Married Before Midnight by Sienna Quinn - Chapter 23

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Married Before Midnight


Chapter 23: The Trap


The evening air was thick with tension as Hannah Carter and Lucas Scott sat in his parked car across from The Oak & Ivy Café, watching the last of the evening patrons trickle out. The dim glow of the streetlights cast long shadows, mirroring the unease settling in Hannah’s chest. We have less than twenty-four hours. She clenched her fists in her lap, her sharp mind already spinning the threads of their plan. Beside her, Lucas drummed his fingers against the steering wheel, his detective instincts humming with restless energy. “We need proof,” Hannah murmured, her voice low but firm. “Not just suspicions. If we’re going to expose Mr. Thompson and whoever inside the café is working with him, we need undeniable evidence.” Lucas exhaled sharply. “And we need it before that contract is signed tomorrow morning.” Hannah’s lips curved into a slow, calculating smile. “Then we set a trap.”


The Plan Back at Sweet Beginnings, the bakery was quiet, the rest of the family having retired for the night. Only Eleanor and Olivia remained, waiting anxiously for Hannah and Lucas’s return. When the two finally walked in, the exhaustion in their eyes was tempered by determination. “Well?” Olivia asked, setting aside the ledger she’d been reviewing. Hannah wasted no time. “Mr. Thompson is behind this. He’s meeting with The Oak & Ivy Café tomorrow to sign the new contract—meaning he orchestrated the moldy pastries to sabotage us.” Eleanor’s hands trembled slightly as she pressed them to the counter. “But how? Lucas always checked the deliveries.” “Because someone inside the café swapped them,” Lucas said grimly. “And we’re going to catch them in the act.” Hannah laid out her plan. They would prepare a special batch of pastries—marked discreetly—and deliver them to the café as usual. But this time, they would plant a decoy: a single box, identical to the others, but filled with pastries that had been deliberately tampered with. If someone inside the café was working with Mr. Thompson, they would take the bait, swap the good pastries for the bad ones, and unknowingly reveal themselves. Olivia frowned. “But how do we ensure they take the bait?” Hannah’s eyes gleamed. “Because we’ll make sure they think we’re desperate.”


The Bait The next morning, Lucas arrived at The Oak & Ivy Café with the usual delivery—except this time, he made a show of looking harried, his usual meticulous demeanor frayed at the edges. “Morning, James,” he said to the café manager, forcing a tight smile. “Just the usual order.” James Whitmore barely glanced at him. “Leave them in the back.” Lucas hesitated, then lowered his voice. “Listen, I know things have been tense, but… we really need this contract. If there’s any way—” James cut him off with a dismissive wave. “Not my problem.” Lucas clenched his jaw but nodded, carrying the boxes into the kitchen. As he set them down, he made sure to linger just long enough to ensure the marked decoy box was placed slightly apart from the others—an easy target. Then he left, heart pounding. Now, they waited.


The Reveal Hannah and Lucas didn’t have to wait long. Less than an hour later, a young kitchen assistant—someone Lucas had seen around but never paid much attention to—slipped into the storage room where the pastries were kept.


Through the cracked door, they watched as the assistant quickly swapped the decoy box with another, identical one. Got you. Hannah’s pulse spiked. She exchanged a glance with Lucas, who gave a nearly imperceptible nod. The moment the assistant stepped out, Lucas moved, blocking their path. “Going somewhere?” The assistant—a wiry young man named Derek—froze, eyes darting between them in panic. “I—I was just—” Hannah stepped forward, her voice icy. “Just swapping out perfectly good pastries for moldy ones? On whose orders? Mr. Thompson’s?” Derek’s face paled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Lucas crossed his arms. “Then you won’t mind explaining to James why you were tampering with the delivery.” The threat did its job. Derek cracked instantly. “It wasn’t my idea!” he blurted. “Mr. Thompson paid me to do it! He said if I made sure Sweet Beginnings’ pastries looked bad, he’d give me a job at Sweet Haven!” Hannah’s stomach twisted with fury, but she kept her voice steady. “And the first time? When the moldy pastries were served to customers?” Derek swallowed hard. “That… that was him too. He had me switch them after Lucas left.” Lucas’s jaw tightened. “You realize you just admitted to fraud, right?” Derek’s shoulders slumped in defeat.


Confrontation Armed with Derek’s confession, Hannah and Lucas marched straight to James Whitmore’s office. James looked up, startled, as they barged in. “What’s the meaning of this?” Hannah didn’t mince words. “We have proof that Mr. Thompson bribed one of your employees to sabotage our pastries.” She tossed a recording of Derek’s confession onto the desk. “Which means your café knowingly served tainted food to customers—because of him.” James’s face darkened as he listened to the recording. When it finished, he exhaled sharply. “Thompson swore it was just a one-time thing to push you out. He never mentioned the mold.” Lucas scoffed. “And you believed him?” James rubbed his temples. “He’s been our supplier for years. I didn’t think—” “You didn’t think to verify?” Hannah cut in, her voice sharp. “Or did you just not care?” James had the decency to look ashamed. “What do you want?” Hannah leaned forward. “Cancel the contract with Sweet Haven. Reinstate Sweet Beginnings. And if you ever work with Thompson again, we go public with this.” James hesitated, then nodded. “Fine. But this stays between us.” Hannah smirked. “For now.”


Victory Back at Sweet Beginnings, the family erupted into cheers as Hannah and Lucas relayed their success. Eleanor pulled them both into a fierce hug. “You did it.” Olivia grinned. “Now we just have to secure that hotel deal.” Hannah exhaled, the weight of the last few days finally lifting. “One step at a time.” As the sisters celebrated, Lucas caught Hannah’s eye, a quiet pride in his gaze. She smiled back, a silent understanding passing between them. They had won this battle. But the war wasn’t over yet.