Chapter 11 - The Desperate Call
But the nightmare of the day was far from over.
Late that evening, as Claire rested comfortably against a mountain of silk pillows, her phone began to buzz incessantly on the nightstand. It was Richard.
She stared at the screen, letting it ring. Finally, Eleanor walked into the room, picked up the phone, and answered it, putting it on speaker.
"Claire! Thank God!" Richard’s voice was frantic, breathless, and utterly desperate. "You have to fix this! The banks just froze my corporate accounts! My investors are pulling out! Tell that crazy woman to back off!"
Eleanor remained silent, allowing Richard to dig his own grave.
"I'm sorry I lost my temper, okay?" Richard pleaded, his voice cracking. "But you have to help me. If the auditors start looking closely at the books... Claire, Jessica and I have been moving money. We’re going to go to federal prison if this blows up!"
Claire’s eyes widened in absolute shock.
Eleanor simply smiled, a cold, terrifying, predatory grin.
"Thank you for the confession, Richard," Eleanor spoke into the phone. "I will be sure to pass that information along to my friends at the FBI."
"Wait! Ms. Crawford—"
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Eleanor ended the call, instantly blocking his number.
"He wasn't just cheating on you, Evie," Eleanor said, using her true name with profound tenderness. "He is a thief. And tomorrow, I am going to utterly annihilate him."
