Chapter 2 - The Addendum
Graham walked to the writing desk and picked up a black leather folio that had been resting beneath my bouquet.
He unzipped it and withdrew a stack of heavy, watermarked paper.
"Your father and I finalized the asset integration yesterday," Graham stated, his voice carrying the clinical detachment of a board meeting. "Vale Meridian is absorbing the Ellison rail terminals. You are here to provide the optical stability required by our institutional investors. You get the lifestyle, the prestige, and the ring. I get the infrastructure."
He tossed the documents onto the edge of the bed, right next to Celeste’s silk-clad thigh.
"The paperwork is already filed," Graham said, taking another sip of his whiskey. "So drop the outraged bride routine. We have a press conference at 8:00 a.m."
I did not look at him.
I looked at the top page of the document resting on the duvet.
It was an Irrevocable Proxy of Voting Rights. It transferred absolute, unchallenged control of the Ellison family’s generational shipping infrastructure directly to Graham Vale.
And at the bottom of the page, resting above the notary seal, was my signature.
Mara Ellison.
The ink was dark blue. The loops were elegant. The slant was nearly identical to the way I had signed the marriage certificate three hours earlier.
Nearly.
I looked from the signature to Celeste.
Her hands were perfectly manicured. Her eyes were steady. Beside her hotel keycard on the nightstand rested a dark blue fountain pen. The exact shade of ink.
"You notarized this," I said softly to Celeste.
"I am a licensed corporate notary," Celeste replied smoothly, touching the edge of the document. "And as Graham’s executive secretary, it falls under my purview to expedite internal contracts."
"Even when the signatory is not present?"
Graham laughed. A short, dismissive sound. "Mara, please. I watched you sign it in my office on Tuesday. Stop trying to create a legal issue where there isn't one just because your feelings are hurt."
He was so confident. So entirely, arrogantly sure that I was nothing more than a sheltered heiress who would crumble under the weight of his gaslighting.
May you like
I reached out and picked up the document.
"I didn't sign this on Tuesday, Graham," I whispered.
