Chapter 3 - The Signature She Never Gave.
Elizabeth stared at the signature until the letters began to look like shapes instead of her name.
The first E tilted slightly forward.
The M in Monroe carried the long downward stroke she had used since college.
Even the final curl was there.
It was close enough that a stranger would never question it.
Elizabeth did.
"I didn't sign this."
Daniel answered too quickly.
"You sign things all the time without reading them."
Elizabeth looked at him.
"Not this."
Vivian moved beside her son.
"Perhaps you forgot."
"I remember giving away the rights to my own work."
Arthur Hale took the tablet back.
"The original is in corporate records."
Daniel exhaled.
"Then this conversation is over."
Arthur's eyes narrowed.
"No."
He placed the tablet flat on the table.
"It is exactly why the conversation is beginning."
Elizabeth tried to remember every form Daniel had placed in front of her during the previous year.
There had been event releases, travel approvals, guest registrations, and a nondisclosure agreement when she briefly assisted the strategy team as an outside consultant.
Daniel had often brought papers home late.
Sometimes he asked her to sign while he was on a call.
She hated that she could not immediately explain the signature.
That uncertainty was enough for Vivian to smile.
"See?"
Elizabeth ignored her.
"When was this filed?"
Arthur checked the document.
"Six weeks ago."
Elizabeth almost laughed.
"I was in Seattle six weeks ago."
Daniel's face remained still.
Arthur looked up.
"For how long?"
"Four days."
"Do you have travel records?"
"Yes."
Vivian interrupted.
"People sign documents electronically from anywhere."
Arthur turned the screen toward himself.
"This was witnessed as an in-person signature in New York at four thirty-two in the afternoon."
The room became quiet.
Elizabeth looked at Vivian.
Vivian's confidence flickered.
Daniel stepped between them.
"This is becoming absurd."
Arthur stood.
"Then tomorrow should clear it up."
Daniel blocked his path.
"I want this handled privately."
Arthur studied him for a moment.
"You had privacy tonight."
His gaze moved briefly toward the ballroom.
"You chose not to use it wisely."
Daniel moved aside.
Elizabeth followed Arthur into the hallway.
The gala was ending early.
Guests gathered coats while pretending not to watch them.
Elizabeth saw Maya Chen near the reception desk.
Maya was a senior analyst at Westbridge and one of the few people who knew Elizabeth had helped build Northstar.
Their eyes met.
Maya looked worried.
Elizabeth started toward her, but Daniel caught up.
He did not touch her this time.
"We need to talk at home."
Elizabeth kept walking.
"I'm not going home with you."
"Elizabeth."
"Not tonight."
"You're making decisions while you're angry."
She stopped.
"I watched your mother humiliate me."
Daniel looked toward the remaining guests.
His voice dropped.
"Please."
Elizabeth had once believed that word could soften anything between them.
Now it sounded like a tool.
"You told me not to embarrass her."
"I was trying to keep things under control."
"You grabbed me."
His eyes shifted away.
"I shouldn't have done that."
"No."
"But you know I would never actually hurt you."
Elizabeth's expression hardened.
"Your hand was already raised."
Daniel swallowed.
"I lost my temper for one second."
"And I lost two years understanding who you are."
She turned away.
Maya was waiting near the elevators now.
Daniel called after her.
"If you walk out tonight, don't expect me to protect you tomorrow."
Elizabeth stopped with her back to him.
For the first time, his meaning was completely clear.
"From what?"
Daniel did not answer.
Maya pressed the elevator button.
The doors opened.
Elizabeth stepped inside.
Maya followed.
Just before the doors closed, Vivian appeared beside Daniel.
She leaned toward her son and whispered something Elizabeth could not hear.
Daniel's expression changed from anger to resolve.
The doors shut.
Inside the elevator, Maya finally spoke.
"I was going to call you tomorrow."
Elizabeth looked at her.
"About Northstar?"
Maya nodded.
"Partly."
Her fingers tightened around the strap of her handbag.
"Two days ago, Daniel asked IT for a complete export of your consultant account."
Elizabeth frowned.
"Why?"
"He said he was preparing a compliance archive."
"That doesn't make sense."
"I know."
The elevator reached the lobby.
They stepped out beneath the enormous crystal chandelier.
Maya lowered her voice.
"Elizabeth, there is something else."
"What?"
"Your account was accessed tonight during the gala."
Elizabeth stopped walking.
"By whom?"
Maya looked toward the glass doors, where Daniel and Vivian had just entered the lobby behind them.
"Someone using Daniel's executive credentials."
Elizabeth's phone vibrated.
A new email appeared from Westbridge security.
SUBJECT: ACCESS STATUS UPDATE.
She opened it.
Her consultant credentials had been suspended effective immediately.
Below that was a second notice.
May you like
A formal complaint had been filed accusing her of unauthorized access to confidential Northstar materials.
The complainant was Daniel Hart.
