Chapter 7 - The Woman Behind the Signature
"Laura?"
Ben's voice was quiet.
I looked at him.
"Not here."
"Now."
Rebecca stepped between us.
"Mr. Kendall, we should finish the corporate review first."
Eric laughed.
"Go ahead. Tell him."
I turned toward the screen.
"Show the final amendment."
The examiner opened another file.
It contained a document dated six years earlier.
The document transferred certain voting rights to a trust established for the benefit of Northline's employees.
I remembered signing it.
At the time, the company had been close to losing several major contracts.
Ben had wanted to protect the employees from a hostile acquisition.
I had agreed.
But the trust was never fully activated because the required independent trustee had not been appointed.
Eric had discovered the dormant structure.
He had tried to use it to redirect control of Northline.
Ben looked at me.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I did. You were in the room when we discussed employee protections."
"I thought it was a temporary arrangement."
"It was."
Eric interrupted.
"Until she changed the terms."
I turned.
"Prove it."
He said nothing.
Rebecca placed another document on the table.
"The trust was never activated. No voting rights were transferred. The amendment you're referring to was an unsigned draft."
Eric's expression hardened.
Ben looked at him.
"You knew that?"
Eric didn't respond.
Then the boardroom door opened.
Mia walked in.
She looked frightened.
"I need to say something."
Ben turned.
"Mia, what are you doing here?"
She held a folder against her chest.
"I brought the original emails."
Eric stood.
"She has no business being here."
Mia flinched.
Rebecca spoke calmly.
"Ms. Lawson is a potential witness. She may remain if she chooses."
Mia placed the folder on the table.
"I didn't understand what the payments were for."
Eric scoffed.
"You're an assistant. You were paid to do a job."
"Not by you."
She opened the folder.
Inside were emails between her and Eric.
He had instructed her to create consulting invoices.
He had told her to use vague descriptions.
He had promised her that Ben approved everything.
One message stood out.
If Laura asks questions, tell her Benjamin authorized the payments. He needs to believe this was his decision.
I looked at Ben.
He looked sick.
Mia started crying.
"I thought I was helping him. I thought he was trying to protect the company."
Ben said nothing.
She turned toward him.
"You told me your marriage was over."
"I know."
"You told me you were only staying in the house because of the children."
He lowered his head.
"I was wrong."
Mia wiped her eyes.
"I should have checked. I should have known better."
Then she turned toward me.
"I'm sorry."
I believed she was sorry.
But that didn't erase what had happened.
"Did you know about the payments to Eric?"
"No."
"Did you sign anything?"
"Only the consulting agreements."
Rebecca took the folder.
"We'll review everything."
Eric suddenly moved toward the door.
Security stopped him.
His lawyer began protesting.
But Daniel had already contacted the company's outside counsel.
The board voted to suspend Eric's access pending a full investigation.
Ben stood motionless.
The room emptied slowly.
When only the two of us remained, he approached me.
"I need to apologize."
"You do."
"I made you feel invisible."
"Yes."
"I thought you were becoming boring. I thought I'd lost the woman I fell in love with."
I looked at him.
"And what do you think now?"
He swallowed.
"I think I never bothered to find out who you became."
That was the closest he had come to understanding.
But it wasn't enough.
"I need time," I said.
He nodded.
Then he asked:
"Is there any chance we can save this?"
I looked at the man who had once promised never to let me feel alone.
"I don't know."
His eyes filled.
I picked up my handbag.
As I reached the elevator, my phone vibrated.
A message from Rebecca.
We found another document in Eric's files. It concerns your grandfather's estate.
I stopped.
Then I opened the attachment.
The document was a scanned letter.
It had been written by my grandfather shortly before his death.
And the first sentence read:
If Benjamin Kendall ever discovers the truth about his father's final years, everything you built together may fall apart.
I read it twice.
Then I called Rebecca.
"Where did this come from?"
Her answer was barely audible.
"An old safe-deposit box registered under Eric's name."
I stared at the letter.
May you like
My grandfather had been dead for twelve years.
And somehow, Eric had known a secret about my family long before Ben and I ever married.
