CHAPTER 3 — THE WOMAN BEHIND NEXUSCORE
CHAPTER 3 — THE WOMAN BEHIND NEXUSCORE
Lauren Thorne had always been good at looking innocent.
It was one of the reasons Matthew had trusted her.
One of the reasons investors liked her.
One of the reasons Clare had once called her family.
She knew how to lower her eyes at the right moment.
How to let her voice tremble without actually breaking.
How to make a lie sound like something painful she had been forced to confess.
And that morning, sitting across from Matthew in the private dining room of the Hayes Club, she looked exactly like the woman Clare had known for twelve years.
Elegant.
Fragile.
Terrified.
Except Matthew knew better now.
He had seen the fear behind her eyes before.
And he knew exactly what she was capable of when she was afraid.
"Say it again."
Lauren stared at him.
"I don't understand."
"The recording."
Her fingers tightened around the coffee cup.
"I didn't know Clare still had it."
"You knew about the recording?"
Lauren didn't answer.
Matthew leaned forward.
"Lauren."
She finally looked up.
"I knew there was a phone."
"A phone?"
"She used to record things."
"You told me the files were destroyed."
"I thought they were."
"You thought?"
His voice sharpened.
Lauren flinched.
For a second, Matthew saw the old Lauren.
The woman who had cried after their first kiss because she was terrified someone would find out.
The woman who had promised him she didn't care about money.
The woman who had whispered that she only wanted him.
But that woman had disappeared a long time ago.
Maybe she had never existed.
"What was on the phone?" Matthew asked.
Lauren looked away.
"You heard it."
"Not everything."
"Then you know enough."
"I want the rest."
She shook her head.
"No."
Matthew stood.
"You don't get to say no."
Lauren laughed bitterly.
"That's what Clare used to say."
His expression changed.
"Don't bring her into this."
"She's already in this."
Lauren stood too.
"She's been in this from the beginning."
Matthew stared at her.
"What does that mean?"
Lauren's eyes filled with tears.
But this time, he didn't believe them.
"It means you never understood what NexusCore really was."
Across Manhattan, I was sitting in a private room at Sterling Medical Center.
My father had moved me there before sunrise.
No reporters.
No cameras.
No public entrance.
The building belonged to Sterling Capital, but almost nobody knew the company owned it.
I had been given a room on the top floor.
My bruises had been treated.
My wrist was immobilized.
My back was covered with medication patches.
But the pain wasn't what kept me awake.
It was the recording.
I couldn't stop hearing that voice.
Make sure something happens to her.
I had heard Matthew's voice.
Lauren's.
And the unknown man.
Someone had wanted me removed.
Not divorced.
Not humiliated.
Removed.
"Daddy?"
He looked up from his laptop.
"Yes?"
"Who is Blackridge?"
He closed the computer.
"I don't know yet."
"You said you would find out."
"I will."
"How long?"
He smiled.
"Before lunch."
Despite everything, I laughed.
"You're still impossible."
"I'm your father."
"That's not an excuse."
"It is when you're me."
He walked toward the window.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"Lauren."
I stiffened.
"What about her?"
"She's the key."
"To what?"
"Everything."
I looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"She wasn't simply Matthew's mistress."
I remembered the way Lauren had looked at me at charity events.
The way she had hugged me.
The way she had asked questions about NexusCore.
The way she always seemed interested in my meetings.
At the time, I had thought she was proud of me.
Now those memories looked different.
"She was investigating the company."
My father nodded.
"She was doing more than that."
"How do you know?"
"Because Blackridge paid her."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"How much?"
"Over six million dollars."
I stared at him.
"Six million?"
"Over five years."
"Why?"
"That's what we're trying to determine."
I shook my head.
"She was my best friend."
"I know."
"She was there when Matthew proposed."
"I know."
"She helped me choose my wedding dress."
"I know."
"She cried at my wedding."
My father's eyes softened.
"People can cry while they're lying."
I looked down.
That sentence hurt more than it should have.
Because I suddenly remembered something.
Lauren had been crying during my wedding.
But Matthew hadn't looked at her.
He had looked at me.
At least then.
