Chapter 4 - The Contract Nobody Remembered SigningRachel recovered quickly.
She had always possessed that gift.
One moment, her face revealed fear.
The next, she was the composed, wounded wife Daniel had spent eighteen months protecting.
"Northstar is a vendor," she said. "I don't know who owns every company we hire."
"Then who selected them?"
"My program staff."
"Which staff?"
"Daniel, there are twelve people working on the lake safety initiative. Do you expect me to remember every procurement decision?"
"Not every decision. Just the one involving almost fifty thousand dollars."
Rachel sat across from him.
"You're letting that woman manipulate you."
"Emma?"
"She knows she can sue you. She's trying to make herself look important."
Daniel stared at her.
"She saved Lucy."
"I never said she didn't."
"You said she pushed her."
Rachel looked away.
"I panicked."
"That wasn't panic. The video shows you watching from your chair before I came outside."
Her lips tightened.
Daniel continued.
"You saw Lucy slipping. You saw Emma catch her. Then you lied."
Rachel's expression changed.
"You don't know what it's like," she said quietly, "to raise another woman's child and be reminded every day that you'll never be her real mother."
Daniel felt the familiar pull of guilt.
He had heard variations of that sentence many times.
Usually after Lucy refused a hug.
Or cried when Rachel brushed her hair.
Or asked whether Nora would have liked the new Christmas decorations.
But this time, the words landed differently.
"Lucy is five," he said.
Rachel's eyes filled.
"And I'm human."
"Being human doesn't excuse frightening her."
Rachel stood.
"Maybe you should decide whether you want a wife or a permanent monument to Nora."
The name struck a nerve.
Daniel's first wife had died in their bedroom, with him holding her hand and Lucy asleep down the hallway.
He had spent years blaming himself for every hour he'd worked instead of spending with her.
Rachel knew that.
She knew exactly where to press.
But when Daniel didn't answer, she looked startled.
He rose.
"We'll talk tomorrow. Tonight you're sleeping in the guest wing."
Rachel's face flushed.
"You're throwing me out of our bedroom?"
"I'm creating space while I figure out what happened."
She stared at him.
Then she turned and left.
Daniel listened to her footsteps disappearing down the corridor.
For once, he didn't chase after her.
At eight the following morning, Daniel received an email from his executive assistant, Olivia Chen.
She had worked for him for eleven years and rarely sent messages on Sunday.
The subject line read:
Northstar contract — urgent clarification.
Daniel opened the attachment.
It was a signed agreement between Mercer Harbor Holdings and Northstar Aquatic Compliance.
The contract authorized annual safety consulting services at $196,000.
Daniel's digital signature appeared at the bottom.
But something was wrong.
The signing date was February 12.
On February 12, Daniel had been in Boston visiting a hospital that had treated Nora during her final illness.
He remembered because it had been the anniversary of Nora's diagnosis.
He hadn't signed any business contracts that day.
At least, he didn't remember signing one.
He called Olivia.
"Where did this come from?"
"Adrian's department."
"Was I physically present for the signing?"
"It's an electronic signature."
"Can you pull the audit certificate?"
"I've already requested it."
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
"Why did you send this so early?"
Olivia hesitated.
"Because Northstar sent an amended invoice last Thursday. The new charges were labeled as urgent inspections after Emma reported equipment failures."
Daniel sat upright.
"How much?"
"Another eighty-two thousand dollars."
"Approved by whom?"
"Rachel's program office requested it. Adrian cleared payment."
"Has it gone out?"
"No. I put it on hold."
Daniel closed his eyes.
"Thank you."
"Daniel?"
"Yes?"
"There's something else."
He waited.
"Rachel asked me last month for copies of the original Wren Point property trust documents."
Daniel frowned.
"Why?"
"She said she was reviewing the family's estate plan."
"Did you give them to her?"
"Only the documents already in our corporate records. I told her to contact Elaine Porter for the current trust agreement."
Daniel knew Elaine.
She had been Nora's family's attorney for more than two decades.
After Nora died, Elaine became an independent co-trustee of the Pierce Family Trust, which held Wren Point for Lucy's benefit.
Rachel had never liked her.
"Did Rachel contact Elaine?"
"I don't know."
Daniel stared out the window at the lake.
The water was calm.
Yesterday, it had nearly taken his daughter.
Now he had the disturbing feeling that someone was trying to take something else.
Downstairs, Rachel sat alone in the breakfast room.
She held her phone beneath the table.
A message from Adrian appeared.
Daniel requested the signature audit.
Rachel typed:
Can you stop it?
His reply arrived almost immediately.
No. The platform keeps its own records.
Rachel's fingers tightened.
Another message followed.
We need to discuss the property documents. Today.
Rachel stared at the screen.
Then she opened a photograph saved in a private folder.
It showed a draft purchase agreement for the eastern shoreline of Wren Point.
The proposed buyer was Meridian Shore Development.
The proposed price was $8.4 million.
May you like
And the seller's signature line already contained Daniel Mercer's name.
Only Daniel had never seen the agreement.
Related Stories
