Homewrecker Incorporated (4 page)

Her inquiry also led to an interesting tidbit about the upcoming retirement of Gregory Michaels' assistant, Janet, whom he'd inherited from his father's tenure at the helm of the company. She wasn't leaving for at least a couple of months, but there'd been talk of getting her replacement trained before her exit.

I kept moving toward my office, hoping to look over my notes and the profile on Gregory Michaels one last time before Elsa arrived. It was just a way to distract myself from the nervous energy buzzing over my skin. I memorized every detail of the background information Bridget, and Lydia, who'd flown back late the night before, pulled together on our new target. It never ceased to amaze me how much you could learn about a person from the Internet.

I flipped past the first pages containing press releases and financial information on G&G Components. I stopped when something caught my eye: a photograph in one of the releases from several years ago. It was an unusual shot for a business piece, featuring Gregory and his twin brother Greyston Michaels hugging by the steps of the company's private jet, and their younger brother Chad standing a little to the side with his hand on Greyston's shoulder. Although Greyston's face wasn't visible in the shot, I knew he had to be as hot as Gregory. They were identical after all.

"Michaels Brothers Taking on Tokyo"
sat on top of the picture. The article explained a joint venture with a Tokyo based electronics company being led by Greyston, G&G's chief operating officer. He was moving to Japan to oversee the project, where he was remaining for another year. Having his twin in the mix would have made my job far more complicated. If I remembered correctly, it'd been just a few weeks before the date of the article G&G started hitting the news in a big way as a leader in vehicle component technology.

It was hard to not be impressed by Gregory and his brothers, another article calling the company's front man a "visionary taking the reins from his father to lead G&G Components into the future." The next page featured a shot of Gregory and Elsa taken just a few weeks ago. The couple held one of those ridiculously large pairs of scissors at the opening of G&Gs new corporate offices.

"I know this case is good for us, but the whole thing makes me sad." Bridget looked down at the photo, her unheard appearance in front of my desk scaring the shit out of me. "Sorry," she said, noticing me jump. "I just wanted to let you know the private elevator was accessed."

She smiled apologetically. Because that elevator only serviced the top two floors of the building, the penthouse where Grace and I lived, and our offices the floor below, it had to be Elsa using the temporary access code Patty sent her.

"I guess this is it, then." I stood to smooth my black pleated tulle skirt and matching blazer. "How do I look?"

"Perfect. Hot, but still professional," she replied with an approving nod as she tugged at her own skirt.

"Thanks." I took a deep breath and walked to the entrance to greet Mrs. Michaels.

As I walked past my partners, I couldn't help but appreciate how beautiful and professional they all looked. 

"I think it's best if you all sit down until I escort her in. It would seem less, um, anxious," I suggested.

"I'm so fucking nervous," Lydia said in a loud whisper as she tucked a lock of shoulder-length chestnut hair behind her ear.

We were all nervous. The commission and bonus we were looking at was more than the seven figures we'd made on all our jobs combined for the last eighteen months or so. Not to mention the connections a woman like Elsa Michaels had to an array of equally wealthy potential clients in questionable marriages.

The sound of clicking heels on the hardwood floor of the hallway just outside the door signaled Elsa Michaels' arrival. I pulled open the door, smiling brightly as I extended my hand in greeting. Wearing a lovely pantsuit from one of the premier designer's spring lines, she was even more beautiful in person than in any of the photographs I'd seen.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," she blurted, reaching for my hand as she crossed the threshold. "This is extremely difficult and I just needed a few minutes to get myself together before I came up."

I admired her honesty and her strength but was surprised by her humility. She was always so composed in public. Clearly those few minutes helped because she looked amazing. Strong and ready for anything. If I'd been crying, I would have broken out in hives and red blotches. One of several reasons I never let myself cry in front of anyone.

"No need to apologize, Mrs. Michaels. You're actually right on time. Can I just say it's such a pleasure to meet you? We're all big fans of the amazing work you do," I said, leading her around the corner to where everyone else was waiting.

"Please, call me Elsa. I think we're going to be far past any need for formality before this is over," she replied with a bright smile, attempting to make light of her situation, but despite her impeccable exterior, the pain in her eyes was evident.

"Here, let me take your coat, and please have a seat. Would you like something to eat or drink?" I gestured toward the table filled with various pastries, juices, and coffee while she set her bag on an empty chair and shrugged out of her blazer.

"Just some water. I haven't had much of an appetite lately."

"Of course." I hung Elsa's coat on the rack in the corner while Grace passed her a bottle of water. She opened it and took a long drink. Finally, she sighed and took a few moments to look me up and down.

"I can see why Patty recommended you," she said, finally sitting. "You're absolutely breathtaking, magnetic even."

I was accustomed to receiving compliments, mainly from men who were trying to get in my pants, but having a woman like Elsa Michaels speak about me that way put a flush of color on my cheeks. I respected her, admired her even, so her words had an impact.

"Allow me to present my associates, Lydia, Grace, and Bridget." I stuck to first names, although all hopes of anonymity were already lost considering we were standing in the building Grace and I lived in and Elsa's attorney's had nondisclosure agreements with all of our signatures on them. On a typical case, Patty served as a buffer and was the only one who signed the agreements our clients saw. 

"It's a pleasure to meet all of you" Elsa said with a small smile. "Despite the unfortunate circumstances."

Each of my partners greeted her in turn before sitting again.

"So, Elsa, where would you like to begin?" I asked, taking my seat.

"I know that meeting me like this goes against your standard policies, but I'm sure you all understand the delicate nature of the situation, for myself and my foundation. Many of our large donors are affiliated with notable religious organizations; that kind of scandal could impact their desire to support the foundation, at least so long as I remained at the helm. The foundation is my life's work. It's my legacy. I couldn't imagine giving that up."

