Chapter 5 - Grace Takes Back Her NameAt ten-thirty that morning, Grace sat inside the conference room of Hale & Mercer wearing a navy maternity dress and no makeup.
Women who were chosen.
And women who were replaced.
She had spent most of her life determined to belong to the first category.
By nine the next morning, she was discovering how quickly one could become the second.
“Ethan, you need to answer me.”
She stood barefoot in Grace’s kitchen wearing the same champagne dress from the previous night.
Her makeup was smeared.
Her heels lay abandoned near the sofa.
Ethan stood at the island staring at his laptop.
His company’s stock was privately held, so there was no dramatic ticker collapsing on a screen.
The damage was quieter.
And worse.
Three lenders had frozen available credit.
Two investors had postponed scheduled transfers.
A development partner had requested an immediate audit.
The board wanted him at headquarters in thirty-eight minutes.
Lauren stepped closer.
“Did you hear me?”
“Yes.”
“What are we going to do?”
“We?”
Ethan looked up.
The word cut deeper than she expected.
Lauren stared at him.
“Yes. We.”
Ethan closed the laptop.
“I need to understand what Grace told them.”
Lauren’s face tightened.
“She probably told them everything.”
“Everything?”
Lauren realized her mistake.
Ethan’s eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
“Nothing.”
“Lauren.”
“I mean the affair.”
Ethan studied her.
She looked away.
“Is there something else?”
“No.”
Ethan moved around the island.
“Last night Michael Hale looked at me like he already knew something.”
Lauren folded her arms.
“They’re rich. Rich people always look like that.”
“You knew who Grace was?”
Lauren froze.
The silence lasted one second too long.
Ethan’s voice dropped.
“You knew.”
“I knew she had brothers.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Lauren tried to recover.
“I knew she was connected to the Hales somehow.”
“How?”
“Her maiden paperwork.”
“What paperwork?”
Lauren’s stomach tightened.
Ethan stepped closer.
“Lauren.”
“Old employee records. Insurance forms. I saw her full name years ago.”
Ethan stared.
“And you never told me?”
“I didn’t know she was related to Lucas Hale.”
“That is literally what the surname means.”
“There are thousands of Hales.”
Ethan slammed his palm onto the counter.
Lauren jumped.
“Don’t lie to me.”
She stared at him.
Something between them shifted.
For months, Ethan’s anger had felt exciting when directed toward someone else.
Now it felt dangerous.
Lauren backed away.
“You’re blaming me?”
“I’m asking questions.”
“No, you’re panicking.”
“Of course I’m panicking.”
He grabbed his phone.
“My entire company may collapse because Grace’s brothers are suddenly digging through everything.”
Lauren swallowed.
“Then don’t give them anything to find.”
Ethan looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
She said nothing.
His eyes narrowed further.
“Lauren, what did you do?”
Her face lost color.
Before she could answer, the doorbell rang.
Ethan looked toward the foyer.
No one moved.
It rang again.
Then came a hard knock.
Ethan walked to the door and opened it.
Two men stood outside.
Neither wore a suit.
One was broad-shouldered, shaved head, scar through his left eyebrow.
The other held a black umbrella despite standing beneath the portico.
Ethan recognized the first man.
Rafael Cruz.
Victor Serrano’s security chief.
Ethan’s stomach dropped.
“Mr. Walker.”
“Rafael.”
“We need to talk.”
Ethan glanced back toward Lauren.
“Now isn’t a good time.”
Rafael smiled without warmth.
“Mr. Serrano thinks it is.”
He stepped inside.
The second man followed.
Lauren turned pale.
Rafael noticed her.
“Ms. Pierce.”
She said nothing.
That was the second moment Ethan noticed.
Recognition.
“You two know each other?”
Lauren recovered quickly.
“I’ve seen him at meetings.”
Rafael looked amused.
“Meetings.”
Ethan turned toward her.
“What meetings?”
Lauren’s voice sharpened.
“Ethan, stop interrogating me in front of them.”
Rafael walked into the living room and looked around.
“Beautiful house.”
“It belongs to my wife.”
The admission tasted bitter.
Rafael smiled.
“Yes. We know.”
Ethan stared.
“What do you want?”
“Mr. Serrano wants reassurance about his loan.”
