Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN HE WANTED ME TO FIRE
Victor Shaw arrived at my estate at 7:20 that morning as though nothing had changed.
Gray suit.
Silver tie.
Calm smile.
The same man who had advised me for twenty years.
The same man who might have helped my father steal thirty-one years of my mother's life.
I met him in the library.
Willa remained at the cottage with Lorraine.
For once, I didn't want my mother anywhere near my house.
Not until I knew which walls still belonged to Victor.
He poured himself coffee.
"You look terrible."
"So do you."
He laughed.
"Charming."
I remained standing.
"You texted me about Willa."
His expression changed slightly.
"Yes."
"What did she steal?"
Victor opened a leather folder.
Bank statements.
Photographs.
Employee access logs.
He slid them toward me.
"Medication."
I stared.
"From whom?"
"Your mother's old medical trust."
My blood went cold.
Victor watched my face.
He didn't know I'd found Lorraine.
Or he was pretending not to.
"What medical trust?"
He hesitated.
"The one established years ago."
"You told me my mother left."
"She did."
"Then why did she need a medical trust?"
Victor's fingers stopped moving.
For one second, the mask slipped.
Then he smiled.
"Your father was generous."
I leaned forward.
"Was he?"
Victor looked directly at me.
"Declan, don't let a housekeeper manipulate you."
The sentence was almost identical to something my father used to say whenever my mother questioned family business.
Don't let emotional people manipulate you.
I felt sick.
"What exactly has Willa done?"
"She accessed old family records."
"How?"
"Through Marianne Mercer's files."
There it was.
Victor knew Willa's mother.
I kept my expression blank.
"You knew Marianne?"
He shrugged.
"She was a nurse."
"Where?"
"A private facility."
"Which one?"
His jaw tightened.
"Why all the questions?"
I smiled without warmth.
"Because I don't tolerate secrets inside my own home."
He stared.
For the first time in years, Victor looked uncertain around me.
Then he reached for the folder.
"Fire Willa. I'll handle the rest."
I placed my hand on the papers.
"No."
His eyes narrowed.
"Excuse me?"
"I said no."
Victor leaned back.
"You trust a maid over me?"
I thought about Lorraine's letters.
Thirty-one birthdays.
Thirty-one Christmases.
Thirty-one years stolen.
"No," I said quietly. "I trust evidence."
His expression changed.
Then he smiled.
But this time, there was no warmth.
"Be careful, Declan."
"Is that a threat?"
"It's advice."
He stood.
"Your father made mistakes because he let women distract him from survival."
I felt something cold settle inside me.
"My mother?"
Victor's eyes flickered.
Then he realized what he'd said.
Too late.
I stepped closer.
"You told me she left because she hated this family."
Victor remained silent.
I continued.
"You just called her one of my father's mistakes."
His jaw tightened.
Then he whispered:
"You don't know what Lorraine did."
"What did she do?"
He stared at me.
And for the first time, stopped pretending.
"She tried to take you away."
I smiled bitterly.
"That was her crime?"
Victor leaned closer.
"No."
His voice dropped.
"Her crime was discovering where your father hid the original ledger."
My heartbeat slowed.
"What ledger?"
Victor's face changed.
Then he realized he'd revealed too much.
He turned toward the door.
I blocked him.
"What ledger?"
Silence.
Then he said:
"The book that could destroy everything Charles built."
I stared.
Then my phone rang.
Willa.
I answered immediately.
Her breathing was fast.
"Declan."
"What happened?"
"I found something in Lorraine's medicine cabinet."
"What?"
"A photograph."
My chest tightened.
"Of what?"
May you like
She swallowed.
"Your father standing beside Victor Shaw three years after everyone was told your father had died."
