The Bully Who Ordered the Owner Around

I called Lauren back immediately.

The number was no longer available.

For several seconds, I stared at my phone, waiting for it to ring again. Rebecca was already writing down the time of the call and asking Daniel to preserve the call log.

"Did she give you a location?"" Rebecca asked.

"No. Just a warning.""

"Then we don't chase her blindly. If she has evidence, we need to arrange a safe and documented way for her to provide it.""

I understood the logic.

I also understood that Lauren had worked beside me for four years. She had helped me open Aurelia's second location, managed vendor accounts, and sat at my kitchen table on Christmas Eve when my mother was recovering from surgery.

I'd trusted her.

Then, eleven months earlier, she'd resigned with almost no notice, saying she needed to care for a sick relative.

I'd accepted her explanation without asking questions.

Now I wondered whether I'd mistaken silence for honesty.

Daniel arrived with a printed personnel record.

"Lauren's last known address is still on file," he said.

"Her emergency contact information hasn't changed, but the number is disconnected.""

Rebecca shook her head.

"We shouldn't use personal information to track her down. If she wants to speak with us, we'll arrange it through counsel.""

Daniel nodded.

"There's another thing. Before she left, Lauren requested access to the archives from our original location. She said she needed to retrieve tax records for the accountants.""

"When was that?""

"About three weeks before her resignation.""

I looked at Rebecca.

"Can we establish what she accessed?""

"If the records are still available, yes. But we shouldn't assume she took anything improperly. We'll review the access logs and preserve the relevant files.""

Daniel returned to the office system.

Rebecca began preparing a formal notice to Martin Ellis, challenging the purported power of attorney and requesting preservation of the transaction records.

I tried to focus on the immediate problem.

The building was still at risk. Richard had submitted a competing offer, and the owners were now questioning whether I had authorized Vanessa to act on my behalf.

Every hour mattered.

At eleven thirty, Rebecca received a response from the notary's office.

Patricia Mills had provided a sworn statement confirming that the seal on the power of attorney was not hers. Her office records also showed that she had been out of state on the date listed on the document.

That was the first clear piece of evidence that the paperwork had been fabricated.

Rebecca sent the statement to Martin's attorney.

Within minutes, Martin called me.

"Emily, I owe you an apology," he said.

"I should have contacted you directly before accepting anything from Vanessa.""

"Can you suspend the competing offer while the document is investigated?""

"I can ask my attorney to do so. Hale Capital is already threatening legal action if we delay.""

"Then let the attorneys deal with it.""

After we ended the call, I leaned back in my chair.

The building was not lost yet.

But Richard was willing to threaten litigation rather than allow the transaction to be examined. That told me he had a great deal riding on the outcome.

At twelve fifteen, a message arrived through Rebecca's secure client portal.

The sender had identified herself as Lauren Price.

She requested a meeting at a law office across town and asked that Richard Hale not be informed.

Rebecca verified the office independently and arranged the meeting for two that afternoon.

Lauren arrived ten minutes early.

She looked different from the woman I remembered. Her hair was shorter, her face thinner, and dark circles shadowed her eyes. She carried a canvas bag and kept glancing toward the entrance.

When she saw me, she stopped.

"Emily.""

I stood.

"Lauren.""

For a moment, neither of us spoke.

Then she looked at Rebecca.

"Before I tell you anything, I need to know whether this conversation is confidential.""

Rebecca explained the limits of attorney-client confidentiality and offered to clarify how we could document Lauren's evidence appropriately.

Lauren nodded and sat down.

"I know what you must think of me," she said.

"I don't know what to think yet.""

She flinched.

I regretted the sharpness of my tone, but I couldn't pretend nothing had happened.

"You left without explaining why," I continued.

"Now someone has used documents from my old office to impersonate me. And you say you know who did it.""

Lauren opened her canvas bag.

Inside were two folders, a laptop, and a small envelope sealed with clear tape.

"I didn't create the power of attorney," she said.

