Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO KNEW TOO MUCH
The following morning, Richard acted as though nothing had happened.
He ate breakfast.
He answered emails.
He complained about the coffee.
He even joked with the housekeeper.
But Maya knew the truth.
Someone was watching them.
At ten, a woman arrived.
She was elegant, blonde, and carrying a leather briefcase.
“I'm Natalie Pierce,” she said.
“Richard's attorney?”
“No.”
She glanced around.
“I'm his former CFO.”
Richard immediately went still.
Maya noticed.
Natalie closed the door behind her.
“I shouldn't be here.”
“Then why are you?”
“Because I know what Ethan is planning.”
Richard stared at her.
“Tell me.”
Natalie opened the briefcase.
Inside were copies of financial transactions.
“He didn't steal forty-eight million.”
Richard frowned.
“What?”
“He stole much more.”
She placed another folder on the table.
“Ethan has been moving money for three years.”
Richard's eyes widened.
“How much?”
“Nearly two hundred million.”
Maya stared at the documents.
“Where did it go?”
“Private accounts. Offshore trusts. Political donations. And something called the Helix Project.”
Richard's expression changed.
“Helix.”
“You know it?”
“I thought it was discontinued.”
Natalie shook her head.
“It wasn't.”
She leaned closer.
“Your brother has been using company research to develop a private medical technology platform.”
“What kind?”
“Neural implants.”
Richard's face hardened.
“That project was never approved.”
“Exactly.”
Silence.
Then Natalie said:
“Someone inside the government is funding it.”
Richard looked at Maya.
“Who?”
Natalie hesitated.
“That's what I haven't figured out.”
Suddenly the front door slammed.
Natalie froze.
Richard's security system beeped.
Then the lights went out.
Maya's heart jumped.
“Stay here.”
Richard reached for his wheelchair controls.
Maya whispered, “You can't pretend to be paralyzed if someone attacks.”
Richard looked at her.
“Tonight, I may have to stop pretending.”
Footsteps approached.
Fast.
Natalie grabbed the fireplace poker.
Maya reached for the emergency phone.
The door burst open.
A man in black entered.
Richard moved instantly.
He grabbed the metal frame beside his chair and swung himself upward.
Maya gasped.
The intruder froze.
Richard was standing.
Unsteadily.
But standing.
The man turned.
Richard lunged.
The two crashed into a table.
Maya screamed for security.
The intruder escaped through the side door.
Richard collapsed against the wall.
Maya rushed to him.
“You're hurt.”
“I'm fine.”
“You're shaking.”
“I haven't stood this long in months.”
She helped him sit.
Natalie stared at him.
“I didn't know.”
Richard looked at her.
“I didn't trust anyone.”
Natalie swallowed.
“You can trust me.”
Richard looked away.
“No.”
Maya noticed the hurt in Natalie's expression.
Something wasn't right.
That evening, Natalie left.
Before entering her car, she looked directly at Maya.
“Don't trust Richard completely.”
Maya frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Natalie whispered:
“You think Ethan is the only person lying in this house.”
Then she drove away.
Maya returned inside.
Richard was waiting.
“What did she say?”
Maya hesitated.
“She warned me about you.”
Richard smiled without humor.
“She should.”
“Are you hiding something from me?”
“Yes.”
“What?”
Richard looked into her eyes.
“I know who caused the accident.”
“Who?”
Richard's voice became barely audible.
“Your ex-husband.”
Maya stopped breathing.
“What?”
“Miguel.”
“That is impossible.”
“I wish it were.”
Richard opened a file.
Inside was a photograph.
Miguel standing beside Ethan.
Taken eight months earlier.
Three days before Richard's crash.
Maya's hands began to tremble.
Richard whispered:
May you like
“Your divorce wasn't the beginning of your story with me.”
“It was the beginning of theirs.”
