Chapter 7 - Elise Speaks.
Ava arrived at the coffee shop at eight thirty with Daniel waiting two blocks away in his car.
She had refused the word alone literally, even if the unknown sender did not need to know that.
The shop was almost empty.
A college student worked behind the counter while soft music played from ceiling speakers.
Ava chose a table facing the door.
At eight thirty-seven, Elise walked in wearing jeans, a dark sweater, and a baseball cap pulled low over her blonde hair.
Ava’s suspicion became certainty.
Elise sat across from her without ordering anything.
“You were the messages.”
“Yes.”
Ava held her gaze.
“Why?”
Elise looked exhausted.
“Because Grant wanted you to sign those papers before you knew what was happening.”
“What is happening?”
Elise glanced toward the windows.
“I work in internal compliance for Bennett Urban Holdings.”
“I know that part.”
Elise looked surprised.
“He told you?”
“At dinner.”
“Then he is already trying to control what you know.”
Ava leaned forward.
“Start at the beginning.”
Elise took a slow breath.
“Three months ago, I found irregular transfers tied to a property redevelopment fund.”
Ava said nothing.
“The transactions moved money through related entities in a way that made the source and purpose difficult to follow.”
“Was it illegal?”
“I do not know.”
Elise spoke quickly.
“And I am not going to claim something I cannot prove.”
That answer made Ava trust her more.
“What did you do?”
“I reported it internally.”
“To Grant?”
“To the chief financial officer first.”
“And?”
“The next week, the CFO resigned.”
Ava’s skin prickled.
“Elise.”
“I kept reviewing the records.”
“You put copies in Nora’s room.”
“Yes.”
“Why there?”
“Grant checks his office, the guest room, and the library constantly.”
Elise looked ashamed.
“I thought the nursery was the one place he would not search.”
Ava’s anger rose.
“You used my child’s room to hide documents.”
“I know.”
Elise swallowed.
“I am sorry.”
Ava did not forgive her.
Not yet.
“Why were you in the penthouse at all?”
Elise lowered her voice.
“Because Grant discovered I had copied certain records, and he told me that if I wanted to keep my job and clear my name, I had to help him reconstruct the files at the residence.”
Ava stared at her.
“Then why did he present you like you were his new partner?”
Elise looked away.
“That was his idea.”
Ava felt sick.
“He told you to stand there while he made me think that?”
“Yes.”
“Why would you agree?”
Elise’s eyes filled with shame.
“Because my mother depends on my health insurance, and Grant knew it.”
Ava sat back.
The story was ugly in a completely different way than she had imagined.
“What did he want by making me leave?”
“Time.”
Elise answered immediately.
“He wanted access to every room without you asking questions, and he wanted a signed record that you chose to leave.”
Ava thought of the fourteen-page agreement.
“Why me?”
Elise hesitated.
“Because one of the accounts used in the redevelopment fund is connected to a holding company where you are listed as a beneficiary.”
Ava went still.
“I have never heard of it.”
“I know.”
Elise slid a folded sheet of paper across the table.
It showed a corporate ownership chart.
Ava’s name appeared in a box near the bottom.
“What is this?”
“Your late father-in-law created several family entities.”
Elise tapped the page.
“This one cannot be restructured without either your consent or a court order.”
Ava looked up.
“So Grant needs my signature.”
“Yes.”
“And the penthouse papers?”
“Part of the pressure.”
Ava felt cold despite the warm coffee shop.
Elise leaned closer.
“There is more.”
Ava waited.
Elise’s voice dropped.
May you like
“Grant did not bring me into the penthouse because he wanted me there.”
“He brought me there because he wanted you to hate me enough to stop asking questions.”