"But I helped Richard obtain the files he needed.""

The room went still.

Rebecca leaned forward.

"Please explain exactly what you mean.""

Lauren folded her hands together.

"Richard approached me shortly before I resigned. He said he was considering investing in Aurelia and wanted to review our financial history. He claimed you'd already agreed to share certain records.""

"Did you ask me?"" I said.

"No.""

"Why not?""

"Because he showed me an email that appeared to come from you. It said he had permission to review the archives.""

I felt a familiar pressure behind my eyes.

"Did you verify the email?""

"No. I should have.""

She looked down.

"Richard knew things about your business that made the request sound legitimate. He knew the names of your accountants, your first landlord, even the supplier who provided the original kitchen equipment. He made it seem as though the investment discussions were already underway.""

Rebecca asked whether Lauren had forwarded any documents.

"Yes. Historical vendor contracts, early lease agreements, and copies of Emily's signature from routine business forms.""

My jaw tightened.

"You gave him my signature?""

"I thought I was providing documents for a financial review. I didn't know he intended to use them to create false authorizations.""

"Then when did you find out?""

Lauren opened the first folder.

Inside were printed emails between her and Richard.

The earliest messages were ordinary requests for invoices and business summaries. Then the tone changed.

*Richard: I need a clean copy of Emily's signature from a document with good resolution.*

Lauren's reply read:

*Lauren: Why do you need that?*

Richard had answered:

*Richard: Legal review. The investment agreement requires an authorization page, and we need to match the existing corporate records.*

Lauren's next message was brief.

*Lauren: I can send the old supplier agreement, but Emily hasn't signed anything new.*

Richard's response arrived the following morning.

*Richard: Then let me handle the paperwork. You won't be involved.*

Lauren closed the folder.

"That's when I realized something was wrong. I confronted him, and he told me the authorization was a harmless administrative form. He said Emily would sign the final version once the property deal was ready.""

"But she never did," Rebecca said.

"No. And when I asked to see the completed document, Richard threatened to report me for mishandling confidential business records.""

I stared at the emails.

"Why didn't you come to me?""

Lauren's eyes filled with tears.

"Because I was afraid I'd lose my career. Then I found out he'd used the files to create the power of attorney. By then, he'd already told people I had been authorized to assist him.""

She pushed the second folder across the table.

"I kept copies of everything. I thought I'd need them to protect myself.""

Rebecca opened it carefully.

The folder contained internal correspondence from Hale Capital, including a draft power of attorney and a list of supporting documents.

At the bottom was a message from Richard to Gregory Pike.

*Use the authorization we've prepared. If Carter disputes it, we have enough background material to make the transaction look legitimate until the property changes hands.*

My stomach turned.

"Who prepared the document?"" I asked.

Lauren shook her head.

"I don't know. But I know who delivered the original to the property owners.""

"Who?""

She looked directly at me.

"Vanessa.""

Before I could respond, Rebecca's phone rang.

She listened, her expression becoming increasingly serious.

"Understood. Please send the complete notice to my office.""

She ended the call.

"Emily, Martin's attorney has received a demand from Hale Capital. They're claiming that Vanessa acted with your implied authority and that any challenge to the document is an attempt to escape a binding agreement.""

"Can they do that?""

"They can make the argument. Whether it succeeds is another matter.""

Lauren began gathering her folders.

"There is one more thing you need to know," she said.

"Richard didn't just want your building. He wanted something inside it.""

"What?""

She reached into the envelope and removed a photograph.

It showed a stack of old ledgers on a desk.

The top ledger bore the name of a company I'd never heard of.

*Carter Hospitality Holdings.*

My father's name was printed beneath it.

I stopped breathing for a moment.

My father had died when I was twelve. He'd worked in construction and left behind almost nothing except a toolbox, a handful of photographs, and a debt my mother struggled to repay.

I'd never heard of him owning a hospitality company.

"Where did you get this?"" I whispered.