Page 102 of Taken Away

Her stomach went cold.

If Blackwood failed to meet the minimum casing volume for two consecutive quarters, Mercer Distribution retained automatic exclusive regional rights for a ten-year renewal period, with the right of first refusal on all expansion markets.

Not murder.

But motive. A business motive.

A clean, ugly, profitable motive.

If Mabel died and Blackwood fell into chaos—if Aubrey walked away, if Bennett couldn’t stabilize operations, if production deadlines slipped—Mercer benefited. Massively.

And Vanessa Mercer… Aubrey exhaled slowly. She didn’t know the woman. Not really. She knew tailored dresses, expensive perfume, and the way Bennett’s shoulders had eased a little when Vanessa had walked into the room.

You’re not jealous, she told herself.

You’re looking at leverage.

Still, the way the woman’s name sat beside dollar signs and exclusivity rights made something hot and unpleasant crawl under Aubrey’s skin.

She looked up slowly.

“Did Mabel know about this clause?”

Walter rubbed a thumb along the handle of his coffee mug.

“She asked me to pull some of the older distributor files the week before she died.”

Aubrey frowned.

“Why?”

For a second, Walter didn't answer.

Not long enough to register as hesitation.

Long enough to exist.

His gaze flicked, once, toward Mabel's sealed office.

“Margins,” he said finally. “Shipping leverage. Whether we were getting too dependent on one company.”

He looked back down at the papers spread across the desk, his expression turning more weary than guarded.

“I figured she was doing what she always did—making sure nobody was taking advantage of her.”

Aubrey's heartbeat kicked hard.

“Why didn't you tell Burke that?”

Walter looked genuinely puzzled.

“Because I didn't know it mattered.”

Everything matters, Aubrey thought.

Every paper. Every signature. Every person who knew Mabel was changing things.

She pulled the contract toward her and started taking notes.