Chapter 8 - Bianca’s Version of Love
Bianca requested a meeting.
Daniel refused.
She requested again through counsel.
This time detectives wanted him to accept.
They could not wire him without formal procedure and legal approvals that might alert her attorneys, but Daniel could document his own conversation if his counsel confirmed California law permitted it under the circumstances.
Peter advised caution.
Instead they arranged a meeting with both lawyers present.
Bianca arrived in a cream suit.
No white coat.
Daniel noticed anyway.
She sat across from him.
“You look terrible.”
“Thank you.”
“You always stop sleeping when you’re scared.”
“How would you know?”
“I lived with you.”
“No. You studied me.”
Her face barely moved.
Daniel placed the Aurora emails on the table.
“You represented yourself as managing director of Hale Family Holdings.”
“You authorized me.”
“Did I?”
“Yes.”
“Show me the original.”
“You signed electronically.”
“Show me the authentication log.”
Bianca’s attorney intervened.
“We’re not here for document discovery.”
Daniel leaned back.
“What are we here for?”
Bianca’s gaze hardened.
“Lily.”
His entire body tensed.
“I want temporary visitation.”
“No.”
“I helped raise her for three years.”
“You planned to send her away.”
“To school.”
“After obtaining control over her trust.”
“That is your theory.”
“You were inside the trust administration before you met me.”
Bianca’s expression changed only slightly.
Daniel continued.
“You accessed Caroline’s files at Mercer.”
“That accusation is six years old.”
“So is Caroline’s death.”
Her lawyer said, “Daniel.”
He ignored him.
“Did you kill her?”
Silence.
Bianca stared at him.
Then laughed softly.
“No.”
“Did Adrian tamper with her car?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did you tell him to?”
“No.”
“Were you at my house the night before Caroline died?”
Bianca leaned forward.
“You want a villain because otherwise you have to remember your marriage was already falling apart.”
Daniel felt the strike.
She knew where shame lived.
“You didn’t believe Caroline,” Bianca continued. “You thought she was unstable. You told people she was obsessive. You threatened divorce.”
“Yes.”
Bianca paused.
His answer had disarmed her.
Daniel continued.
“I was wrong.”
“You think confessing weakness makes you strong?”
“No. It stops you using it as blackmail.”
For the first time, Bianca looked genuinely angry.
“You would have lost everything if Caroline had exposed the financial records.”
“I might have.”
“And Lily?”
“She would still have had parents.”
Bianca’s face hardened.
“You assume Caroline would have stayed.”
Daniel stared.
Bianca whispered:
“She was preparing divorce papers.”
He felt the old instinct to deny.
Instead he said, “Maybe.”
“She planned to take Lily.”
“Maybe.”
“You were going to lose your daughter.”
“Maybe.”
Bianca leaned back.
“You don’t understand what I saved you from.”
Daniel’s skin prickled.
There it was.
Not denial.
Justification.
“What did you save me from?”
Her lawyer said, “Bianca, stop.”
But Bianca looked only at Daniel.
“You were drowning. Caroline was preparing to expose your debt, leave you, take Lily, and destroy Hale Soundworks.”
Daniel said, “So you saved me.”
“I protected what mattered.”
“By doing what?”
Her lawyer touched her arm.
Bianca stood.
“This meeting is over.”
Daniel rose too.
“Did you tell Adrian to alter Caroline’s steering?”
She stopped.
The room held still.
Bianca looked back.
“You should ask Adrian why he always did more than I asked.”
Then she walked out.
Daniel’s attorney whispered, “That was nearly an admission.”
“Not enough.”
“No.”
Daniel watched the closing door.
Bianca had blamed Adrian.
Which meant the alliance was cracking.
Hours later Detective Kim called.
Adrian had requested immunity discussions.
“He’s scared,” Kim said.
“Of Bianca?”
“Of what Leah gave us.”
“What did she give you?”
“Diagnostic logs. Emails. A payment trail.”
Daniel waited.
Kim continued.
“Bianca paid Adrian $250,000 two days after Caroline’s funeral.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Then came the worst part.
“The payment memo was labeled consulting.”
“Consulting for what?”
“We traced the originating account.”
Daniel braced himself.
“It came from Hale Soundworks.”
His company.
May you like
His money.
Bianca had paid Adrian for something connected to Caroline’s death using funds stolen from Daniel himself.
