“Hotel stays. Gifts. All tied to the trainer from the on-site gym. Alyssa. Compliance has been auditing Cole’s expenses for weeks. They didn’t know it was an affair until last night. They just knew he was bleeding money.”
My stomach turned.
“The company phone plan flagged him. Then the charges matched the same dates. They don’t need romance rumors. They have receipts.”
“And why are you telling me this?”
“Because Cole thinks he can spin it. He called you ‘emotional.’ He said he could always come back home because he knows how to ‘handle you.’”
I looked at the breakfast table, at the kids milling around.
“I have six children, Mark. Leah is 12. I can’t hide this from her.”
“That’s why you need to come.”
I called Tessa from next door. “I need a favor.”
“I’m already lacing up my sneakers, Paige,” she replied. “Just go.”
I grabbed my keys, kissed the kids, and ran out.
The office lobby felt too polished, like messes weren’t supposed to happen there. Mark met me near the front desk.
“They pulled reimbursement records. Hotel bookings. Wellness claims. Several fancy gifts.”
“All tied to Alyssa?”
“They matched it all to her vendor profile. Texts, expense reports, vendor logs, company phone records. HR’s got everything.”
Through the glass-walled conference room, I saw Cole—pacing, talking with his hands like he was giving a pitch. HR sat impassive. Darren, the CEO, looked exhausted. A VP watched like a judge.
Then Alyssa marched in, ponytail swinging, voice raised. She didn’t knock.
“She’s blowing it all up,” Mark whispered. “She’s furious they’re tying her name to this.”
HR tried to calm her. She talked over them. Then someone slid a manila folder across the table. Cole stopped mid-sentence. His posture collapsed.
Twenty minutes later, the door opened. Cole stepped into the hallway, eyes wide when he saw me.
“Paige,” he said softly.
