[COMPLETED] The Man I Loved Chose a Rich Heiress Before Three Hundred Guests—Then the Feared Syndicate Leader Walked Toward My Table

Nathaniel Mercer did not hurry.

He crossed the polished ballroom while three hundred people quietly rearranged themselves to make room. I watched a silver watch catch the chandelier light on his left wrist. The pale scar at his temple remained visible as he passed Daniel, who had stopped beside Madeline near the dance floor.

My first thought was that Nathaniel had mistaken me for someone else.

My second was that a man like him did not make mistakes in public.

He stopped beside table nineteen. From this close, I could see the black rose tattoo on the right side of his neck, partly concealed by his collar.

“Emma Parker?”

I nodded.

“Are you cold?”

I had been shaking for several minutes, although the ballroom was warm. Before I could give him an answer, he unfolded a black wool coat from his arm and settled it over my shoulders. The fabric smelled faintly of cedar and clean air.

I glanced toward Daniel. He was looking straight at us.

Nathaniel bent close. His voice barely carried beyond my chair.

“Stand up and act like you’re mine.”

It was twelve minutes after midnight.

For one heartbeat, I could only stare at him. After spending eleven months trusting the wrong man, I was not eager to trust a stranger simply because everyone feared him.

“I don't belong to anybody,” I whispered.

Something shifted around Nathaniel's mouth. Not a smile. Something nearer to respect.

“Then stand up as yourself. Let them wonder why I'm here.”

I stood. The coat remained around my shoulders, and my sapphire gown brushed the side of the chair. The laughter that had surrounded me earlier was gone.

Grant Holloway appeared almost immediately, with a smile so careful it looked painful.

“Mr. Mercer. If you'd like a private table, we can arrange one.”

“I'm speaking with Miss Parker.”

“She's one of our employees.”

“I know.”

Grant's gaze flicked toward me. There was a warning in it I recognized from my supervisors whenever someone important wanted an inconvenience removed.

“Employees are expected to remain until the closing toast,” Grant said.

“Then she'll remain,” Nathaniel answered. “So will I.”

That seemed to leave Grant without a useful objection. He excused himself, but not before giving Daniel a look I couldn't interpret.

Nathaniel pulled out the empty chair opposite mine.

“May I?”

I almost laughed at the courtesy. The man who had silenced a ballroom was asking permission to sit at a table nobody else wanted to approach.

I nodded again.

He sat, leaving a comfortable distance between us. Across the room, Madeline touched Daniel's sleeve. Daniel ignored her, his attention fixed on Nathaniel's coat.

“I know tonight hasn't been kind to you,” Nathaniel said.

“That makes you the third hundredth person to notice.”

“I'm not here to discuss Daniel's choice.”

“Good. I would rather not discuss it either.”

Nathaniel reached into the inside pocket of his suit and took out a folded paper. He kept it beneath his hand, where the other guests could not read it.

“Do you still work in payroll at Blackridge Timber and Development?”

The change of subject was sharp enough to frighten me.

“Yes.”

“Six weeks ago, did you report a discrepancy involving contractors who appeared in more than one payment category?”

I looked toward Grant. He was speaking to Daniel near the ballroom doors.

“How do you know about that?”

“An exception notice was sent to a Pinehaven company. Your name appeared as the person who raised the question.”

I remembered the notice. Three contractor numbers had appeared beside employee benefit payments even though their payroll classifications did not match. I had asked finance to explain the duplication. My supervisor told me it was an accounting adjustment and promised a written response.

None had arrived.

“You shouldn't be discussing company records with me here,” I said.

“You're right. I should have reached you through a lawyer. But the notice that came to my company tonight suggests somebody is about to make you responsible for money you never touched.”

He slid the folded paper across the table. I kept my hands beneath the coat.

“Why should I believe you?”

“You shouldn't. Read it, decide whether it's familiar, and have an independent person verify it.”

The paper bore a reference number, an amount, and the name of a supposed receiving account: Pinehaven Regional Benefits Escrow.

$486,200.

My throat tightened.

“That isn't a legitimate payroll category,” I said.

“It isn't a Pinehaven account either.”

The music changed. Guests began drifting back toward their tables for the closing toast.

“Where did you get this?”

“Our company received a remittance notice identifying us as responsible for the account. We have no such account. My counsel requested the transaction details.”

I finally unfolded the lower portion of the page. Beneath the amount was an approval field.

E. PARKER — PAYROLL AUTHORIZATION.

The time beside it was 12:07 a.m.

At 12:07, I had been sitting in this ballroom, watching Daniel dance with Madeline. My work computer was miles away. I had neither approved an adjustment nor spoken to anyone in finance.

“This wasn't me.”

“I thought you might say that.”

Daniel approached before I could ask another question.

“Emma. Can we talk?”

For eleven months, I had wanted him to come toward me in a room full of people. Now I wanted nothing more than for him to walk away.

“Not tonight,” I said.

Daniel glanced at the paper. His face changed so quickly that I almost missed it.

Nathaniel folded the notice and returned it to the table beneath his palm.

“Did you need something from Miss Parker?” he asked.

Daniel stood rigid in his midnight-navy suit. “This is a private matter.”

“Then you can respect her answer.”

Daniel left without another word. Madeline watched him return, one hand wrapped around the silver bracelet he had placed on her wrist.

The closing toast began. I barely heard Grant speaking about loyalty, prosperity, and the families who built Blackridge. Nathaniel did not touch his glass. Neither did I.

When the last applause ended, I stood to leave. Nathaniel rose with me.

“I won't ask you to give me anything tonight,” he said. “But keep your own records safe. Don't send anyone your password. And don't allow anyone to convince you that this approval is harmless.”

I looked again at the authorization beneath his hand.

Someone had used my name to approve nearly half a million dollars while everyone at Blackridge could see where I was.

And Daniel, who hadn't known about the discrepancy when we began seeing each other, had recognized the paper at a glance.

“What did he see?” I asked.