Chapter 6: The Person Behind the Plan
Nobody moved.
Richard's phone continued ringing.
Vanessa stared at the screen.
Her own name was glowing across it.
Everyone saw.
Everyone understood.
The woman standing ten feet away from him was calling him.
Richard slowly answered.
"What are you doing?""
Vanessa's face turned pale.
"I didn't call you.""
The voice on the other end wasn't loud enough for everyone to hear.
But Richard's reaction was.
His expression changed from anger to confusion.
Then fear.
"Who is this?""
A pause.
Then he looked toward me.
The entire room watched.
"Mr. Whitmore," he said quietly.
I stepped forward.
"What?""
Richard lowered the phone.
"The caller wants to speak to you.""
My eyebrows tightened.
"Why?""
He didn't answer.
He simply handed me the phone.
I held it to my ear.
"Hello?""
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then a voice spoke.
A woman's voice.
Calm.
Familiar.
"You don't know me.""
I looked around.
"Who are you?""
"My name doesn't matter yet.""
I frowned.
"Then why are you calling?""
A soft laugh.
"Because tonight wasn't supposed to happen this way.""
My grip tightened around the phone.
"What does that mean?""
The woman continued.
"Vanessa was supposed to embarrass herself. Richard was supposed to panic. And you were supposed to finally see the truth about the people around you.""
I glanced at Claire.
At Richard.
At Vanessa.
"What are you talking about?""
The voice became quieter.
"Your gala wasn't targeted because of your daughter.""
I looked at Lily.
"Then why?""
"Because of you.""
The ballroom seemed to disappear.
"What?""
"You think Vanessa attacked your daughter because she was careless.""
A pause.
"She wasn't.""
My heart sank.
"Explain.""
The woman didn't answer immediately.
Then she said:
"Look at the guest list.""
I turned toward Daniel.
"Bring me the guest list.""
He immediately moved.
Seconds later, he handed me a printed copy.
I scanned the names.
At first, nothing stood out.
Then I saw it.
A name near the bottom.
A name that shouldn't have been there.
Someone who had no reason to attend.
Someone who wasn't a donor.
Wasn't an investor.
Wasn't a guest.
I looked up.
"Who added this person?""
Daniel swallowed.
"I don't know.""
The woman on the phone spoke again.
"Now you understand.""
I stared at the name.
"Why was she here?""
"To see if you would react.""
"React to what?""
The woman took a breath.
"To see if you still had the same weakness.""
My eyes narrowed.
"My daughter isn't a weakness.""
"No.""
Her voice softened.
"She's the reason you haven't become like them.""
That sentence bothered me.
Because it sounded like she knew me.
Too well.
"Who are you?""
This time, there was silence.
Then:
"Someone who tried to warn you years ago.""
A chill ran through me.
Years ago.
Before my company.
Before the gala.
Before Lily.
"What is your name?""
The woman whispered:
"Emily.""
The phone almost slipped from my hand.
No.
It couldn't be.
Emily was a name I hadn't heard in six years.
A name connected to the darkest period of my life.
A person I thought was gone forever.
"Emily what?""
The line went silent.
Then the call ended.
I stood there frozen.
"Mr. Whitmore?""
Daniel's voice pulled me back.
I looked at the phone.
Then at the crowd.
Then at Lily.
Because suddenly, the woman who had attacked my daughter wasn't the only person hiding something.
Someone else had been watching me.
Someone who knew my past.
Someone who knew exactly where to hurt me.
And when I looked back at the guest list, I saw one final detail.
The mysterious guest's name wasn't just on the list.
May you like
It was written beside mine.
As my plus-one.
