Chapter 6

The witness who paid the moral cost was not Julian, and not Chloe.

It was Philip Ashworth—Eleanor's uncle, the man who had once been the family's golden child, the one who'd been groomed to inherit the shipping empire before he'd made a series of catastrophic investments and been quietly demoted to a seat on the board. He'd never forgiven the family for the demotion. He'd never forgiven Eleanor for being her father's favorite. And for the past two years, he'd been Julian's quiet ally, feeding him information about Ashworth family moves under the guise of "advice."

Eleanor had known for months. She'd simply waited.

Now, at the hour when the stock market opened and the Ashworth portfolio's holdings in Julian's company began their slide, Philip Ashworth called his niece's phone personally for the first time in eight years.

Eleanor answered on the second ring.

"Eleanor," he said, and his voice was heavy with a false warmth she recognized from every family dinner of her childhood. "I've been following the news. Terrible business. Absolutely terrible."

"Terrible," Eleanor agreed. "For Julian."

"Now, see, that's exactly what I wanted to talk to you about." The sound of him shifting in his chair came through the line. "The market's getting skittish. The board's getting nervous. There are people asking questions—not just about Julian, but about the family. About whether the Ashworth name is suffering collateral damage from this sordid spectacle."

"Interesting," Eleanor said. "Because I checked the board's internal communications this morning. The audit committee has been asking questions for six months. Specifically about the pattern of irregular expenses in the European division. Expenses that trace back to a consulting firm that bears your initials."