Chapter 4
Once the project reached the construction stage, my phone rang.
It was David calling.
The number was new, but I recognized his voice immediately when I picked up.
He asked, "Wendy, you're in Riverdale?"
I paused for two seconds. "How do you know?"
"Your mom told me."
"What do you want?"
"We're still married, you know."
"I already mailed you the divorce agreement."
"I didn't sign it."
"If you won't sign, I'll file a lawsuit."
There was a long silence.
Then he said, "Wendy, are you seeing someone else?"
I laughed. "David, you let Tom dump liquor on my head, your dad slapped me, and you didn't say a word. Now you ask if I'm seeing someone else?"
"It was just a wedding prank—"
I ended the call.
Then I rang up Sophie. "Can you recommend a good lawyer?"
She asked, "What happened?"
"David won't sign the divorce agreement."
Sophie swore.
She said, "One of my college classmates runs a law firm. I'll check for you."
*****
The next day, Sophie sent me the contact.
The lawyer's name was Alex Morgan. He was Sophie's law school classmate, and was now running his own small firm.
I met with him.
Alex was younger than I expected. He was wearing black-framed glasses, shirt sleeves rolled up, and his desk was piled with case files.
He said, "Ms. Warren, Sophie gave me an overview of your situation. Let me start by looking at your marriage paperwork."
I handed over copies of the marriage certificate, the prenup, and my transfer records.
He looked through them for about ten minutes.
Then he asked, "Three questions. First, how much did you cover for the shortfall on the marriage settlement?"
I said, "24,000 dollars."
"Do you have transfer records?"
"Yes."
"Second, do you have any evidence of abuse or assault at the wedding?"
"Someone filmed and uploaded it online."
"Keep that safe. Third, are there any joint assets under your name?"
"No. We've only been married two months, and I have nothing."
Alex closed the files.
He said, "This case isn't difficult. If David refuses to sign, we proceed with litigation. The evidence of domestic violence, plus the wedding video, will make the court rule in your favor.
"Also, you can file to reclaim the 24,000 dollars you paid for the shortfall on the marriage settlement."
"How long will it take?"
"If he's not cooperative, three to six months."
"Is there a faster way?"
Alex pushed up his glasses.
He said, "If you have more concrete evidence of wrongdoing, we can apply for pre-trial mediation. If we're lucky, it could be over in two months. Do you have anything about him cheating or hiding assets?"
I thought about it.
"Before we got married, he said his family had two houses in Maplewood. But after we got married, I only saw one. He said the other was rented out and never let me see it," I said.
Alex wrote it down.
"I'll check it out," he said.
*****
After leaving the law firm, I walked down the streets of Riverdale.
August in Riverdale was hotter than Maplewood, but I felt much more at ease than before.
My phone buzzed.
It was a text from an unknown number:
[Wendy, don't think you can just run to Riverdale and get away with it. My son's head got six stitches. You're paying the medical bills. - Frank Shaw]
I took a screenshot and sent it to Alex.
Alex texted back: [Keep this safe. It's proof of harassment. Don't reply.]
I didn't reply.
I blocked the number.
*****
Things at the construction site went smoother than I expected.
The construction drawings didn't have any major issues, and I checked every batch of main materials as they came in. Brian was still difficult to deal with, but after the plan got approved, his attitude toward me noticeably improved.
One day at the construction site, Brian stopped me as I was passing by.
"Wendy, about that curved pathway lighting guidance you mentioned earlier. I checked out Whitehall Plaza in Keystone myself, and the brightness difference you talked about is definitely there," he said.
"You actually went to see it yourself, Mr. Carter?" I asked.
"Yeah, it cost me a whole weekend," he replied, showing a rare smile. "You really know your stuff. Way better than the designers we had before."
"Thanks."
"So, have you thought about Mr. Evans's invitation?"
"Still thinking about it."
Brian lowered his voice. "You'd better decide soon. There's about to be a shake-up in the company."
I glanced at him.
He left it at that.
*****
That night, back at Sophie's place, I compared what Olivia and Brian had said.
Brightstone was having trouble with its funding.
There was going to be a shake-up in Brightstone's management.
If I connected these two things together, what would I find?
I turned on my computer and looked up the latest news about Brightstone Group.
Their funding came from an investment firm called Summit Capital.
The legal representative of Summit Capital was a man named Peter King.
I looked up Peter King.
Three years ago, he was investigated for illegal fundraising, but the case was later dropped.
I saved all this information.
I didn't tell anyone.
*****
As the sales office project was nearing completion, something happened.
Brian was transferred away.
A new project manager took over. It was a woman named Jessica Lee.
Jessica came to the construction site for the first time and looked over the site.
"Ms. Warren, the stone in the front hall isn't right," she said.
"This is the stone that was approved in the final review," I replied.
"Mr. Evans changed his mind. We're switching to the gray-veined stone."
"When did that happen?"
"This morning."
"I didn't get any email about it."
"It was a verbal notice."
I looked at her.
"Ms. Lee, design changes have to follow the proper procedure. Verbal notice isn't enough," I said.
Jessica smiled.
"Ms. Warren, you're the designer, and I'm the client. If I say change it, you change it," she said.
"No," I replied.
Her smile disappeared.
"Are you sure?" she asked.
"Absolutely. I'll make the change when I get the official change order," I said.
Jessica turned and walked away.
That afternoon, the boss at Harmony Design personally called Olivia.
Olivia came to see me.
"Brightstone says you're not being cooperative. The boss wants to know what's going on," she said.
I explained everything to her.
Olivia paused, thinking it over.
"You did the right thing. But Jessica's got some serious connections. Rumor has it she's related to Richard," she said.
"Doesn't matter. Rules are rules," I replied.
"Rules are one thing, but reality's another. Wendy, I can protect you once or twice, but if Brightstone really wants to replace you, the boss might not be able to keep them at bay."
I nodded. "Got it."