Chapter 24 Morgan
Morgan
Wednesday morning dawned with a clarity that had been missing from Morgan’s thoughts since Monday’s devastating discovery.
After spending all of Tuesday in a cocoon of trashy reality shows, ice cream, and willful ignorance—her phone remaining off, the outside world kept firmly at bay—she woke feeling if not better, at least more focused.
Tomorrow was the Sullivan Enterprises meeting. Tomorrow she would face Archer again—no, not Archer. She would face Archer Sullivan, CEO. The distinction felt important somehow, a mental separation she needed to maintain.
The scent of coffee greeted her as she padded into Tessa’s kitchen, finding her friend already dressed for work and scrolling through emails at the counter.
“You’re up early,” Tessa observed, sliding a mug toward Morgan. “Better night?”
“Not really,” Morgan admitted, accepting the coffee gratefully. “But I can’t hide forever. Tomorrow’s the meeting.”
Tessa studied her over the rim of her own mug. “Game plan?”
“Step one: bake muffins to thank my wonderful friend for harboring a fugitive from emotional disaster.” Morgan managed a small smile. “Step two: retrieve my car from my apartment. Step three: prepare to face the corporate firing squad without crying.”
“Solid plan,” Tessa nodded approvingly. “Though I’d argue you should save the baking for step three. Stress-baking after dealing with those corporate vultures would be therapeutic. Plus, they don’t deserve your culinary talents.”
Morgan laughed despite herself—the first real laugh since Monday. “You just want first dibs on blueberry muffins.”
“Guilty as charged.”
“Don’t worry, I’ll have some ready by the time you leave and you can take your pick.”
“That’s why you’re my favorite!”
For the next hour, Morgan lost herself in the methodical comfort of baking. Measuring, mixing, the precise chemistry of flour and sugar and butter coming together in perfect proportions. The activity anchored her, providing a sense of control that had been shattered by Archer’s deception.
By the time Tessa left for work—with three still-warm muffins wrapped for her commute—Morgan felt steadier.
She showered and dressed with purpose, choosing an outfit that felt like armor: tailored black pants, a crisp white blouse, and the oxblood leather jacket from her riding gear.
The jacket was a calculated choice—a reminder of her own strength, reclaimed from the web of lies it had emerged from.
She was scrolling through her phone for a taxi app when a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. Tessa must have forgotten her keys. Again.
But when Morgan swung the door open, it wasn’t Tessa standing in the hallway.
It was Jason.
He looked different somehow—his usual polished appearance slightly frayed at the edges. His expensive suit couldn’t quite hide the shadows under his eyes or the nervous energy in his posture.
“Morgan,” he said, relief washing over his features. “I’ve been trying to reach you for days. You haven’t been home, and you blocked my number—”
“What are you doing here?” Morgan cut him off, her voice cold. “How did you even know where to find me?”
“I actually didn’t know, I was trying to talk to Tessa to get her to call you for her.” He shifted uncomfortably. “Can I come in? Just for a minute?”
Every instinct told her to slam the door in his face. But a strange curiosity kept her hand steady. After all, she had questions herself.. “You have five minutes.”
Jason stepped inside, his eyes darting around Tessa’s apartment before settling back on Morgan. “You look good,” he offered, an awkward attempt at breaking the ice.
“What do you want, Jason?” Morgan crossed her arms, maintaining a deliberate distance between them.
He ran a hand through his carefully styled hair, a gesture so uncharacteristic it caught her attention. “I wanted to explain... about that night. About Elise.”
“I don’t need explanations,” Morgan replied flatly. “I saw everything I needed to see at Marcello’s.”
“It wasn’t what it looked like,” Jason insisted, desperation creeping into his voice. “Well, it was, but not for the reasons you think.”
Morgan raised an eyebrow, skepticism radiating from her every pore. “Another woman was eating off your fork and holding your hand. All while you told me you were in Chicago. Please, enlighten me on how that wasn’t exactly what it looked like.”
“It was work,” Jason said, the words tumbling out in a rush. “Elise Harrington is a major client. When Marcus Donovan tells you to keep a high-net-worth client happy, you do it.”
The name struck a chord in Morgan’s memory. Marcus Donovan. Alexandra Winters had mentioned him—the CFO at Sullivan Enterprises who’d taken an unusual interest in her case.
“Marcus Donovan,” Morgan repeated, her voice suddenly quiet. “Sullivan Enterprises’ CFO?”
Jason’s eyes widened slightly. “You know him?”
“I know of him,” Morgan replied carefully, her mind racing to connect dots she hadn’t seen before. “Keep talking. How exactly does the CFO of Sullivan Enterprises factor into you cheating on me?”
