Chapter 3 — Brenda’s Perfect Plan
Chapter 3 — Brenda’s Perfect Plan
Brenda Lawson had always believed that timing was everything.
Beauty opened doors.
Charm kept them open.
But timing...
Timing allowed someone to walk through those doors carrying another person's future.
She had built her entire life around that belief.
And until tonight...
It had never failed her.
She stood alone in Andrew's master bedroom, staring at herself in the floor-to-ceiling mirror.
The crimson gown still hugged her figure perfectly.
Her makeup remained flawless.
The diamond earrings Andrew had bought her sparkled beneath the chandelier.
Hours earlier, she had imagined herself standing here as the future Mrs. Harper.
Now, the silence inside the mansion felt different.
Cold.
Uncertain.
She picked up her phone.
No new messages.
She frowned.
Normally, Andrew would have texted by now.
Instead, he had locked himself inside his study.
He hadn't even looked at her since the phone calls began.
Downstairs...
Margaret was pacing furiously.
"This is absurd!"
She slammed another phone onto the marble table.
"No one is answering!"
The butler stood quietly near the doorway.
Margaret turned sharply.
"Have they all lost their minds?"
The elderly man lowered his eyes.
"I couldn't say, Mrs. Harper."
She glared at him.
"Then don't stand there like a statue."
He bowed slightly and left.
As he disappeared down the hallway, Margaret noticed something she hadn't seen in years.
Several servants were whispering together.
They stopped the moment she looked at them.
For the first time...
The staff no longer looked afraid.
Brenda walked downstairs carrying a glass of wine.
"Has Andrew said anything?"
Margaret didn't answer immediately.
Instead, she studied Brenda carefully.
"You said Mariana would disappear quietly."
Brenda forced a smile.
"She will."
"Then explain this."
Margaret pointed toward the television.
Every financial news channel carried the same breaking headline.
HARPER TECHNOLOGIES FACES LIQUIDITY CRISIS
MAJOR INVESTORS WITHDRAW SUPPORT
ESCALANTE CAPITAL ENDS STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIP
Brenda's heartbeat quickened.
Escalante.
That name again.
She had never paid much attention to it before tonight.
Now it seemed to be everywhere.
Earlier That Evening...
Everything had gone exactly as Brenda planned.
Or so she believed.
Three days before the gala, she had entered Margaret's private dressing room while the older woman attended a charity luncheon.
She already knew where the emerald necklace was kept.
Margaret trusted her completely.
The velvet jewelry box rested inside a hidden drawer.
Brenda carefully removed the necklace.
Its emeralds shimmered under the dressing room lights.
Worth millions.
Perhaps more.
She smiled.
Not because she wanted the necklace.
Because she needed it.
She slipped it into a black silk pouch.
Closed the drawer.
And quietly left the room.
An hour later...
She found the opportunity she'd been waiting for.
Mariana had been helping the catering staff prepare the ballroom.
Her brown leather handbag sat unattended on a chair near the service entrance.
Brenda looked around.
No one was watching.
Or so she thought.
She unzipped the purse.
Dropped the velvet box inside.
Closed it.
Walked away.
Less than ten seconds.
That was all it took.
Perfect.
Simple.
Impossible to question.
Her plan had never been about jewelry.
The necklace was merely a weapon.
She wanted something far more valuable.
Mariana's place.
Andrew had grown increasingly distant from his wife over the previous year.
Brenda had encouraged every misunderstanding.
Every argument.
Every suspicion.
She whispered carefully chosen lies.
Made anonymous phone calls.
Created convenient misunderstandings.
Always subtle.
Always believable.
By the time the gala arrived...
Andrew already wanted to believe the worst about his wife.
The missing necklace simply gave him permission.
Back in the present...
Brenda took another sip of wine.
"It was supposed to be over."
Margaret frowned.
"What was?"
Brenda realized she'd spoken aloud.
"Nothing."
