Chapter 10 - The Woman I Had Never Heard Of
“Who is Rachel Mercer?”
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
That frightened me.
We were in Francis's office.
He stared at the company filing.
“A former employee.”
“At Keystone?”
“Yes.”
“What did she do?”
“Marketing.”
I searched my memory.
Keystone had employed dozens of people.
But I remembered almost all senior staff.
“When?”
“Before we moved to the current office.”
Then I remembered.
Rachel.
Blonde.
Smart.
Worked for us eleven months.
Left suddenly.
“Why is her company receiving Keystone money?”
Daniel rubbed his face.
“She helped me with some consulting projects.”
“What projects?”
“Brand strategy.”
“Did I authorize them?”
“No.”
Francis leaned forward.
“Did Ms. Mercer actually perform services?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Can you document them?”
“Some.”
Some.
My stomach tightened.
“What aren't you telling me?”
He looked at me.
There was pain in his eyes.
And shame.
“Athena, Rachel and I—”
My heart stopped.
“No.”
“Nothing happened.”
I laughed without humor.
“You cannot start a sentence that way.”
“We got too close.”
“What does that mean?”
“We talked.”
“You paid her $173,000 to talk?”
“No.”
He stood and paced.
“She was helping with marketing. Then we started spending time together.”
“How much time?”
“Dinners. Drinks.”
“Did you sleep with her?”
“No.”
“Did you kiss her?”
Silence.
There it was.
I couldn't breathe.
“One time.”
Francis looked away.
Daniel stepped toward me.
“It was five years ago.”
“Five years.”
“It never happened again.”
“You never told me.”
“No.”
I stood.
“How long did the emotional affair last?”
“A few months.”
My hands shook.
“And Keystone paid her?”
“Her consulting company continued doing work afterward.”
“That wasn't my question.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“I approved the invoices.”
I nodded slowly.
Of course he had.
One betrayal hidden inside another.
Then another.
I picked up my bag.
“Athena.”
“Don't contact me unless it's about Keystone.”
“Please.”
I left.
Outside, I sat in my car and finally cried.
Not gracefully.
Not quietly.
Six years of swallowed insults came out at once.
Diane's jokes.
Daniel's silence.
The group chat.
Brad.
The money.
Rachel.
The ring sitting on Francis's desk.
At some point Lena called.
I almost ignored it.
Then answered.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Good.”
I blinked.
“What?”
“Because if you told me you were fine, I'd drive over and shake you.”
A laugh escaped through my tears.
“I don't know what my life is anymore.”
“Yes, you do.”
“No.”
“Athena, your marriage is chaos. Your company isn't.”
I closed my eyes.
“That's harsh.”
“It's true.”
She was right.
Keystone had problems.
But it was real.
Solid.
Built.
The next morning, Howerin's board met.
At 11:17 a.m., Caroline called.
“We're proceeding.”
I stood so fast my chair rolled backward.
“You are?”
“Yes.”
“With conditions.”
“Name them.”
“Formal leadership clarification. Independent compliance oversight for twelve months. Daniel cannot hold financial authorization until our legal concerns are resolved.”
“Agreed.”
“And Athena?”
“Yes?”
“We want you as named executive principal.”
My throat tightened.
Not Daniel.
Me.
“Agreed.”
Howerin released a statement that afternoon confirming Keystone as preferred operating partner pending final documentation.
The industry headlines changed.
Howerin Reaffirms Keystone Partnership After Ownership Clarified.
Our phones exploded.
Employees cheered.
Marcus sent champagne.
For the first time in days, I breathed.
Then Francis called.
“Athena.”
Something in her voice erased my smile.
“What now?”
“Police located Brad.”
“Where?”
“Airport hotel.”
“And the phone?”
“They recovered Daniel's old phone and Brad's laptop.”
Relief washed through me.
“But,” Francis continued, “they found messages that change things.”
My stomach dropped.
“Between Brad and Diane?”
“Yes.”
“How bad?”
“Bad.”
She paused.
“Athena, Diane knew about the transfer before the dinner.”
I closed my eyes.
Then Francis delivered the part none of us expected.
“She didn't just know.”
May you like
“She chose the amount.”
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