Jason had the grace to look uncomfortable. “Meridian manages investments for several Sullivan subsidiaries. Elise Harrington was bringing a significant portfolio to the firm. Marcus made it clear that keeping her happy was a priority.”
“And ‘keeping her happy’ required romantic dinners and touching her like you were lovers?” Morgan’s voice sharpened.
“I volunteered for the assignment,” Jason admitted, his gaze dropping to the floor. “It seemed like the career opportunity of the century. I didn’t realize at first what it would entail, but then..."
“But then you decided cheating on me was a fair price for career advancement,” Morgan finished for him.
“It wasn’t like that,” he protested weakly.
“Then what was it like, Jason?”
He looked up, his expression a mixture of defiance and shame.
“Elise made it clear what kind of attention she expected. And yes, I went along with it. I made choices—bad ones. But you have to understand, when someone like Marcus Donovan makes ‘suggestions’ about client relationships, the consequences of saying no are very real.”
Morgan studied him, seeing for the first time the man she’d spent six months with. Not the charming facade she’d fallen for, but the desperate climber beneath, willing to sacrifice anything—including their relationship—for professional gain.
“You’re not here because you regret hurting me,” she said with sudden clarity. “You’re here because you got caught, and it didn’t even get you what you wanted, did it? Elise moved on to someone else?”
Jason’s silence was all the confirmation she needed.
“I think your five minutes are up,” Morgan said quietly as she opened the door for him to leave.
“Morgan—”
“Goodbye, Jason.”
After he left, Morgan stood motionless in Tessa’s living room, her mind whirling with implications. Marcus Donovan. Sullivan Enterprises. The pieces were coming together in a pattern she didn’t want to see.
Instead of calling for a taxi, Morgan sat down at her laptop, pulling up a search engine. Her fingers typed “Marcus Donovan Sullivan Enterprises” with maybe a tad more force than was required.
The results loaded instantly—corporate profiles, business journal articles, press releases. Marcus Donovan, Chief Financial Officer of Sullivan Enterprises. Harvard MBA. Financial virtuoso. Right-hand man to CEO Archer Sullivan.
She clicked on an image search, and there they were—photographs from corporate events, charity galas, business conferences. Archer Sullivan and Marcus Donovan standing side by side, the confident posture of men accustomed to power.
The same Archer who had held her through the night. The same man who had hidden his face and his name while learning every intimate detail of her life.
And now, a new possibility emerged—had Archer Sullivan orchestrated everything from the very beginning?
Had Jason’s relationship with Elise been part of some elaborate corporate scheme?
A way to isolate her, make her vulnerable, prepare her to trust the mysterious stranger who would conveniently appear just when she needed someone?
It seemed too calculated, too complex. Yet the timing was undeniable. Jason becomes involved with Elise at Marcus Donovan’s suggestion. Morgan discovers the betrayal. Archer appears at precisely the right moment to rescue her.
And all while Sullivan Enterprises was preparing to acquire Vertex Creative.
Morgan’s hands shook slightly as she continued her search, diving deeper into the corporate structure of Sullivan Enterprises, looking for connections to Meridian Investment Group, to Jason, to her own life.
By mid-afternoon, her eyes burned from staring at the screen, her notes spread across Tessa’s coffee table in a chaotic map of connections and questions. Some threads led nowhere. Others painted a picture too conspiracy-laden to be believable.
And yet, the central fact remained: Archer Sullivan and Marcus Donovan were connected.
Jason’s affair with Elise had been influenced, if not directed, by Marcus.
And Archer had concealed his identity from her while pursuing a relationship that gave him insider knowledge about a company he was acquiring.
Morgan closed her laptop, suddenly exhausted. What had been real? The tenderness in his touch? The way his friends had welcomed her? The connection that had felt so immediate, so genuine?
Her phone chirped—a reminder for tomorrow’s meeting at Sullivan Enterprises. 10:00 AM. The moment she would face Archer Sullivan across a conference table rather than in the intimate darkness of his bedroom.
With renewed determination, Morgan reached for her phone and dialed.
“Alexandra Winters’ office,” the receptionist answered.
“This is Morgan Reeves. I need to speak with Ms. Winters regarding tomorrow’s meeting at Sullivan Enterprises.”
“One moment please.”
As she waited for Alexandra to come on the line, Morgan straightened her shoulders, jaw set with resolve. Whatever game Archer Sullivan and Marcus Donovan were playing, she refused to be a pawn any longer.
Tomorrow couldn’t come soon enough.