Chapter 44

Shayna stared at the documents, her face paling. "I have no idea, Dayton. I swear, I know nothing about this."

Dayton's eyes narrowed. "You expect me to believe that? You come here, posing as someone interested in helping, and I find these papers in your possession? It doesn't add up."

Shayna took a step back, her hands trembling. "Dayton, please. I came here because I was sent to negotiate, yes, but I never intended to deceive you. Someone must have planted those documents."

Dayton's voice rose, his anger barely contained. "That's convenient, isn't it? You just happen to have these papers, with my forged signature, and you expect me to believe you had nothing to do with it?"

Her eyes filled with tears of frustration. "I know how it looks, but I'm telling you the truth! I didn't forge your signature!"

He stepped closer, his face inches from hers. "So, what was your plan then? To lead me on, get me to trust you, and then hand my ranch over to your client? Irrespective of the long-term consequences?"

Shayna's voice shook with emotion. "No, Dayton, I—"

"Don't lie to me!" he shouted. "You think just because you flirted with me, shared some sob story, that I wouldn't see through your scheme?"

She recoiled as if slapped, her eyes wide with shock and pain. "I wasn't leading you on, Dayton. You know that I care about you and your family. I didn't know about those documents until just a few days ago."

He laughed bitterly. "Care about me? You expect me to believe that? After everything? This is just a game to you, isn't it?"

"No, it's not!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. "I came here with the intention to negotiate, yes, but I never planned to deceive you. When I got to know you all over again, I realized how important this place is. I wanted to protect it."

Dayton's fury did not abate. "So, what? You changed your mind just like that? Do you know how ridiculous that sounds?"

Shayna wiped her tears angrily. "I understand why you don't believe me, but it's the truth. I wanted to find a way to save the ranch. I swear, I didn't forge your signature."

He shook his head, pacing the room. "You expect me to believe that after everything we've been through? You made me think that you were the same innocent woman who left all those years ago. That you actually cared about this place and about me. But it was all just a lie, wasn't it?"

Shayna's voice was barely a whisper, her heart breaking. "It wasn't a lie, Dayton. I do care about you."

He stopped pacing and stared at her, his eyes filled with hurt and anger. "Then why didn't you tell me about these documents the moment you found them? Why didn't you come to me for help?"

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her voice. "I was scared, Dayton. I didn't know who to trust. I didn't want to alarm you without understanding the full picture. I thought I could handle it discreetly."

Dayton's expression softened slightly, but his anger was still palpable. "If you cared about me, you should have trusted me enough to tell me the truth. Now, I don't know what to believe."

She stepped closer, her voice trembling. "Please, Dayton. I know I've made mistakes, but I swear I'm telling the truth. I want to help you figure out who's behind this."

He stared at her for a long moment, the tension between them thick. "Fine," he said finally, his voice cold. "But if I find out you're lying to me again, there will be consequences."

Shayna nodded, relief mingling with fear. "I understand. I'll do whatever it takes to prove to you that I'm on your side."

Dayton's gaze was hard as steel. "You'd better be. Because if you're not, I won't hesitate to protect my ranch from anyone, including you."

With that, he turned and walked out of the room, leaving Shayna standing there, her heart breaking all over again.

Shayna stood in the empty room, her heart pounding and her mind racing. She took a deep breath, trying to steady herself, then reached for her phone. She needed answers, and there was only one person who might be able to help her right now.

She dialed Emily's number and waited, tapping her foot anxiously as the phone rang.

"Emily Richards speaking," came the cheerful voice on the other end.

"Emily, it's Shayna," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "I need your help. Do you have any idea where these documents with Dayton's forged signature promising the ranch to Thompson Enterprises came from?"

There was a pause on the other end of the line. "What? Documents with his forged signature? Shayna, I don't know anything about that. Are you sure they're from our office?"

Shayna sighed, running a hand through her hair. "That's just it, Emily. I was going through the paperwork here, trying to get a handle on everything, and I found these documents mixed in with the rest. They look legitimate, but the signature is definitely forged."

Emily's tone turned serious. "I'll check our records right away. Give me a few minutes."

Shayna nodded, even though Emily couldn't see her. "Thank you. I'll wait."

As she stood there, the minutes seemed to stretch into hours. She paced the room, her mind racing with possibilities. Who would go to such lengths to forge Dayton's signature and make it look like she was involved? And why?

Finally, the phone buzzed, and she answered it immediately. "Emily?"