She looked to each of us and, seemingly satisfied we understood, dropped a stack of photographs on the table in front of me. They were the explanation to the mystery of her sudden suspicion in what, from the outside, appeared to be the most enviable marriage in Chicago. They also seemed to suggest I was an ideal choice for the assignment.

"It's a miracle whoever took these hasn't sold them to the highest bidder already."

There were approximately fifteen shots of Gregory Michaels with a woman who could have been my twin. Most of the shots seemed fairly harmless, featuring Gregory Michaels with this woman in a variety of places: restaurants, bars, standing by his car. Then there were the final two. The first was of Gregory leaving the Drake Hotel, the woman trailing a few feet behind him. Not particularly incriminating until I saw the accompanying photograph of her completely naked and straddling a man who may or may not have been him in what was definitely a room in the same hotel. I'd been there enough times to recognize it.

"I would guess they haven't been sold because they are holding out for a bigger payout from you to keep them concealed. Especially since you can't even see his face in the only shot that's really worth anything," Grace said, examining the pictures. 

I wanted to add how shocked I was her husband would be so careless to be photographed at a hotel with his mistress, but that was a comment best left unsaid at the moment.

"Yes, I think you're right. Someone slipped them under the door of the bathroom stall when we were out to dinner several weeks ago. I wondered if it was just some paparazzi ploy to bait me into creating a bigger story--make a public scene between Gregory and me. So I tucked them into my bag and walked out as though nothing happened. I didn't know why I didn't ask him about them when we got home. It wouldn't be the first time the media has resorted to such desperate tactics for a juicy headline."

She took a sip of water.

"I'm embarrassed to admit it, but I let the pictures get into my head even though Gregory has never given me cause to doubt him before. It's just he's been distant for the past few months." She looked down at her hands. "He's under a lot of pressure with the company, and I've been swamped with the new children's education program the foundation is rolling out in South America. I've been traveling a lot and when I'm home, I've been so focused on--" Elsa fought back tears.

Grace retrieved a box of tissues from a side table and placed them beside Elsa. "Those photos would get to any reasonable person, Elsa." 

Elsa pulled a tissue from the box and dabbed her eyes. "We've been trying to have a baby for nearly two years now. Obviously, things haven't moved along as easily as we hoped. We've had some, difficulties, but I thought we were getting through it. There are still options we haven't explored. Then these pictures showed up and a week later he suggested we hold off on trying to get pregnant for a while. Suddenly what the photos allude to seemed like the only reasonable explanation for his sudden change of heart. Having a family was the most important thing in the world to him, and now I wonder if his feelings have changed because we couldn't, because I couldn't get--"

The tears Elsa was fighting broke through. I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder as she wiped them away and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry. I was certain I'd run out of tears by now."

"Please don't apologize, Elsa. I can't begin to imagine how hard all of this is for you." I squeezed her shoulder with a sympathetic smile.

"So here I am," Elsa said, clasping her hands together on her lap.

"One thing I'm confused about, Elsa," I sat back in my chair, "why do you need our help? You inherited a small fortune from your grandparents. Most of our clients come to us because they married into the money and would leave their marriages with nothing because of their prenups."

"It's almost funny." She wiped her nose with a tissue. "Gregory didn't even want us to have a prenup, but his family's lawyers insisted despite the fact I had my own money--more than him actually. But they claimed it was because of the company. I understood, especially with him in line to take over someday. The infidelity clause was his idea. I was young and in love, so I never bothered to read the fine print of the contract." She sniffled and rolled her eyes. "It's sad considering I was a law student at the time. So all I understood was if either of us cheated and we divorced, the other would be paid a hefty penalty. As you can imagine, that gave me a great sense of security in his fidelity. However, the standard of proof required to trigger the clause is incredibly specific."

She pulled a copy of the agreement from her bag and slid it over.

I flipped through the pages to the infidelity clause. "Shit." It was the only appropriate response. I passed the contract to Grace. "You need visual proof of more than one breach defined as sexual intercourse and sworn testimony from the other woman."

She nodded while Grace skimmed the contract.

"The thing is, I wouldn't even care about making him pay me the penalty, except his lawyers pulled a fast one with another section of the agreement. If we divorce without evidence of infidelity, the net worth acquired during our marriage will be split between us. Gregory's stock in G&G was transferred to him before we were married, but I didn't receive my inheritance--it was kept in trust--until I was twenty-five. Essentially he would keep all of his money and get half of mine. That's why I'm here."

"Jesus, that's fucked up," Lydia said and then clasped her hand over her mouth.

Grace gave Lydia a wide-eyed look of disapproval for using vulgar language with Elsa, while Bridget squirmed in the chair next to her. I, on the other hand, covered my mouth to keep from laughing at Lydia's outburst.

Lydia's gaze shot to Elsa.

"Mrs. Michaels, I'm so--"

Elsa burst out laughing, tossing her head back, her hand over her chest. Her infectious laugh spread to all of us. Every time the laughter started to die down, one of us would lose it again, keeping the shenanigans going for several minutes before we finally regained our composure.

"God, I needed that!" Elsa finally said, dabbing at the corners of her eyes. Tears of laughter suited her far better than the ones we'd seen earlier.

"So your husband has no idea about the photos or that you suspect anything?" I asked, getting back to the business at hand.

"No, I don't think so. I was discreet when I started looking into our prenup, which oddly enough, was what really made me start to question his faithfulness. What if he knew he would get to keep all of his money and half of mine? It's hard for me to imagine the man I've known all these years could do such a thing, but I have other people to consider as I move forward. It's not just my marriage on the line. It's my foundation, all the children we help, and all the children who still need our help."