Chapter 10 - The Second Woman
Daniel disappeared for two days.
He did not answer reporters.
He did not call Chloe.
He sent Adam only one message.
YOU WILL REGRET BETRAYING YOUR FATHER.
Rebecca saw it.
Her anger became colder.
Then Caroline received an unexpected call.
A woman named Melissa Grant wanted to speak with Rebecca.
Rebecca had never heard the name.
They met at Caroline’s office.
Melissa was forty-two.
Elegant.
Controlled.
And visibly nervous.
She placed an envelope on the table.
“I believe Daniel Carter has been lying to me for almost a year.”
Rebecca almost smiled from exhaustion.
“Join the club.”
Melissa looked embarrassed.
“I’m not his girlfriend.”
“Then what are you?”
“I manage private acquisitions for Hale Capital.”
Rebecca immediately understood.
“Victor Hale.”
Melissa nodded.
“I worked on Project Phoenix.”
Caroline leaned forward.
“What do you know?”
Melissa opened the envelope.
“Daniel approached Victor eighteen months ago.”
“He said he had effective control of Carter Development.”
“He claimed minority interests could be eliminated after closing.”
Rebecca’s expression hardened.
“Eliminated how?”
“Bought out.”
“Forced out through restructuring.”
“Diluted.”
Melissa hesitated.
“And he said his wife would sign whatever he put in front of her.”
Rebecca almost laughed.
“He clearly stopped paying attention.”
Melissa continued.
“When legal counsel discovered the Whitmore Trust provisions, the deal became complicated.”
“Daniel told us he was handling it.”
Caroline frowned.
“How?”
Melissa pushed forward another document.
It was an unsigned marital settlement agreement.
Rebecca scanned it.
Her eyes widened.
The agreement transferred Rebecca’s voting rights to Daniel.
“I have never seen this.”
Melissa nodded.
“We suspected that.”
Rebecca turned to the final page.
Her signature appeared there.
Except it was not her signature.
Caroline’s face hardened.
“Another forgery.”
Rebecca stared at the page.
Daniel had not simply planned to divorce her.
He had prepared documents designed to make it appear she had voluntarily surrendered control.
“How close was this to being used?”
Rebecca asked.
Melissa took a breath.
“Very close.”
“Daniel told us you would sign during a private anniversary dinner.”
Rebecca remembered that dinner.
Three months earlier.
Daniel had taken her to their favorite restaurant.
For the first time in years, he had been attentive.
He had brought flowers.
He had poured wine.
Halfway through dinner, he had handed Rebecca a folder.
He claimed the papers were routine insurance updates.
Rebecca had refused to sign without reading them.
Daniel had become furious.
At the time, she thought his reaction was strange.
Now she understood.
“That night.”
She whispered.
Melissa nodded.
“When you didn’t sign, Daniel told us he needed another method.”
Rebecca looked up.
“What method?”
Melissa hesitated.
“I don’t know.”
“But two weeks later, he sent Victor a message saying the signature problem had been solved.”
Caroline looked toward Rebecca.
Rebecca stared at the forged document.
The room felt suddenly smaller.
She remembered Daniel’s message about the wife problem.
She remembered the altered agreement.
She remembered his confidence when he ordered her out of the penthouse.
He had not been improvising that night.
He had expected her to leave with nothing.
Because somewhere, on some document, Daniel believed he had already stolen the legal power she would need to fight back.
Rebecca slowly stood.
“Get a handwriting expert.”
Caroline nodded.
“And Caroline?”
“Yes?”
“Find every document carrying my signature from the last eighteen months.”
Melissa looked worried.
“That could be hundreds.”
Rebecca picked up the forged agreement.
“Then we start with hundreds.”
May you like
Because for the first time, Rebecca was no longer wondering whether Daniel had betrayed her.
She was wondering how long he had been preparing to erase her.