Or perhaps that was another lie I had told myself.
At 9:17 a.m., my father's investigator entered the room.
His name was Daniel Cross.
He placed a tablet on the table.
"We found Blackridge."
My father looked up.
"Who owns it?"
Daniel hesitated.
"That's complicated."
"Try me."
"The company is registered through three shell corporations."
"Owners?"
"Hidden."
"Beneficial owner?"
"Still hidden."
My father frowned.
"What did you find?"
Daniel opened a file.
"Blackridge has been investing in NexusCore since the Series B round."
I stared at the screen.
"When?"
"Seven years ago."
The same year I left my father's house.
The same year NexusCore exploded in value.
The same year Matthew convinced me I was no longer necessary.
I swallowed.
"Who introduced them?"
Daniel looked at me.
"Lauren."
Silence.
My father leaned back.
"Are you certain?"
"We traced the first transfer."
He placed another document on the table.
"Lauren Thorne personally introduced Matthew to a consultant named Adrian Cross."
My father stared at the name.
His face changed.
"Adrian."
"You know him?"
My father didn't answer.
I looked at him.
"Daddy?"
He stood.
"I knew his father."
"Who was his father?"
"Jonathan Cross."
The name meant something.
I had heard it before.
But I couldn't place it.
My father continued.
"He was one of the most dangerous financial operators in New York."
"Was?"
"He died twelve years ago."
"Then what does his son want?"
My father looked at the documents.
"Revenge."
I frowned.
"Against who?"
"Me."
At 10:02 a.m., Lauren entered the underground garage beneath the Hayes Club.
She wore sunglasses.
A cream coat.
Her hair was tied back.
She looked calm.
But her hands were shaking.
She walked toward a black sedan.
A man stepped out.
Lauren stopped.
"You came."
"I said I would."
She looked around.
"Is anyone following you?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
The man smiled.
"You're becoming paranoid."
"I'm scared."
"You should be."
Lauren looked at him.
"What happens now?"
"Now?"
He opened the car door.
"Now Clare dies."
Lauren froze.
"No."
He looked at her.
"You wanted her out."
"I wanted her to lose the company."
"You said she needed to disappear."
"I didn't mean—"
"You meant exactly that."
Lauren shook her head.
"I didn't know Matthew would hurt her."
The man laughed.
"Of course you didn't."
"You're lying."
"No."
He stepped closer.
"You just didn't care."
Lauren looked away.
"What about Matthew?"
"What about him?"
"Does he know?"
"He knows enough."
"And if he talks?"
The man smiled.
"Then he'll join her."
Lauren's face went white.
"You're going to kill Matthew too?"
"I didn't say that."
"You implied it."
"I implied nothing."
He handed her an envelope.
"Your final payment."
Lauren stared at it.
"I don't want it."
"You always wanted it."
"No."
Her voice cracked.
"I wanted him."
The man laughed.
"You still believe that?"
Lauren looked at him.
"He loves me."
"No."
"He does."
"He loved what you represented."
She swallowed.
"What do I represent?"
"A useful woman."
The words destroyed her.
The man got into the car.
"Come with us."
Lauren didn't move.
"Where?"
"To the end."
The car drove away.
Lauren stood alone.
Holding the envelope.
And for the first time, she understood that she had never been a partner.
She had been a disposable piece.
At 11:26 a.m., I received an unexpected visitor.
Lauren.
I stared at her through the security monitor.
My heart began pounding.
"What is she doing here?"
My father looked at the screen.
"She asked to see you."
"No."
Daniel stepped forward.
"There's something you should know."
"What?"
"She came alone."
"That doesn't mean anything."
"No."
He paused.
"But she left her phone, purse, and car outside."
My father looked at me.
"She's either very brave."
"Or very desperate."
I looked at Lauren through the screen.
She was standing alone.
Without makeup.
Without sunglasses.
Without the polished confidence I remembered.
She looked exhausted.
Broken.
I whispered:
"Let her in."
My father immediately shook his head.
"Clare."
"I want to hear what she has to say."
"It's dangerous."
"So is everything else."
He looked at me.
Then nodded.
"Five minutes."
Lauren entered.