Before Margaret could ask another question, footsteps echoed from the hallway.
Andrew appeared.
He looked nothing like the confident man from earlier.
His tie hung loose.
His jacket was gone.
His face had turned pale.
Brenda hurried toward him.
"Baby..."
He walked past her.
Without touching her.
Without even looking at her.
She stopped.
Confused.
"Andrew?"
He finally turned.
"Did you know?"
Her smile faltered.
"Know what?"
"Who Mariana really is."
Brenda blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Andrew laughed bitterly.
"Amazing."
Margaret interrupted.
"Andrew, stop speaking in riddles."
He looked at both women.
"You've spent four years calling Mariana a gold digger."
Neither answered.
He continued.
"Apparently..."
His voice cracked with disbelief.
"...we were living off her family."
Silence.
Brenda stared at him.
"That's impossible."
"So I thought."
At Escalante Holdings...
Mariana had changed into a simple navy business suit.
The bruise on her cheek remained visible despite the makeup.
She refused to hide it.
Victor entered carrying another folder.
"We've finished the background investigation."
She looked up.
"On Brenda?"
He nodded.
"You were right to ask."
He placed photographs across the table.
Different cities.
Different men.
Luxury hotels.
Private yachts.
Engagement parties.
Mariana slowly turned each photograph.
The same woman.
Different names.
Different hairstyles.
Different lives.
Victor spoke quietly.
"Her legal name isn't even Brenda Lawson."
Mariana looked at him.
"What?"
"Her birth name is Rebecca Collins."
Another photograph.
"She has used four identities over the past twelve years."
Mariana frowned.
"Fraud?"
Victor nodded.
"Mostly romance scams."
He opened another file.
"We've confirmed relationships with at least six wealthy businessmen."
"What happened to them?"
"Most lost substantial amounts of money."
Mariana's eyes narrowed.
"And Andrew?"
Victor looked at the final page.
"We believe he was never the target."
She frowned.
"Then who was?"
Victor met her eyes.
"You."
Mariana froze.
"Explain."
Victor slid another document across the table.
"Three years ago, Brenda accepted payments through shell companies connected to a private consulting firm."
Mariana examined the names.
None looked familiar.
Then she saw one signature.
Her expression changed.
"This company..."
Victor nodded.
"...has represented one of Escalante Holdings' biggest competitors for years."
Mariana slowly leaned back.
"This wasn't just an affair."
"No."
Victor's voice became grim.
"We believe someone placed Brenda near Andrew because they wanted access to you."
The room fell silent.
For the first time that night...
Mariana realized the betrayal might be far larger than a broken marriage.
Meanwhile...
Inside the Harper mansion...
Brenda locked herself inside the guest bedroom.
Her hands trembled as she dialed a number she hadn't called in months.
The line connected immediately.
A man's voice answered.
"Report."
She lowered her voice.
"Something went wrong."
"What happened?"
"Mariana left."
A pause.
"That was expected."
Brenda swallowed.
"No."
"You don't understand."
Another silence.
Then the man asked,
"Did she discover you?"
"I don't know."
"What about Escalante?"
Brenda's heart pounded.
"How did you—"
The man interrupted.
"Answer me."
"She's with them."
Silence.
Longer this time.
Finally...
The man spoke.
"Leave the mansion."
Brenda frowned.
"What?"
"Immediately."
"But Andrew—"
"Forget Andrew."
His voice turned cold.
"The mission has failed."
Before she could answer...
The call disconnected.
Brenda stared at the phone.
Mission?
For the first time in years...
She felt genuine fear.
Across the hall...
The Harper family's longtime housekeeper quietly stepped out from the shadows.
She had been carrying fresh towels.
She had also heard every word through the slightly open door.
Without making a sound...
She walked away.
Toward Andrew's study.
Because after serving the Harper family for thirty-one years...
May you like
She had finally decided it was time to tell the truth.
End of Chapter 3
