Chapter 7
The next morning, the early sun cut through the Manhattan fog.
Corrine stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The pathetic, crying girl from last night was dead.
She wore a perfectly tailored white silk blouse and high-waisted khaki trousers. She slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses. The outfit screamed quiet luxury. It was the armor of Old Money. She had purchased the ensemble and secured the rental car using the last of the emergency funds she'd secretly saved over the years, a hidden 'just in case' account Arron had never known about. Every cent she had was now riding on this single gamble.
Her awakened memories provided the map. She knew Cassius's stepfather, Thaddeus Wainwright, was currently being suffocated by the Mayer family's financial blockade. He was desperate.
Corrine drove the rented black Range Rover out of the city. She took the Long Island Expressway east, heading straight for the most exclusive private golf club in the Hamptons.
An hour later, the Rover pulled up to the heavily guarded iron gates. Two security guards in crisp uniforms stepped out to block her path.
Corrine rolled down the window. She pulled her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose. She spoke with the bored arrogance of someone who owned the world.
"Reservation under Sterling," she lied smoothly, using a fake name from the plot.
The guard tapped on his tablet. He frowned. "I'm sorry, ma'am. You're not on the list. I have to ask you to turn around."
Corrine didn't blink. She reached into her Hermes bag and pulled out a solid black business card bearing the crest of a massive offshore trust fund. She handed it to the guard.
"If you delay Mr. Wainwright's meeting regarding his Cayman accounts, the consequences will be entirely yours," she said, her voice dropping to a freezing temperature.
The guard looked at the crest. His face paled. He knew the temper of these billionaires. He exchanged a panicked look with his partner and hit the gate release button.
The iron gates swung open. Corrine rolled the window up and drove onto the immaculate green lawns.
She parked in the VIP section. She ignored the caddies and walked alone across the stone path toward the South Green. Her heels clicked sharply against the pavement.
The sun glared off the grass. Corrine pushed her sunglasses up and scanned the course.
Two hundred yards away, on the eighteenth hole, she spotted a gray-haired, heavy-set man lining up a putt.
Thaddeus Wainwright. The man living in the shadow of the Mayer empire, filled with toxic ambition.
Corrine took a deep breath. She smoothed her silk shirt and walked directly onto the green.
Two massive men in black suits-Thaddeus's bodyguards-spotted her immediately. They moved like walls, stepping directly into her path.
One guard held up a massive hand. "Private green. Turn around."
Corrine stopped. She didn't try to push past them. Instead, she raised her voice, projecting it clearly over the guards' shoulders toward Thaddeus.
She didn't raise her voice, but she pitched it to cut through the quiet morning air, speaking just loudly enough to reach him without alerting the rest of the club.
"Mr. Wainwright," Corrine called out smoothly. "I have a message regarding your Cayman accounts and a thirty-day deadline. I believe you'll want to hear it."
The words hit like a sniper bullet. Thaddeus's hands jerked. The putter struck the ball off-center, sending it wide of the hole.
Thaddeus slammed the club into the grass. He whipped his head around, his eyes filled with murderous rage. He glared at the woman who dared to speak his darkest secret out loud.
The guards saw his anger and moved to grab Corrine's arms to drag her away.
Right before their hands touched her, Corrine reached into her pocket. She pulled out the broken half of the gold pocket watch chain and held it high in the air.
The sun caught the heavy gold links, flashing a blinding reflection.
Thaddeus's eyes locked onto the metal. He recognized it instantly. It was the symbol of the Mayer family's absolute ruler. Cassius never took it off.
The rage in Thaddeus's eyes froze, instantly replaced by profound shock. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
The guards stopped immediately, stepping back but keeping Corrine boxed in.
Thaddeus narrowed his eyes. He analyzed the young, beautiful woman standing before him. "Who the hell are you, and why do you have that?" he demanded, his voice a low rumble.
Corrine took off her sunglasses. She met his intimidating stare without flinching. A confident smile played on her lips.
"I am the person who is going to save your trust fund," Corrine said calmly. "And I am the person who is going to destroy the Mayer family's marriage alliance from the inside."
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