Chapter 67 The Wire
Harper gripped Sebastian's hand as Marcus's voice came through the audio feed.
"I've been thinking about what you said," Marcus began. "About Sebastian needing to be humbled. You were right."
"Was I?" Claire's voice was cautious. "Marcus, why are you really here? Last I checked, you were supporting the board's decision to keep Sebastian as CEO."
"Publicly, yes. What else could I do? But Claire, I've spent years watching him destroy everything our father built. The contract marriage. The scandals. The audit. He's proven he's not fit to lead."
Harper could hear Claire moving around her apartment. "So you've come to commiserate? That's touching but not helpful. I'm under house arrest facing attempted murder charges."
"I've come to help. The trial is in six months. That's time to build a proper defense. Show the jury Sebastian drove you to desperate actions."
A long pause. Harper held her breath.
"How would you help exactly?" Claire asked.
"I have access to company records. Financial documents showing Sebastian's questionable decisions. Evidence of his manipulation and control. I can provide testimony that supports your temporary insanity defense."
"You'd testify against your nephew?"
"He's not my nephew when he's destroying the family legacy. He's just another incompetent CEO who needs to be removed." Marcus's voice was perfectly calibrated. Bitter but controlled. "Claire, I've wanted him out for years. This is my chance."
Harper watched Sebastian's face. He was pale, listening to his uncle betray him. Even knowing it was fake, the words still hurt.
"What do you want in exchange?" Claire asked. She wasn't stupid. She knew Marcus never helped anyone without a price.
"When Sebastian's removed, I want the CEO position. Not interim. Permanent. I want what should have been mine twenty years ago."
"That's ambitious. The board would never approve."
"They would if you had evidence of Sebastian's crimes. Real crimes, not just embezzlement he can blame on Morrison. Personal crimes that make him unfit for any leadership position."
Another pause. Harper could almost hear Claire calculating.
"What kind of personal crimes?" Claire asked slowly.
"The kind involving his wife. The contract marriage was legal, but what if there were other arrangements? Financial manipulation. Coercion. Evidence that Harper was trafficked rather than a willing participant."
Sebastian's hand tightened on Harper's. This was the moment. Would Claire bite?
"Marcus, what are you suggesting?"
"I'm suggesting we manufacture evidence. Make it look like Sebastian forced Harper into the marriage. That he threatened her family's hotel unless she complied. The jury would eat it up. Poor pregnant woman victimized by billionaire husband."
"That's perjury. Witness tampering. We'd both go to prison."
"Only if we're caught. And we won't be, because Harper will never testify against us. She loves Sebastian too much to admit he manipulated her. She'll stay quiet to protect him, and her silence will look like guilt."
Harper felt sick. This was Marcus's strategy to draw Claire out. Make the plan so immoral that Claire would either reject it immediately or reveal her true willingness to go further.
"You've thought about this," Claire said.
"I've thought about nothing else since you were arrested. Claire, your lawyer is building a defense around temporary insanity. That's weak. It makes you look unstable. But if we shift the narrative to make Sebastian the villain, you become the sympathetic sister trying to save his victim."
"By manufacturing false evidence."
"By telling a story the jury wants to believe. That rich powerful men exploit vulnerable women. That family members who try to intervene get punished." Marcus's voice dropped lower. "Claire, I know what really happened. I know you spent five years trying to destroy Sebastian. But the jury doesn't need to know that. They just need to believe you had justification."
The silence stretched so long Harper wondered if the wire had malfunctioned.
Then Claire laughed. "Marcus, this is quite the performance. Did Sebastian put you up to this? Or was it the police?"
Sebastian swore under his breath. She'd seen through it.
"I don't know what you mean," Marcus said, his voice still steady.
"Please. You show up unannounced with a plan to commit perjury? You, who've spent your entire career avoiding anything that might damage your reputation? You're wearing a wire, Marcus. And somewhere, Sebastian is listening to this pathetic attempt to trap me."
Morrison's voice came through a different channel. "Team, be ready to move. She's made us."
On the main feed, Harper heard Claire walking closer to Marcus.
