CHAPTER 6 — THE OTHER MARRIAGE
The woman’s name was Serena Hale.
Marcus Hale’s older sister.
According to public records, she had lived in Nevada for the past six years.
Her social media accounts showed luxury vacations, designer clothing, and private events.
There was no public mention of Arthur.
But the photograph revealed something impossible to ignore.
Arthur and Serena were standing beneath a flower-covered arch.
Serena wore a white dress.
Arthur wore a tuxedo.
They were holding a marriage certificate.
Victoria hired an investigator in Nevada.
By the next morning, he found the record.
Arthur had married Serena seven months before he married me.
He had never divorced her.
My marriage had never been legally valid.
For eight years, Arthur had allowed me to believe I was his wife while he remained married to another woman.
The discovery changed everything.
Arthur could no longer claim automatic marital access to my assets.
He had no spousal rights.
No inheritance rights.
No claim to the house.
He was not my husband under the law.
He was a man who had entered my life using a false identity and a fraudulent marriage license.
But Serena was not simply a hidden wife.
She was involved in the scheme.
Financial records showed payments from Aster Row Holdings to a technology company she owned.
That company specialized in synthetic voice production and audio editing.
She had created the recordings used in court.
When investigators searched her Nevada property, Serena was gone.
So were her computers.
Marcus was still missing.
The Hale siblings had disappeared at almost the same time.
Brooke’s attorney contacted Victoria again.
Brooke was ready to talk.
During the interview, she cried continuously.
She claimed Arthur had manipulated her.
She claimed she believed the money belonged to him.
She claimed she had no idea about Serena.
Then detectives showed her the kitchen recording.
Her tears stopped.
Under pressure, Brooke admitted she knew about the forged documents.
She also knew Arthur was planning to sell the company.
But she insisted the Hales controlled the larger operation.
“Marcus wasn’t just Arthur’s gambling friend,” she said. “He introduced Arthur to people who buy distressed companies.”
“Bennett Ridge wasn’t distressed,” Victoria replied.
“They planned to make it distressed.”
Brooke described a coordinated attack.
Fraudulent loans.
False regulatory complaints.
Manufactured customer defaults.
Once the company’s value fell, a buyer connected to Marcus would purchase it cheaply.
Arthur would receive a hidden payment overseas.
“Who was the buyer?” I asked.
Brooke looked toward her attorney.
Then she wrote a name on a piece of paper.
Victoria read it and went still.
The buyer was Blackstone Harbor Partners.
A company Bennett Ridge Capital had rejected for financing years earlier.
My father had personally denied the application.
Two weeks after that rejection, he died in a car accident.
For the first time, I wondered whether Arthur’s plan had begun before my father’s death.
Then Brooke leaned toward me.
“Your father knew someone was coming after the company.”
“How?”
“Because he left Arthur a message.”
“What message?”
May you like
Brooke’s face tightened.
“One that Arthur has spent four years trying to find.”