She stopped when she saw me.
Her eyes immediately went to my bruised face.
She covered her mouth.
"Oh God."
I stared at her.
"Don't."
She lowered her hand.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
"I am."
"You don't get to say that."
She nodded.
"I know."
"You lied to me."
"I know."
"You slept with my husband."
"I know."
"You helped him steal my company."
"I know."
"You helped convince everyone I was unstable."
Tears filled her eyes.
"I know."
"Then why are you here?"
She looked at my father.
Then back at me.
"Because I'm next."
Silence.
"What?"
"They're going to kill me."
My father stepped forward.
"Who?"
"Blackridge."
I stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because I know too much."
"What do you know?"
Lauren sat down.
Her hands were shaking.
"The company was never Matthew's."
I frowned.
"What?"
"It was never supposed to be."
She looked at me.
"It was supposed to be yours."
"I know."
"No."
She shook her head.
"You don't understand."
She leaned forward.
"NexusCore was created because of you."
I stared at her.
"I helped create it."
"You created it."
She pointed at me.
"Your algorithms."
"Your investor network."
"Your research."
"Your patents."
"Your business model."
"Everything."
Matthew had always told me I had helped.
Now Lauren was telling me something different.
"You were the company."
My father watched silently.
"Then why did Matthew control it?"
"Because he convinced you to let him."
I remembered.
The first shareholder agreement.
The late-night meetings.
The constant reassurance.
Just sign here.
It's temporary.
It's for the investors.
I'll handle it.
I felt sick.
"What did you do?"
Lauren looked down.
"I helped him."
"How?"
"I convinced you to trust him."
The words landed like a slap.
"You were my friend."
"I know."
"You knew everything."
"I did."
"You knew I was signing away control."
Lauren began crying.
"I thought I was helping you."
I laughed bitterly.
"Helping me?"
"I believed Matthew would protect you."
"Why?"
"Because he told me he loved you."
I stared at her.
"And you believed him?"
"At first."
"Then what?"
Lauren looked away.
"Then I fell in love with him."
The room became silent.
My father said nothing.
I asked:
"When did it start?"
"Before your wedding."
My stomach turned.
"You were sleeping with him before my wedding?"
"No."
She closed her eyes.
"Not physically."
"Emotionally?"
She nodded.
"How romantic."
"I'm sorry."
"Stop saying that."
She wiped her tears.
"I deserve your hatred."
"Maybe."
I leaned back.
"But I want the truth."
Lauren nodded.
"Then I'll tell you everything."
She began with Blackridge.
Seven years earlier, Matthew had been approached by Adrian Cross.
Adrian had offered money.
Connections.
Technology.
Investors.
All he wanted was access to NexusCore.
Matthew agreed.
"But why?" I asked.
Lauren shook her head.
"Because Adrian knew something."
"What?"
"He knew your father had destroyed his family."
My father stiffened.
"What are you talking about?"
Lauren looked at him.
"Your father took control of Cross Industries."
My father frowned.
"Jonathan Cross destroyed himself."
"That's not what Adrian believes."
"He believes you forced him out."
My father was silent.
Lauren continued.
"Adrian spent years planning revenge."
"Why NexusCore?"
"Because he discovered it was built by you."
I frowned.
"Me?"
"Yes."
"Why would that matter?"
"Because your father was the reason Adrian's father lost everything."
She looked at me.
"And Adrian believed the best way to hurt your father was to take away the thing you loved most."
I whispered:
"NexusCore."
Lauren nodded.
"But Matthew didn't know that."
"He knew enough."
"How much?"
"He knew Adrian was funding the company."
"Did he know the plan?"
Lauren hesitated.
"Eventually."
"And he still agreed?"
"Yes."
I closed my eyes.
Matthew had known.
He had known that someone wanted to use me to destroy my father.
And he had stayed.
He had taken my trust.
My work.
My company.
My marriage.
Everything.
Not because he loved me.
Because I was useful.
My father walked toward Lauren.
"Where is Adrian now?"
"I don't know."
"Who does?"
She looked at me.
"Matthew."
"Why?"
"Because Adrian communicates through him."
My father turned to Daniel.