“It isn’t due for twelve days.”
“Circumstances changed.”
“What circumstances?”
Rafael glanced toward the faint stain on the carpet where Grace’s broken wineglass had fallen the night before.
“You upset the wrong family.”
Ethan said nothing.
Rafael continued.
“Mr. Serrano’s eighteen million was extended based on certain representations.”
Ethan’s chest tightened.
“What representations?”
“Available collateral.”
Lauren looked at the floor.
Ethan noticed.
He turned toward her.
“Lauren?”
She said nothing.
Rafael laughed softly.
“This is uncomfortable.”
Ethan grabbed Lauren’s arm.
“What did you do?”
She pulled away.
“Don’t touch me.”
“Did you use Grace’s trust?”
Lauren’s eyes flashed.
“You told me we needed the loan.”
“I never told you to forge anything.”
Rafael’s smile disappeared.
“Perhaps the two of you should decide whose idea it was before attorneys start asking.”
Ethan stared at Lauren.
“What did you sign?”
Her eyes filled with furious tears.
“You said Grace would never notice.”
“I said she never looked at company documents!”
“And you said once Westbridge closed, we could repay everything before anyone knew.”
Ethan felt the floor shift beneath him.
“I never told you to sign her name.”
“You gave me her old forms!”
“To verify assets.”
Lauren laughed.
“Oh, please. Don’t rewrite history because her billionaire brothers scared you.”
Rafael looked from one to the other.
“This has been educational.”
He walked toward the door.
“Tell Mr. Serrano I need more time.”
Rafael stopped.
“You misunderstood why I came.”
Ethan frowned.
“What?”
“I wasn’t asking for payment today.”
Rafael turned.
“I came to warn you that Mr. Serrano has no intention of being blamed for your fraud.”
Ethan felt cold.
“He approved the documents.”
“He approved a loan based on documents supplied by Walker Development.”
Rafael opened the door.
“One more thing.”
He looked toward Lauren.
“Destroying files would be a mistake.”
Lauren’s face changed.
Rafael smiled.
“Have a pleasant morning.”
He left.
Ethan stood motionless.
Then he turned toward Lauren.
“What files?”
She shook her head.
“Nothing.”
“What files?”
“I don’t know.”
He moved toward her.
Lauren backed away.
“Don’t.”
Ethan stopped.
For the first time since the affair began, he saw her differently.
Not beautiful.
Not exciting.
Dangerous.
“What else did you do?”
Lauren’s voice trembled.
“I saved us.”
“You forged my wife’s signature.”
“You wanted her money.”
“I wanted collateral.”
“Same thing.”
“No.”
“It was your idea to use the trust.”
“My idea was to disclose the trust.”
“Without Grace knowing.”
Ethan opened his mouth.
Then closed it.
Lauren laughed bitterly.
“See? You don’t get to pretend you’re innocent.”
His phone rang.
Board chair.
He ignored it.
“Did Serrano tell you to do this?”
“No.”
“Did anyone?”
Lauren’s expression changed.
It was subtle.
But Ethan saw it.
“Who?”
She looked toward the windows.
“Lauren.”
“I have to leave.”
He stepped in front of her.
“You’re not leaving until you tell me who.”
She glared at him.
“You want the truth?”
“Yes.”
“You couldn’t afford me.”
Ethan stared.
“What?”
“The restaurants. The trips. The apartment you rented.”
Her voice became cold.
“You thought you were impressing me.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I wasn’t sleeping with you because I thought you were powerful.”
The words landed hard.
“I was sleeping with you because someone needed access to your company.”
Ethan went completely still.
Lauren picked up her purse.
He whispered, “Who?”
She walked past him.
“Ask Victor Serrano.”
Then she left the house.
Ethan stood alone in Grace’s living room.
His phone buzzed again.
This time it was a text from Grace.
Only six words.
MY ATTORNEY WILL CONTACT YOU TODAY.
Ethan stared at the message.
Less than twelve hours ago, he believed he controlled two women.
Now one had abandoned him.
The other was preparing to destroy him.
And somewhere between them stood an eighteen-million-dollar loan, a forged signature, and a man Ethan suddenly suspected had been manipulating him from the beginning.
May you like
For the first time, he stopped worrying about losing his marriage.
He started wondering whether he might lose everything.