"Shayna, I went through all the files and records," Emily said. "There's nothing here that indicates those documents came from our office. In fact, there's no record of any contract between Thompson Enterprises and Dayton's ranch. Are you sure these documents are legitimate?"

Shayna's heart sank. "They look real, Emily. Whoever forged them did a convincing job. But if they didn't come from our office, then someone outside must be involved."

"That's what it sounds like," Emily agreed. "But who would have the motive and the means to do something like this?"

Shayna thought for a moment, then her eyes widened as a possibility occurred to her. "I think I have an idea. There's someone who stands to gain a lot if this deal goes through. I'm going to look into it. Thank you, Emily. I'll keep you updated."

"Be careful, Shayna," Emily said. "And let me know if you need anything else."

"I will," Shayna promised.

She took a deep breath, trying to steady her racing thoughts. Someone had gone to great lengths to make her look guilty, and she was determined to find out who. But first, she needed to clear her name with Dayton. That meant gathering more evidence and proving her innocence.

Shayna returned to the stack of paperwork, her mind racing with questions. She needed to uncover the details surrounding these forged documents and piece together the timeline. Sitting down at the desk, she pulled out a notebook and started making a list of key dates and events.

First, she noted the date of the file containing the forged documents and the dates on the documents. She remembered when the paperwork was handed over to her clearly—it had been just a few days before she left New York for the ranch. She wrote down the date and then began flipping through the paperwork, searching for any references to Thompson Enterprises.

As she sifted through the documents, she found the original offer letter from Thompson Enterprises. It was dated a few weeks prior to her receiving the file. The letter outlined their interest in purchasing the ranch and included a substantial offer. Shayna made a note of the date and then moved on to the next piece of the puzzle: who informed Dayton of the offer.

She searched through her notes and correspondence, trying to recall if anyone had mentioned who initially contacted Dayton about the offer. Finally, she found an email from Emily, mentioning that a representative from Thompson Enterprises had reached out directly to Dayton. The email was dated a few days after the original offer letter. Shayna jotted down the date and highlighted Emily's involvement.

Next, Shayna needed to determine how many people were aware of the vested interest of Thompson Enterprises in the ranch. She remembered a meeting where the offer was discussed with her colleagues. Flipping through her notes from that day, she found a list of attendees: Emily, Mark, and Jacob, along with a few other junior associates. Shayna wrote down their names and the date of the meeting.

With these key pieces of information in front of her, Shayna started to see a clearer picture. Someone with access to the original offer and the ability to forge Dayton's signature had inserted the fraudulent documents into the file. But who? And why?

She needed to dig deeper. Shayna decided to cross-reference the dates and names with any suspicious activity or unusual behavior. She spent the next few hours meticulously combing through her notes, emails, and meeting minutes, looking for anything out of the ordinary.

As she worked, a pattern began to emerge. There were subtle hints of someone pushing for the deal to go through quickly, someone who had a vested interest in seeing Thompson Enterprises acquire the ranch. Shayna's heart raced as she realized she might be on the verge of uncovering the truth.

She took a deep breath and leaned back in her chair, staring at the notes in front of her. She had a list of names, dates, and events that pointed towards a possible culprit. But she needed more concrete evidence before confronting anyone. Shayna decided to focus on gathering additional proof, starting with questioning her colleagues discreetly.

As the evening wore on, Shayna's head was swimming with thoughts and theories. Her notes and papers were strewn across the desk, evidence of her frantic search for the truth. The dim light of the desk lamp cast long shadows on the walls, and the only sound was the soft rustling of papers as she worked.

A gentle knock on her door pulled her out of her concentration. She looked up to see Martha standing in the doorway, holding a tray with a bowl of soup and a sandwich.

"I thought you might be hungry," Martha said kindly, walking into the room and setting the tray down on the small table by the window.

Shayna gave her a tired smile. "Thank you, Martha. I didn't realize how late it had gotten."

Martha glanced at the scattered papers, her brow furrowing with concern. "It looks like you've been working hard. Are you making any progress with whatever you have going on?"

Shayna sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "I think so. It's just... "

Martha reached out and gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze. "Don't wear yourself out, dear. Eat something and try to get some rest."

"I will, Martha. Thank you."

As Martha left the room, Shayna sat down at the table and took a few bites of the sandwich. She ate slowly, her mind still racing. After finishing her meal, Shayna tidied up the papers on her desk and put away her notes. She knew she needed a clear head to work through everything. With a heavy sigh, she changed into her nightclothes and slipped into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin.