The Lies Behind Her Marriage novel Chapter 90

Chapter 90: Report on Vanessa

Silas let out a sigh. He and Sterling whispered to each other.

“Fine,” Sterling, said. “We’ll attend on the condition that there’s no media coverage. Don’t turn this into a promotional event.”

“I never intended to,” Nathaniel said, a faint smile forming. “Thank you. I appreciate it.”

He turned to the bags Gavin had left behind. “These gifts are for you.”

Sterling and Silas acted unimpressed, but their expressions softened once they opened the gifts.

Sterling received a bottle of vintage wine. He frowned, then said, this is too good not to drink. Let’s open it.”

Silas rarely wore jewelry, but he loved cufflinks. He had been given a rate black diamond pair. He hissed, “Keep this up, Nathaniel, or I’ll start thinking you’re into me.”

That earned a small laugh from the room, though Silas himself remained serious. Nathaniel cleared his throat.

Celine received a limited-edition handbag. The moment she saw it she exclaimed, “Oh my God. I’ve been dying to get my hands on this. I love it!”

“I’m glad you do,” Bianca said with a smile. For a brief second, the two mothers seemed cordial, but only for a moment.

Clearly, Nathaniel had looked into their family’s interests. As one of their clients with access to sales executives, he had ways of finding these things.

As for Serena, he gave her a two-toned gold charm bracelet. It had slender links of white gold adorned with small, understated charms. One charm stood out. It was smooth and slightly heavier than the rest, its surface engraved with two names, Ali and Bastin. Seamless in design, it felt more deliberate than decorative, as if it served a purpose beyond sentiment alone.

What Serena liked was that Nathaniel hadn’t made it about himself With her children’s names engraved on it, she would proudly wear it, regardless of who had given it.

She put it on without saying a word. The bracelet was heavy, crafted from pure gold, its charms embellished with natural diamonds.

Nathaniel cleared his throat. “I hope you won’t take it off.”

***

For the rest of the afternoon, Nathaniel and Bianca spent time with the children under Serena and Celine’s supervision. They got to know their likes and interests, listening patiently as the twins talked about everything that mattered to them.

“My shoes are red,” Sebastian said proudly. “Ali likes pink.”

“We’ll remember that,” Bianca said with a smile.

“At night, Mommy reads,” Sebastian added.

Ali held up two fingers and flashed them at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel raised a brow. “Two?”

Sebastian nodded solemnly. “One is not enough.”

Bianca chuckled softly. “That sounds… right.”

Sterling and Silas left to attend to business matters but returned for dinner. They shared the meal in the same conference room, polite but distant.

Serena’s family was not there out of courtesy, but out of respect for the children’s desire to know their father.

Towards the end of dinner, Gavin returned. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. He didn’t bother hiding it, not from them, nor from Bianca.

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Chapter 90 Report On Wanessa

“Sir,” he said to Nathaniel, “the report on Vanessa has arrived.”

“What?” Bianca asked, worry flashing across her face. “What did you find?” 1

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“We’ll discuss it later,” Nathaniel insisted. He smiled at the children, then at Bianca. “We’re with the kids.”

Dinner soon ended. Nathaniel said his goodbyes, promising to pickup Serena and the children the next day for their theme park trip.

***

Nathaniel returned to Bianca’s house for the first time in years. It was there that they discussed what the investigators had uncovered about Vanessa.

Inside the mansion’s library, Gavin reported, “Sir, Ma’am, you wouldn’t believe this. Vanessa has been visiting Roselind Kline’s mansion at Rosemont Heights. One of the security guards even suggested she owned the property.” 2

“The registry of deeds tried to keep the records sealed,” Gavin continued, pulling out the land and house titles. “Our private investigators had to use underhanded tactics to obtain the information. The mansion is under Vanessa Holt’s name. The transfer was completed shortly after Roselind Kline’s death.”

“What?” Bianca’s eyes widened. “Why? Why give it to Vanessa?”

“That’s the big question,” Gavin muttered. “The investigators are still looking into Vanessa and the Holts. We’ll have another report in a few days.”

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