Chapter 5 - The Woman Beside Him
Claire Donnelly had worked for Hayes Technologies for eleven years.
I had trusted her with acquisitions, payroll, board disputes, and the private details of my father's succession plan.
Now she was standing beside my husband inside my office less than an hour after he tried to kill me.
"No," I whispered.
Marcus zoomed in.
Claire carried a document box.
Richard carried my office key.
"We don't know what they're doing," Evelyn said carefully.
"I do. They're looking for the trust documents."
Marcus shook his head. "Or destroying something."
The next morning, Claire called my phone twelve times.
We let every call go unanswered.
Then she left a voicemail.
"Amelia, it's Claire. Richard told me there was an accident. Please call me. We are all terrified."
Her voice cracked perfectly at the end.
I had heard that same voice negotiate a nine-figure merger without blinking.
"She knows," I said.
Marcus leaned back. "Maybe. Or she's being used."
I hated him for being reasonable.
By noon, the sheriff's department quietly moved me to a private medical facility under another name. Only four people knew where I was.
Evelyn arranged an emergency board call without explaining why I could not appear on video. We froze all transfers requiring my signature.
Then the company general counsel spoke.
"We have a problem."
"What?"
"A document was filed this morning naming Richard temporary voting proxy if you become medically incapacitated."
My fingers tightened around the phone.
"I never signed that."
Silence.
The lawyer cleared his throat.
"The signature is notarized."
Evelyn closed her eyes.
"Who notarized it?"
May you like
The answer came thirty seconds later.
Claire Donnelly.
