Chapter 6 - The Woman in the Black SUV.
Owen Price found Maria before noon.
She was not missing in the legal sense.
She was sitting inside a private conference room at the Grant Development headquarters with two attorneys and a severance agreement in front of her.
Owen learned this from a security guard he had worked with years earlier.
Maria had arrived in the black SUV willingly, but not freely.
That distinction mattered.
Nathan drove Lauren to Owen's office instead of meeting Maria directly.
The office occupied the second floor of a converted warehouse, discreet enough that no family driver would recognize it.
Lauren settled into a leather chair while Owen spread printed photographs across a conference table.
"The Grant vehicle picked her up at ten forty-three last night."
Owen pointed to a traffic camera still.
"It drove directly to the Grant headquarters."
"She stayed there all night?" Lauren asked.
"No."
Owen moved to another image.
"At twelve eighteen, they took her to the Halston Hotel."
Nathan frowned.
"Why?"
"Probably because keeping a domestic employee inside corporate offices overnight looks worse than paying for a hotel room."
Lauren looked at the next picture.
Maria entered the hotel with a Grant attorney beside her.
Her posture looked rigid.
"Where is she now?"
"Back at Grant headquarters."
Owen handed Nathan a copy of a document.
"My source says they offered her one hundred thousand dollars."
Lauren looked up.
"For what?"
"A confidentiality agreement."
Nathan's expression hardened.
"About the foyer?"
"The language is broad."
Owen tapped the page.
"It covers anything she witnessed while employed by the Mitchell family, including private conduct involving family members and guests."
Lauren felt sick.
"Can they do that?"
Owen gave a careful shrug.
"They can offer money for confidentiality."
"After firing her because she refused to hand over her phone?"
"That part is more interesting."
Nathan looked at him.
"Did Maria record something?"
"I don't know."
Owen sat down.
"But someone believes she did."
Lauren thought about the anonymous messages.
"Could Maria be the person texting us?"
Owen shook his head.
"Unlikely."
"Why?"
"Her phone was taken at the Grant office shortly after midnight."
Nathan leaned forward.
"Taken?"
"Temporarily surrendered for what the agreement calls data preservation."
Lauren gave a short, incredulous laugh.
"They took her phone to preserve data?"
"That's the phrase."
Nathan pushed the agreement away.
"I want her out of there."
Owen studied him.
"She's an adult."
"I know."
"If she signs, we cannot stop her."
Lauren looked at the traffic still again.
Maria's face was turned toward the ground.
"Can we get a message to her?"
Owen nodded.
"Maybe."
"Tell her she doesn't owe us anything."
Nathan glanced at Lauren.
She continued.
"Tell her if she wants independent counsel, we'll pay for it with no conditions."
Owen nodded again.
"That I can do."
While Owen made arrangements, Nathan stepped into the hallway to call his company's outside counsel.
Lauren remained in the conference room alone.
Her phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
THE PROXY IS ONLY PLAN B.
Lauren typed back herself this time.
WHAT IS PLAN A?
The answer took almost a minute.
MAKE YOU LEAVE BEFORE THE BABY IS BORN.
Lauren stared at the words.
Another message arrived.
ASHLEY THINKS NATHAN WILL CHOOSE THE COMPANY IF YOU FORCE HIM TO CHOOSE.
Lauren's mouth went dry.
WHO ARE YOU?
No response.
She typed again.
WHY ARE YOU HELPING ME?
Nothing.
Nathan returned before the sender answered.
He saw her expression immediately.
She showed him the messages.
His reaction was not fear.
It was recognition.
"My mother used those exact words once."
Lauren looked up.
"What words?"
"She said you would eventually make me choose between my marriage and the company."
"When?"
"After our wedding."
"You never told me."
"I know."
Lauren closed her eyes.
The phrase had become exhausting.
Nathan sat beside her.
"I thought ignoring it was protecting us."
"And now?"
"Now I think silence gave them room."
Lauren looked at him.
"Then stop giving them room."
Nathan nodded.
He took out his phone and opened the family group chat.
Lauren watched as he typed one message.
LAST NIGHT ASHLEY KICKED LAUREN, LIED ABOUT IT, AND THE SECURITY RECORDING WAS DELETED USING ADMINISTRATOR ACCESS.
He added a second sentence.
LAUREN AND THE BABY ARE SAFE, BUT I WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN ANY VERSION OF EVENTS THAT MINIMIZES WHAT HAPPENED.
Lauren read it.
"Send it."
Nathan did.
The responses began almost immediately.
His aunt Diane sent a heart.
A cousin asked whether Ashley was all right.
Another cousin wrote that everyone should calm down.
Then Evelyn replied.
THIS IS NOT AN APPROPRIATE FAMILY DISCUSSION.
Nathan answered.
THEN IT SHOULD NOT HAVE BECOME A FAMILY COVER STORY.
No one replied after that.
Ten minutes later, Owen returned.
"Maria got the message."
"And?"
"She wants independent counsel."
Lauren exhaled.
"Good."
Owen did not sit down.
"There's another issue."
Nathan looked at him.
"What?"
"The Grant attorneys just changed their offer."
"How?"
"Two hundred fifty thousand."
Lauren stared at him.
"For silence?"
Owen nodded.
"And one additional condition."
"Which is?"
"Maria has to sign a statement saying she saw Lauren threaten Ashley before the incident."
Lauren felt her face go cold.
"But she didn't."
"Exactly."
Nathan stood.
"Get her lawyer there now."
Owen raised a hand.
"Already happening."
His phone rang.
He answered, listened for several seconds, and frowned.
"Say that again."
Lauren watched his eyes sharpen.
Owen ended the call.
"Maria left the conference room."
Nathan exhaled.
"Good."
"Not exactly."
"What happened?"
"She didn't leave through the lobby."
Owen looked at Lauren.
"She took the service elevator into the parking garage."
"With the lawyer?"
"No."
"Then with who?"
Owen turned his phone around.
A grainy parking camera image showed Maria walking beside a blonde woman in a cream coat.
Ashley.
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