Chapter Two
Mia wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting but wouldn’t have been surprised to hear one of Scott’s partners was trying to take over the company and cheat him out of a big stack of money. Maybe he’d been kidnapped for ransom. Or there’d been some ugly dispute between father and son.
Now her heart sank.
Jennifer seemed like a nice enough woman, but what right did she have to pass judgement over Scott’s personal life? This wasn’t the eighteenth century and he’s not some royal prince with rules about who he can and cannot marry. It’s a free world, after all, and he can love whomever he wants.
“Okay.” Roman nodded slowly and kept a neutral expression on his face though Mia could almost guarantee she knew what he was thinking. “And you worry this woman is going to somehow take Scott to the cleaners?”
“I know she is. It’s been a whirlwind romance. They only met three months ago, and last week Scott proposed. Now Eliza’s going around flashing her five-carat engagement ring to everyone and their dog. When Scott told me the news, I honestly thought he was joking, but I tried to be supportive. Talk about a shock though. Then yesterday, Thomas and I sat down with them to go over the logistics of their union. Everything’s so much more complicated when there’s a lot of money involved. We carefully broached the idea of a prenup, and Eliza gave a little laugh and said they wouldn’t be needing one because their marriage was forever. Scott backed her up all the way.”
“That sounds like a difficult situation. I understand why you’re upset. Though I’m not entirely sure what we can do to help,” Roman said.
“I want you to dig into Eliza’s background and find me some dirt. There isn’t a doubt in my mind she’s a con artist. I’ve watched her carefully during unguarded moments and seen that mask of hers slip a little here and there. I’ve caught a glimpse of the real her. Now I need something—anything—to show Scott what kind of person she truly is.”
“And what if there’s nothing?” Mia asked.
Jennifer pursed her lips. “There’ll be something. Mark my words. But you can’t ever let Scott, or Thomas for that matter, know I hired you.”
“Unless I’m subpoenaed, nothing you tell me goes any further. You don’t stay in business as a PI by spilling the secrets of your clients,” Roman said. “But I have to warn you there are no guarantees. We may find nothing on Eliza.”
“I understand.”
“You said you didn’t want Thomas to know you’ve enlisted a private investigator?” Mia said.
“And I don’t. He’s worried about Eliza but feels Scott will come to his senses soon enough. And that may be true, but by the time he does, it could also be too late. Thomas would be furious with me if he knew what I was doing.” She paused and sighed. “Our marriage has been struggling recently. For a long time, if I’m being honest. Early on there were two affairs—Thomas, not me—and I can tell you it’s hard coming back from that. But we go to therapy, and every day I put in the work on our relationship. And trust me when I say it is work.”
“I’m sorry. That must be difficult,” Mia said. “But I still don’t understand why Thomas would be against doing a background check on his son’s fiancée. Especially given the circumstances.”
She shrugged. “I think he feels it’d be emasculating for Scott. Like his mommy and daddy think he’s not man enough to make a good choice in his spouse. Thomas seems to be taking it onboard himself, as if it somehow reflects on him as a parent and as a man. Stupid,” she mumbled.
“Thank you for providing all this background information. It helps. Can I ask a personal question about you and Thomas?” Roman said.
“Sure. Ask me anything.”
“Given what you’ve just told me about your marriage, do you have any plans to divorce? I’d also be interested to know if you signed a prenup?”
Jennifer blinked several times while she studied Roman. Then she nodded once and straightened in her chair. “Well, I should have expected this given you’re in the business of uncovering secrets. My marriage may be shaky, but I truly believe the vow I made to Thomas was for life, come what may. I’m not ever planning to file for divorce. As for a prenup…”
She sighed once and looked down at her ruby ring then back to Roman. “I did sign one. If you feel it’s relevant to Scott’s situation, I can provide you with a copy. What I can tell you, though, is it’s no longer in effect. The agreement only covered the first ten years of our marriage and as I’ve told you, we’re going on twenty-two. If we divorced during our first decade together, the prenup stated I wouldn’t be entitled to any claim on his businesses or properties though I would get a generous monetary settlement. Two million plus ongoing spousal support.”
“And now?” Roman prodded.
“Now half of everything would come to me. So, you see, it’d be so much easier to take my share and walk away, but I’m truly committed to my marriage.” Jennifer paused and gave a slight shrug. “Anyway, enough about me and Thomas. Can you tell me what happens now? How it works? What will you and Mia do first?”
Mia cleared her throat. “I need you to know I’m not a licensed investigator. I just sometimes help Roman out.”
Jennifer’s eyebrows drew together. “But Roman is licensed, right?”
“Yes, of course. And before that he worked as a detective on the police force.”
“Mia’s a stickler for details. And while she isn’t a qualified PI, she is my invaluable assistant. You want next steps, right? So, in your situation, we’ll start by doing a standard low-level background check on Eliza and see if anything pops up. Either way, we can discuss the findings and decide if you need me to go deeper. I don’t want to raise your expectations because, like I said before, there may be nothing to find.”
“There’ll be something. That woman loves to spout nonsense about spreading light in the world and being kind, but there’s darkness all around her. I feel it in my bones.”
Mia’s skin pinpricked. “Are you … I mean, can you sense energy or see auras?”
“No. Not hardly.” Jennifer laughed. “But a mother, even an adopted one, knows these things.”
Roman opened a file on his desk and handed Jennifer a document.
“Okay. Here’s the contract. Look it over and get me a signed copy when you’re ready to move forward.”
“I’m ready to move forward right now. Just give me a minute to give this a read-through before I sign.”
“You should get this looked at by a professional. Make sure you understand everything,” Roman said.
Her eyes flicked up to meet his, and she arched a brow. “And I suppose I’m just some air-headed trophy wife who can’t find her way out of a paper bag?”
“No. Of course not. Simply standard operating procedure. I’d be remiss if I didn’t advise every client to seek counsel before signing anything,” Roman said quickly.
She gave a half laugh. “Of course. Sorry. I guess I’m used to people, including my family, underestimating me. If it’ll put your mind at ease, when Scott when off to college I sort of did the same thing. Though I went locally—to Monterey Institute. Six years ago, I earned a law degree and I’m almost through another in business and commerce.”
“That’s fantastic,” Mia said. “What are you going to do with it?”
“No idea. I just get the biggest kick from learning. In fact, I’m eyeing up a program in philosophy. I’d love to understand more about Plato and Aristotle.”
She turned her attention to the contract in her lap, reading through each page methodically, her index finger marking her progress. Mia and Roman remained silent until she finally lifted her gaze and nodded. He offered her a pen and she signed in the appropriate places and handed everything back to him.
“I’ll email a copy for your records and, with the paperwork out of the way, I guess we can get started. It’d be helpful to have some basic details filled in. Like Eliza’s full name, for instance. And anything you know about her background.”
Jennifer lifted her purse from the floor and set it on her lap before pulling out an envelope and placing it on the edge of Roman’s desk.
“Everything you need to get started is in there.”
Roman rubbed his hands together. “Awesome. I’ll clear up a few urgent matters here and dig into Eliza first thing tomorrow. Give me a couple of days to work through her background, then we’ll touch base. I promise I won’t go any further, billing-wise, before discussing it with you.”
She gave a delicate snort. “Oh, God. I’m not worried about the cost. Just do what you have to do to get me the information. And quickly. The longer this thing goes on with Scott and Eliza, the more he’ll be hurt.”