"Let me speak directly to whoever's listening," Claire said. "Sebastian, if that's you, well done. You almost had me. Marcus played the bitter uncle role perfectly. But I'm not stupid enough to confess to crimes while under house arrest."
"Claire, I don't know what you think you've figured out, but I came here to help you," Marcus said.
"No, you came here to gather evidence for my trial. To get me to admit to conspiracy or planning further attacks. Nice try, but I've said nothing incriminating." Claire's voice was ice. "Now get out of my apartment before I call my lawyer and report this as harassment."
Morrison's voice crackled through. "Marcus, abort. Leave now."
On the feed, Harper heard Marcus stand. "You're making a mistake, Claire. I'm offering you a way out."
"And I'm declining. Goodbye, Marcus. Tell Sebastian his plan failed."
The door opened and closed. Silence.
Sebastian pulled off his headphones and threw them across the room. "She knew. The whole time, she knew."
"Maybe not the whole time," Harper said. "She was suspicious. That's not the same as knowing."
"She called it a performance. She knew exactly what we were doing." Sebastian paced. "Now she'll use this at trial. Claim we're harassing her, manufacturing evidence, trying to frame her."
Morrison called minutes later. "That didn't go as planned."
"That's an understatement," Sebastian said. "She made us immediately."
"Not necessarily. I reviewed the audio. Claire was suspicious but she didn't definitively prove anything. She accused you of wearing a wire, but Marcus could have been acting independently. There's no direct evidence you orchestrated this."
"Her lawyer will still use it to discredit us."
"Let him try. Claire said nothing incriminating. All we have is her refusing to cooperate with Marcus's scheme. That actually makes her look smarter, not guilty."
After hanging up, Sebastian slumped on the couch. "I made it worse. She'll be even more defensive now. More careful."
Harper sat beside him. "Or she's rattled. Knowing we're actively working against her, that Marcus turned on her. That might make her sloppy."
"Or more dangerous." Sebastian looked at her. "I'm sorry. This was a bad idea."
"It was a calculated risk. It didn't pay off, but we had to try." Harper took his hand. "Sebastian, we still have the original evidence. The recordings, the confession, the shooting. She's going to prison regardless of what happened today."
"Unless her lawyer convinces the jury I'm a manipulative monster who drove her to desperation."
"Then we testify. We tell the truth. We show them who we really are."
Sebastian pulled her close. "I'm tired of fighting her. Tired of games and strategies and trying to outthink my own sister."
"I know. But six more months. Then the trial. Then it's over."
"Is it? Or does this continue forever? Claire in prison sending threats. Morrison coordinating from behind bars. An endless cycle of Colton family dysfunction."
Harper pulled back to look at him. "Then we break the cycle. We raise our baby different. We don't pass on the legacy of using and manipulating people. We just love them."
"You think it's that simple?"
"No. But it's a start." Harper placed his hand on her stomach where the baby was kicking. "This little person deserves parents who've learned from past mistakes. Who choose love over strategy."
Sebastian kept his hand on her stomach, feeling the baby move. "You're right. We break the cycle. Starting now."
His phone buzzed. Thomas calling.
"I heard what happened with Claire," the lawyer said. "It's not as bad as you think. I've been reviewing the audio. Claire didn't explicitly refuse to cooperate. She accused Marcus of wearing a wire, but she never said 'I did it and I'm not confessing.' That distinction matters."
"How?"
"Because at trial, we can argue she was paranoid and defensive, not necessarily guilty. Her reaction actually supports our narrative that she's unstable and dangerous."
"So the plan wasn't a complete failure?"
"It wasn't a success, but it's not a disaster either. We're still in good shape for trial." Thomas paused. "Though Sebastian, no more independent operations. Everything goes through me and Morrison from now on. Understood?"
"Understood."
After hanging up, Sebastian looked at Harper. "Thomas says we're still okay for trial."
"But you don't believe him."
"I don't know what to believe anymore. Claire's smarter than I gave her credit for. She saw through our trap immediately. What else have we missed? What other moves has she planned that we haven't anticipated?"
Harper didn't have an answer.
They sat together as evening fell over Seattle, both of them wondering what Claire would do next.
And whether they'd see it coming.
Or if the next move would be the one they couldn't survive.