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He continues, “However, I am… concerned about the validity of some of his claims.”

“The validity, you say?”

“Yes.” He answers stiffly, “There is a clause which states he must be married by the time he is thirty, in order to gain his full inheritance.”

“Is he married?” I ask in quiet tones.

He shakes his head, “No, but evidently he is engaged.” He frowns deeply, “This only happened very recently, mind you, and he is approaching his thirtieth birthday.” He looks at me in a knowing sort of way. I suppose he thinks that he is being smooth. I keep my own face collected and composed.

I nod my head in understanding, “So you believe he has entered into a fake relationship in order to gain access to this trust fund?”

“Exactly.” Mrs. Samuel hisses with such ferocity that I almost drop my façade. Almost.

She continues, “He’s never been interested in settling down before. Never! He’s had a string of one-night stands a mile long. It’s an absolute disgrace.”

I hide my smirk and nod seriously instead, “Of course, Mrs. Samuel, of course. It would be terribly distressing for you and your family.”

She nods and sinks back into the chair, seeming satisfied with her little outburst. Her husband continues on instead, “We want to make sure this relationship is legitimate. You understand?”

“I understand very clearly, Mr. Samuel.” He wants me to find some dirt on the two of them, and it couldn’t be clearer. He has something to gain from his nephew not getting the money and I have no doubt as to what that might be. I need to make sure that I find some way of disproving their relationship, in order to have success in this job.

“What is your nephew’s name?” I ask.

He hands me a stack of papers, and the name that appears time and time again is Cade Harlow. He’s the one I’m looking for. He’s the one I am seeking to undo. The pile of papers is huge and it will take me forever to skim through them all. I take a quick look through a few of them, before I set them down and look at them both dead on.

“I will do the best I can to make sure that this relationship is truly legitimate, to protect the honor of your… family.” The word ‘money’ lingers on my tongue but I do not say it. Instead, I stand, “May I keep these papers?”

“Of course.”

I nod in satisfaction as I see them both to the door. As we are walking, we discuss the contracts and the money. They will be paying me quite handsomely and I make a note to send over the contract to them as quickly as possible. I want this signed before I start with any of the work.

I have learnt the hard way not to trust anyone, especially not my clients.

“Thank you for your time, Mr. Jones.” We shake hands and I smile.

“No, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Samuel. I assure you that I will do everything in my power to get to the bottom of this.”

I see them out of the door. The name plate on the door glints in the light. Adam Jones. Lawyer. I smirk and shut the door behind myself. I might be a lawyer, but sometimes I feel far more like a private investigator, like someone who works on covert missions instead of someone who should be defending a man in court.

I sit down at my desk, taking a long sip of my coffee as I read through the information that they have provided me. It’s quite in depth. There’s the paperwork from the original trustee agreement, all the legalities and the clauses outlined perfectly. There’s proof of Cade’s birthday.

I read on, nodding slightly as my suspicions are confirmed. Yes, if he does not get the money, then they will. The two of them looked wealthy enough, and it’s not like they needed the money, but that’s not what it’s about.

If I expose Cade in a lie, then it’s hardly my fault if his world crashed around him. I’m just doing my job and he should be doing his. I file away all the paperwork, and lean back in the chair, staring out of the window.

I’ve been caught in the crossfire too many times in my life. Too many people who lie and cheat their way to the top. I’ve been trampled too many times in the process and, I swear, I will never let it happen again.

If Cade is lying, deceiving his family for his own personal gain, then he deserves everything that he gets. I feel the resolve harden in my chest as I pick up the phone, preparing to make the call.

I hope that Cade is ready for this.





CHAPTER FIVE





CADE HARLOW





It has been another day of non-stop meetings. It has not eased since I first walked into the office and it doesn’t look like there is any chance of it slowing down any time soon. If I am not emailing somebody, then I am phoning them and if I am not doing that, then I am in a face-to-face meeting with some executive or employee who wants more from me than I can give.