Chapter 3 – Dinner with a Stranger
That evening, Richard returned home carrying roses.
For years, flowers had been enough.
Tonight they felt like evidence.
Khloe forced a smile.
"They're beautiful."
"I've been busy."
"I know."
He kissed her forehead.
His lips felt cold.
During dinner he spoke about investors.
Construction delays.
Quarterly profits.
Everything except their daughter.
Not once did he ask how the baby was feeling.
Not once did he touch her stomach.
Halfway through the meal, his phone buzzed.
He glanced down.
Khloe noticed the screen reflected faintly in his wineglass.
Vanessa ❤️
He quickly locked it.
"Business."
Khloe nodded.
"Of course."
Inside her sweater, Harrison's recorder captured every word.
After dinner Richard disappeared into his study.
Khloe quietly followed.
The door remained slightly open.
"...she suspects nothing."
His voice drifted through the crack.
"No."
A pause.
"The divorce papers next month."
Another pause.
"The mortgage transfers tomorrow."
Khloe's knees nearly gave way.
Mortgage transfers?
She steadied herself against the wall.
Richard laughed softly.
"When she's dealing with a newborn..."
"...she'll sign anything."
Something inside Khloe died.
She returned upstairs before he could see her.
Closing the bedroom door behind her, she finally allowed herself to cry.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
Just silent tears falling onto the tiny baby blanket she'd been knitting.
Downstairs, Richard ended his call.
He opened his laptop.
Logged into an encrypted account.
Transferred another $850,000.
He never noticed the software Harrison's cyber team had remotely installed minutes earlier.
Every keystroke.
Every password.
Every transfer.
Copied.
Recorded.
Time-stamped.
Across the city, a notification appeared on Harrison's monitor.
He read it once.
Then quietly said,
"Got you."
But another alert arrived seconds later.
One that made his expression harden.
Large insurance policy updated.
Beneficiary:
Vanessa Kensington.
Khloe's name—
removed.
Harrison stared at the screen.
May you like
Then reached for his car keys.
"This just became a homicide investigation waiting to happen."
