49. Chapter 48
Ria
“He did what? Why?” My hand pauses on her back as I stare at her blankly.
“It doesn’t matter; that’s not important. It’s not why I’m here.” She shakes herself off and tugs her coat tighter around her, the movement causing Nila to grumble and jump off her lap.
“It is important. You’re supposed to be getting married.”
“Not anymore.” She laughs humorlessly as she waves her now bare finger at me. “Seems I’m not what he wanted after all.”
“Christ, Trixie. I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be. I told you I’m bad at relationships.”
“You aren’t. A relationship goes two ways,” I say softly.
Trixie shrugs and pulls her hair out of her messy bun, her hair tumbling over her shoulders.
“Can I take your coat?” I try to reach for her coat, but Trixie moves out of my grasp.
“No,” she says quickly. “Look, I just needed to come to tell you something and then I’ll be on my way. I don’t want to be a spare part and ruin your evening.”
“You aren’t,” I insist.
“No, it’s fine.” She stands abruptly and starts to pace. “Okay, I need to get this out.”
Standing, I peer over at Leo whose brow is creased in confusion as he plates up our dinner.
“You haven’t heard this from me, okay?” She spins, pointing a shaky finger at me. “This information you have worked out on your own and you haven’t seen or spoken to me.”
“Okay, you have my word.”
“Fuck.” She paces, her hands almost violently gripping her coat now.
“For months, I’ve heard Ezra and Dale talking about these properties.
He kept saying that I could use them to stage some shots for me to put in my portfolio, and they are amazing.
Absolutely stunning properties, but every time it was a different one and he said the previous ones had all sold.
I thought nothing of it until we got back from Vegas.
” She takes a deep breath and pauses in front of me.
“Someone came round the apartment, some suit, and I was ushered out. He was really familiar and I couldn’t get it out of my head, so I came back through to grab a drink to get another look.
I tried to strike up a conversation about what they were discussing, and Ezra screamed at me to get out.
Told me that I shouldn’t be snooping around his business and that I’m not clever enough to understand it.
” She scoffs. “He liked to say that I’m just a dumb model, and the stubborn part of me wanted to prove him wrong and that I could help him.
I think everyone forgets that I went to uni with Jade.
I may not have used my degree like she did, but I understand how businesses work.
So I naively thought I’d look at some of the financials and see if I could help him. ”
“You found something, didn’t you?” I ask.
“I did.” She stares out the window into the darkness.
“Eventually I connected the dots. The man in his apartment was one of the directors of the agency Ezra had managed to get me signed with. Tony Kegan. I have never met him properly, as I only deal with my agent, but I know of him. He bought one of the properties Ezra had me take some stills in, and it was sold to him at a reduced price—like, quite a lot cheaper than it was advertised—and we all know Ezra doesn’t give anyone anything for free.
So I kept digging and found that every house he bought, he sold at reduced rates. ”
“Okay…” Leo has moved to stand with me as Trixie talks. “And the transactions—are they going to Sinclair Properties, by any chance?”
“Yes, you’ve heard of it?” She looks over her shoulder at us.
“It’s recently come to our attention,” I reply.
“It’s a company he set up with Dale.” She returns her gaze to the darkness.
“They put one of their associates in as director, but as far as I’m aware he has no idea.
I asked him if he’d heard of the company the other week and he just looked confused.
It was getting more odd the more I looked.
Each property was bought and sold within months of each other, which is pretty much unheard of.
Nothing felt right, but it all looked legitimate.
But I found a file on his laptop this week that showed each of the properties bought from Sinclair Properties was bought with money from profits of shares sold.
But when I checked the sales values, the clients weren’t receiving the full amount.
A percentage was skimmed off the top and paid into the property company as deposits.
And each client was a client of Peak. Ezra had signed off on each one. ”
“That fucker is money laundering,” Leo growls, walking around the island, our dinner long forgotten. “Do you have proof?”
“Yes.” She chews on her thumbnail as she turns around. “It’s all on this.” Reaching into her coat, she holds out a flash drive.
“Why are you giving us this?” I take the drive from Trixie’s outstretched hand.
“He…” Her eyes begin to water but she sniffs back her tears.
“Look, I made a stupid decision to be with him. I was blinded. I know what true love looks like, and it isn’t with him.
When he tried to blackmail you both at the wedding, I knew I’d seen enough.
He isn’t the man I fell for. Everything I know is on that drive, but I never gave it to you, remember.
” She starts to head toward the door. Her movements are so erratic and I fear she’s about to fall.
“Of course, but Trixie…stop,” I say, grasping her arm, and she spins round, fear in her eyes as she wraps her arms around herself. “Where are you going?”
“I’ve done what I needed. I can't be here.”
“Yes, you can.”
“No, I’ve done the right thing, but now I need to leave. He can’t know I gave you that.”
“Where will you go?”
“I’ll be okay. I’ll stay with one of the girls from the agency.”
“What about Beck?”
“What about him?” She swallows and holds herself even tighter.
“Can’t you stay with him?”
“He doesn’t need my problems.” She looks at the ground and turns to grasp the door handle, then turning it, she slips out into the dark.
“Trixie,” I call, but she’s rushing down the street, not turning back.