?”
“He knows there may be another man.”
“Does he know it’s Evan?”
“Not yet.”
“Tell him.”
“You don’t understand Connor.”
“I understand him better than you do.”
“No,” she whispered. “You understood the man he pretended to be.”
There was a sound in the background.
A door closing.
Alyssa lowered her voice.
“Meet me tomorrow at the old train station. Come alone.”
“Why would I trust you?”
“You shouldn’t.”
She paused.
“But I have the original acquisition file. It proves Connor plans to forge the board authorization.”
“Why are you helping me?”
“I’m helping myself.”
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Before ending the call, Alyssa added one final sentence.
“And Parker’s signature is already on the document.”
