Chapter 5: The Assistant Who Knew Everything
I read Natalie's message three times.
Then I showed Eleanor.
She stared at the screen.
"Do you believe her?""
"I don't know.""
"Neither do I.""
Robert called again.
Eleanor explained the message.
He immediately objected.
"Do not meet her without legal protection. She could be trying to retrieve information, destroy evidence, or find out what you know.""
I understood his concern.
But Natalie was the person whose credentials had been used to submit the medical authorization.
If she had information, I needed to hear it.
"Can we arrange a meeting here?"" I asked.
Robert considered it.
"At the hospital?""
"Somewhere with cameras and witnesses.""
Eleanor nodded.
"That's reasonable. I'll have security informed.""
Robert agreed to arrange for a meeting with a witness and to document anything Natalie provided.
Twenty minutes later, my phone rang.
Natalie's number.
I answered.
"Hello?""
A woman's voice came through, barely above a whisper.
"Mrs. Hale?""
"Yes.""
"My name is Natalie Brooks. I work for Marcus.""
"I know.""
"I need to explain something.""
"Then explain it.""
She took a shaky breath.
"I didn't know what he was planning when he first asked me to upload the documents.""
"What documents?""
"The medical referral. The trust declaration. The guardian request.""
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"You're telling me you uploaded all three?""
"Yes.""
"With my name on them?""
"Yes.""
"Did you know the signatures were forged?""
There was a long silence.
Then she whispered, "I suspected.""
I closed my eyes.
"Why would you do that?""
"Because Marcus told me they were legitimate. He said you had already agreed to everything and that you were simply too overwhelmed to handle the paperwork.""
"Did you ever speak to me?""
"No.""
"Did you ever see me sign anything?""
"No.""
"Then why didn't you ask?""
Natalie began crying.
"Because I needed my job. My father has been receiving cancer treatment, and I couldn't afford to lose my salary.""
I felt anger rise inside me.
I understood desperation.
I understood financial pressure.
But she had helped someone forge my identity while I was pregnant.
"That doesn't make what you did acceptable.""
"I know.""
Her voice broke.
"I'm not calling to excuse myself. I'm calling because I found out what the documents were really for.""
"What were they for?""
She lowered her voice.
"Marcus and Vivian are planning to take control of the trust.""
Eleanor leaned closer to the phone.
"How?""
Natalie hesitated.
"Who is that?""
"Eleanor Hale.""
Natalie went silent.
"Mrs. Hale, I didn't know you were there.""
"Answer the question.""
Natalie took a breath.
"Marcus plans to use the medical report to argue that Claire needs temporary supervision. Once the baby is born, he wants to apply for an emergency guardianship arrangement.""
"That wouldn't automatically transfer the trust," Robert said from the other side of the room.
Natalie seemed startled.
"Who is that?""
"Robert Whitmore. The family's attorney.""
Another silence.
Then Natalie spoke more quickly.
"I know. That's why I called. There's another document.""
"What document?"" Eleanor asked.
"A private agreement between Marcus and Vivian.""
I felt my stomach tighten.
"What does it say?""
"I don't know every detail. But I saw the first page. It mentioned a transfer of control after the baby's birth.""
"Where is it?""
"In Marcus's office.""
Eleanor exchanged a glance with Robert.
"How did you see it?""
"He asked me to print it yesterday. I made an extra copy.""
"Where is that copy?""
"At my apartment.""
Robert spoke immediately.
"Do not move it. Do not destroy it. We'll arrange for you to provide it through the proper legal process.""
Natalie began crying again.
"There's something else.""
I closed my eyes.
"What?""
"Vivian isn't just Marcus's girlfriend.""
I looked at Eleanor.
"We know they're having an affair.""
"No. I mean she has been involved in the company for much longer than Marcus admits.""
Eleanor's expression sharpened.
"Explain.""
"Before Vivian started Cross Advisory, she worked with a financial consultant who helped restructure several Hale Holdings accounts. Some of those accounts were closed, but money kept moving through related companies.""
Robert leaned forward.
"Do you have the company names?""
"Yes. I copied them from the accounting system.""
"How much money?""
Natalie hesitated.
"More than twelve million dollars.""
The room went silent.
Twelve million.
Eleanor slowly sat down.
"Are you certain?""
"I saw the transfers. Some were approved by Marcus. Others were approved using authorization codes assigned to the finance department.""
Robert began writing.
"Can you identify the dates?""
"Yes.""
"Can you identify the recipient accounts?""
"Some of them.""
"Then we need that information preserved immediately.""
Natalie whispered, "I can bring everything tomorrow morning.""
"Where?"" Eleanor asked.
"Not the office. Marcus has people watching the building.""
Eleanor looked at Robert.
"Arrange a secure meeting.""
Before Robert could answer, Natalie spoke again.
"There's one more thing, Mrs. Hale.""
"What?""
"Vivian knows you're investigating.""
My blood ran cold.
"How?""
"Because Marcus told her.""
Eleanor's expression darkened.
"When?""
"About twenty minutes ago.""
I glanced at the hospital clock.
That meant he had already spoken to Vivian after the confrontation in the private lounge.
"What did he tell her?"" I asked.