"Find him."
Daniel nodded.
Lauren suddenly grabbed my wrist.
I flinched.
She released me immediately.
"I'm sorry."
"What?"
"I need you to believe me."
"Why?"
"Because there is something else."
"What?"
"The night Matthew attacked you wasn't an accident."
I stared at her.
"I know."
"No."
Her voice trembled.
"He was told to do it."
My blood went cold.
"By Adrian?"
She nodded.
"Why?"
"To frighten you."
"For what?"
"To make you sign something."
"What?"
"The final transfer."
I stared at her.
"What final transfer?"
"The one that gives Blackridge control of NexusCore."
My father's expression hardened.
"Where is it?"
Lauren looked at me.
"With Matthew."
"Where?"
"At the penthouse."
I stood.
Pain shot through my back.
My father immediately caught my shoulder.
"Clare."
"I need to go."
"No."
"I need to see it."
"You are not going back there."
"It's my company."
"It's a crime scene."
"I don't care."
My father looked at me.
"You almost died there."
I looked him directly in the eyes.
"Then let's make sure it was the last place he ever thought he could control me."
At 1:18 p.m., Matthew received another call.
He answered.
"Yes?"
The voice on the other end was calm.
"She knows."
Matthew froze.
"Who told her?"
"Lauren."
His jaw tightened.
"Where is she?"
"With Sterling."
Matthew closed his eyes.
"Of course."
"You have one chance."
"For what?"
"Get the document."
"What document?"
"The transfer agreement."
Matthew swallowed.
"I don't have it."
"Find it."
"And if I don't?"
Silence.
Then:
"You know what happens."
The line went dead.
Matthew looked around his office.
His hands were shaking.
For the first time, he wasn't afraid of Clare.
He was afraid of the man behind Blackridge.
He opened the hidden drawer beneath his desk.
Inside was a sealed envelope.
He pulled it out.
On the front were two words.
CLARE STERLING.
Matthew stared at it.
He hadn't opened it.
He had been instructed never to.
But now—
he tore it open.
Inside was a contract.
And one photograph.
Matthew looked at the photograph.
Then his face went completely white.
It wasn't Clare.
It wasn't Lauren.
It wasn't Adrian.
It was someone Matthew knew very well.
Someone who had been helping him for years.
Someone who had sat on the NexusCore board.
Someone who had access to every document.
Someone who had known exactly what Matthew was doing.
Matthew whispered:
"No."
Because beneath the photograph was a handwritten note.
SHE WAS NEVER YOUR TARGET.
YOU WERE.
Matthew dropped the photograph.
For the first time, he understood.
Blackridge hadn't built him an empire.
It had built him a cage.
And Clare had just found the key.
At 2:03 p.m., I stood outside my old penthouse.
I hadn't been there since the night Matthew beat me.
The hallway looked exactly the same.
The same marble.
The same paintings.
The same expensive silence.
But I wasn't the same woman who had crawled across that floor.
My father stood beside me.
Henderson was behind us.
Daniel waited near the elevator.
Lauren stood several feet away.
I looked at the door.
Then I said:
"Open it."
The lock clicked.
The door swung inward.
The smell of bourbon hit me first.
Then flowers.
Then something else.
Fear.
Matthew wasn't there.
But someone had been.
A drawer was open.
Papers were scattered across the desk.
And on the marble floor—
was the photograph Matthew had dropped.
I picked it up.
My heart stopped.
I knew the man in the photograph.
He had been one of NexusCore's most trusted board members.
A man I had personally recommended.
A man who had hugged me at my wedding.
A man who had told me Matthew would take care of me.
My father looked over my shoulder.
His expression became ice.
"Now we know who was behind the board."
I looked at the photograph.
Then at the empty room.
And suddenly, I understood the real danger.
Matthew hadn't been the architect.
Lauren hadn't been the architect.
They had only been pieces.
Someone else had been sitting behind the glass, watching everything.
Waiting for the right moment.
Waiting for me to fall.
But I wasn't falling anymore.
I was standing.
And whoever had built this entire nightmare had made one mistake.
May you like
They had underestimated the woman they were trying to destroy.
Again.
