## CHAPTER 6 ## THE MISTRESS WHO THOUGHT SHE WON
For the first time that night...
Samantha Vale looked afraid.
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Not angry.
Not confident.
Not amused.
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Afraid.
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Because the one thing she believed she had already taken from me...
Was never hers.
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My husband.
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My marriage.
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My place.
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She had built her entire plan around a lie.
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"That's impossible."
Samantha's voice was sharp.
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Victoria didn't move.
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"The court records are clear."
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Samantha looked at Grant.
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"You told me it was finalized."
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Grant's face turned pale.
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"I thought it was."
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She laughed.
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A cold, humorless laugh.
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"You thought?"
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The room went silent.
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Because everyone finally saw the truth.
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Samantha never loved Grant.
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Grant never loved me.
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And both of them had built their lives on the same thing.
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Assumptions.
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Samantha stepped closer to him.
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"You signed everything."
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"Yes."
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"You gave me control."
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"I didn't know—"
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She cut him off.
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"Exactly."
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"You didn't know."
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Her smile disappeared.
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"You never knew anything."
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Grant looked at her.
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"What does that mean?"
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Samantha leaned toward him.
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"It means you were never my partner."
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A pause.
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"You were my way in."
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The words destroyed him.
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But strangely...
I felt nothing.
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Because the man standing in front of me had already chosen his side.
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"Get out."
I said.
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Everyone looked at me.
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Samantha smiled slightly.
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"You think you can order me out?"
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I looked at Victoria.
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She understood immediately.
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"Actually..."
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Victoria opened the hospital door.
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"You can."
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Two security officers stepped inside.
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Samantha's face hardened.
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"You have no idea who you're dealing with."
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I looked at her.
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"No."
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"I know exactly who I'm dealing with."
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"A woman who thought a dying mother was an obstacle."
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"A woman who paid a man to abandon his own children."
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"A woman who believed money could erase cruelty."
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Samantha stared at me.
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For the first time...
She had no response.
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After she left...
The room became quiet.
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Only Grant remained.
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I looked at him.
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"You should leave too."
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His eyes filled.
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"Claire..."
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"Don't."
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The old name hurt.
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"I don't want an apology."
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"But I need you to hear me."
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I looked away.
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"No."
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"I needed you to hear me when I was lying in that ICU."
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"I needed you to hear me when doctors were fighting to save my life."
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"I needed you to hear me when our children were born."
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A tear slipped down my face.
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"But you weren't there."
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Grant lowered his head.
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For once...
The billionaire had nothing to say.
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That evening...
I finally returned to the nursery.
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My babies were sleeping.
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Three tiny lives that had changed everything.
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I sat beside them.
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And for the first time since waking up...
I allowed myself to cry.
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Not because I missed Grant.
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Because I missed the person I thought he was.
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A few hours later...
Victoria returned.
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She carried another folder.
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I looked at her.
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"More secrets?"
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She gave a small smile.
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"Your grandmother loved preparing for the worst."
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I sighed.
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"She knew people better than I did."
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Victoria sat beside me.
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"She knew one day someone might hurt you."
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I opened the folder.
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Inside was a letter.
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Eleanor's handwriting.
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My hands immediately started shaking.
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My dearest Claire,
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I stopped.
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She always called me Claire.
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Not my full name.
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Just Claire.
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The name that felt like home.
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If you are reading this, then someone has failed to protect your heart.
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A tear fell.
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I wish I could have prevented your pain.
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But I cannot control the choices of others.
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I can only make sure those choices do not destroy your future.
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I looked at Victoria.
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"What did she do?"
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Victoria answered softly.
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"She created a final protection clause."
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I kept reading.
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The person who abandons Claire during her greatest moment of need will lose all rights connected to the Holloway estate and family assets.
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My breath caught.
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The clause wasn't about money.
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It was about character.
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Then came the final paragraph.
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And if Grant Holloway proves himself unworthy...
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The ownership of Holloway International will transfer to the person who protected Claire and her children.
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I looked up.
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"Who?"
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Victoria hesitated.
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Then placed another document in front of me.
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A name.
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I read it.
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And froze.
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Daniel Parker.
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"What?"
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Victoria nodded.
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"Your grandmother trusted him."
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"But why?"
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"Because she believed the person who saves your family deserves more than the person who abandons it."
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The next morning...
The business world exploded.
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A press conference was announced.
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Samantha Vale appeared beside her lawyers.
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Grant beside her.
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The headlines were everywhere.
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VALE GROUP ANNOUNCES STRATEGIC TAKEOVER OF HOLLOWAY INTERNATIONAL
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I watched the broadcast.
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Samantha smiled confidently.
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"The future of Holloway begins today."
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Then the reporter asked:
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"Is it true Mrs. Holloway is still legally married to Grant Holloway?"
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Samantha's smile disappeared.
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For a second...
She looked toward Grant.
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Then she said:
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"That is a technical issue."
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I almost laughed.
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Technical issue.
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My life.
My children.
My marriage.
My pain.
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Reduced to a technical issue.
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Then Victoria's phone rang.
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She answered.
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Her expression changed.
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"What?"
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A pause.
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Then she looked at me.
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"The board meeting just started."
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"Grant and Samantha are there."
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I stood.
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"What happened?"
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Victoria lowered her voice.
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"They are trying to remove you from ownership."
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My heart tightened.
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"Can they?"
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She looked at me.
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A small smile appeared.
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"No."
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"Because they don't know what your grandmother left behind."
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She opened the final page of the trust agreement.
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At the bottom...
A hidden condition appeared.
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One sentence.
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"The moment Grant Holloway attempts to take what belongs to Claire, full control transfers immediately."
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I looked at Victoria.
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"Transfers to who?"
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She smiled.
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"To you."
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Across town...
Grant and Samantha walked into the boardroom believing they had won.
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They had no idea...
May you like
The woman they tried to erase...
Was about to take control of everything they had.