Natalie hesitated.
"He said his mother had found the trust documents and that Claire had taken a photograph of the medical authorization.""
I looked at Eleanor.
She mouthed, How does he know?
I had no answer.
Natalie continued.
"Vivian told him to stop worrying because the original agreement was already signed.""
My heart began pounding.
"What agreement?""
"I don't know. But she said the original was safe and that nobody could challenge it.""
Robert immediately interrupted.
"Natalie, did you see the agreement?""
"No.""
"Did you see the signature?""
"No.""
"Then don't assume it is genuine.""
Natalie went quiet.
Then she said something that made my blood run cold.
"Mrs. Hale, I think Vivian has another copy of Claire's signature.""
Eleanor stood.
"Why?""
"Because I saw her practicing it.""
I stared at the phone.
"What?""
Natalie began speaking faster.
"Last week, I went into the conference room to collect some files. Vivian was sitting at the table with several sheets of paper. She was copying Claire's name over and over.""
I felt physically sick.
"Did she know you were there?""
"No. I left before she noticed.""
Robert looked at Eleanor.
"We need to preserve that testimony.""
Then the call ended.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Eleanor paced toward the window.
Robert was already making notes.
I sat with my hands folded over my stomach.
"How could someone do this?"" I whispered.
Eleanor returned to my side.
"Greed makes people capable of things they once believed they would never do.""
I looked at her.
"Did Marcus ever love me?""
Her face softened.
"Claire, I can't answer that question for him.""
I swallowed.
"Sometimes I think I must have missed something. Maybe I wasn't paying attention. Maybe there were signs.""
"Don't do that.""
"But—"
"Don't punish yourself for trusting someone who gave you reasons to trust him.""
I looked down.
A tiny kick pressed against my palm.
I took a slow breath.
"Then I want to fight.""
Eleanor nodded.
"Good.""
"But I don't want to fight for Marcus. I don't want his marriage. I don't want his money.""
"Then what do you want?""
I looked at her.
"I want my child protected. And I want the truth.""
Eleanor squeezed my hand.
"Then we want the same thing.""
The following morning, Robert arranged for Natalie to meet us in a private conference room at his law office.
She arrived twenty minutes early.
She looked nothing like the polished executive assistant I had seen standing beside Marcus at company events.
Her hair was tied back carelessly. Her eyes were swollen, and she carried a large brown envelope against her chest.
"I'm sorry," she said when she saw me.
I didn't answer immediately.
She placed the envelope on the table.
"Everything I could safely collect is here.""
Robert opened it.
Inside were printed emails, financial spreadsheets, meeting notes, and copies of several internal authorizations.
Eleanor began reviewing them.
"These transfers are substantial.""
Natalie nodded.
"Some went through Cross Advisory. Others went to companies registered under different names.""
Robert examined a page.
"Who authorized this transaction?""
"Marcus.""
"And this one?""
"Vivian submitted it. Marcus approved it.""
Eleanor looked at another page.
"Why was this account closed?""
Natalie swallowed.
"Because the auditor started asking questions.""
Robert leaned back.
"Do you have the original electronic records?""
"Yes. I downloaded them before my access was restricted.""
"Where are they?""
"On an encrypted drive.""
She placed a small silver USB drive on the table.
Eleanor stared at it.
"Is this everything?""
"Almost.""
Natalie reached into her handbag and removed a final folded sheet.
"This is the document Marcus asked me to print yesterday.""
Robert unfolded it.
His expression changed immediately.
"What is this?""
Natalie looked at me.
"It's the agreement between Marcus and Vivian.""
I stared at the page.
At the top was a date.
Six weeks earlier.
Beneath it were two names.
Marcus Hale.
Vivian Cross.
And below those names was a paragraph describing what would happen after the birth of my child.
Robert read silently.
Then he looked at Eleanor.
"This is considerably worse than we thought.""
Eleanor took the document.
Her eyes moved across the page.
Then she stopped.
"Claire.""
"What?""
She turned the paper toward me.
I read the final paragraph.
It stated that once Marcus obtained temporary control over the child's financial interests, a substantial portion of the trust's assets would be transferred into a private investment structure.
The proposed administrator?
Cross Advisory.
But the final sentence was what made my hands shake.
Upon completion of the transfer, Marcus Hale agrees to dissolve his existing marriage and enter into a formal marriage arrangement with Vivian Cross.
I looked up.
"He's planning to marry her after he gets control of the trust.""
Natalie nodded.
"That's what I understood.""
Eleanor folded the document.
"Then we have our motive.""
Robert shook his head.
"Not quite.""
He pointed to the bottom of the page.
There were two signature lines.
Marcus's signature was genuine.
Vivian's appeared beneath it.
But there was a third line.
A witness.
I leaned closer.
The name was familiar.
Too familiar.
My eyes widened.
"That's not possible.""
Eleanor followed my gaze.
Her face lost all color.
Because the person listed as a witness to the agreement wasn't an employee.
Wasn't an attorney.
Wasn't a stranger.
It was someone who had attended my wedding.
Someone who had held my hand during the fertility treatments.
May you like
Someone who had kissed my cheek when we announced the pregnancy.
*My own sister, Rebecca.*
