Chapter 6 - DIANE’S VERSION
Diane wanted to meet.
I said no.
Rebecca said:
“Let her lawyer contact us.”
Diane did not have a lawyer.
Not yet.
She called Megan.
Then my mother.
Then two of my employees.
That ended quickly.
My company issued a no-contact instruction.
Then Diane showed up at the office.
Security stopped her in the lobby.
She demanded to see me.
I watched the camera feed from upstairs.
She looked furious.
Not scared.
Not ashamed.
Furious that doors existed she could not walk through.
“Tell her I’m busy.”
Henry looked at me.
“That’s it?”
“That’s it.”
Ten minutes later, Diane left.
Two hours after that, she hired counsel.
The next morning, her lawyer sent a letter.
Diane denied knowingly participating in fraud.
She claimed Ryan handled all paperwork.
She claimed she believed I had voluntarily extended family medical support.
She claimed Mercer Family Solutions was Ryan’s business.
She claimed her management title was “honorary.”
Rebecca read the letter.
Then looked at me.
“Honorary manager.”
“Apparently.”
“Impressive.”
I laughed.
It felt good.
Then the insurer produced emails.
Diane to Ryan:
Did Lauren approve the new codes?
Ryan:
She doesn’t need to see every detail.
Diane:
I don’t want trouble later.
Ryan:
There won’t be trouble once I’m on ownership docs.
Diane:
Make sure her signature matches.
My laugh disappeared.
Rebecca read it again.
“Make sure her signature matches.”
There was no innocence left in that sentence.
Another email:
Can Sophie still be used after she turns two?
I stopped breathing.
Ryan replied:
Yes. Dependent profile stays active.
Diane:
Good. Surgery will be after that.
I put the paper down.
My mother-in-law had discussed my daughter like an account category.
Not a child.
A profile.
An eligibility route.
A tool.
I called Rebecca.
“I want a protective order regarding contact with Sophie.”
She didn’t answer immediately.
“That requires specific grounds.”
“I know.”
“Financial misconduct alone may not support exactly what you want.”
“She frightened Sophie.”
“Yes.”
“We document that.”
“Yes.”
“She has been using Sophie’s identity.”
“Yes.”
“We address it through the appropriate legal channels.”
I breathed.
Rebecca continued.
“Lauren, don’t let outrage push you into asking courts to do things evidence doesn’t support.”
I hated that.
Again, maturity was annoying.
We pursued what the facts justified.
No unsupervised contact between Diane and Sophie.
No direct access to her records.
No ability to act as emergency contact.
No medical or childcare authority.
Ryan’s parenting would be addressed separately.
He was still Sophie’s father.
He had not abused her physically.
But his judgment was now part of the conversation.
Then the full forensic report arrived.
The $96,000 estimate was incomplete.
Company payments.
Insurance claims.
Broker fees.
Unauthorized vendor reimbursements.
Travel.
Prescription reimbursements.
The total exposure connected to Mercer Family Solutions reached:
$184,620.
I stared at the number.
Rebecca sat across from me.
“Some may be recoverable.”
“That isn’t the point.”
“No.”
“My company could have hired two people with that.”
“Yes.”
“Paid bonuses.”
“Yes.”
“Covered an employee’s maternity leave.”
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
Ryan had not taken abstract money.
He took choices.
Then Henry entered.
He looked pale.
“What?”
“I found another account.”
I almost laughed.
“What kind?”
“A payroll profile.”
“For who?”
He turned the screen.
RYAN MERCER
Title:
Executive Vice President
Salary:
$142,000 annually
I stared.
“Did we ever pay him?”
“No.”
Relief.
“Then what is it?”
“Draft onboarding.”
“Created by who?”
Henry swallowed.
“Your credentials.”
“When?”
“Fourteen months ago.”
Ryan had not only forged ownership.
He had been preparing to put himself on payroll.
“And look at the start date.”
I did.
It was scheduled for the first day of the next fiscal year.
Three months away.
Ryan had been preparing to become an employee of my company without my permission.
Then Henry clicked another tab.
Benefits enrollment.
Ryan as executive.
Diane listed as his dependent parent under a supplemental company-paid care program that did not actually exist.
And Sophie?
Removed from my profile.
Added under his.
I stared at the screen.
He wasn’t merely stealing benefits.
He was preparing to restructure our family inside my company’s systems.
May you like
On paper, Ryan Mercer was becoming exactly what Diane had threatened:
The man who controlled everything.
