Chapter 4 - The Letter From a Dead Man
Nathan read the sentence three times.
Victoria knows about Lily.
His father’s handwriting was unmistakable.
Victoria stepped toward him.
“That could mean anything.”
Nathan looked at her.
“Then tell me what it means.”
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
Grace stared at the page.
“Keep reading.”
Nathan unfolded the rest.
The letter was dated eight months before his father’s death.
Nathan began silently.
Then he stopped.
Elliot looked at him.
“What does it say?”
Nathan’s voice became flat.
“My father says he made an unforgivable decision.”
Grace closed her eyes.
Nathan continued.
“He says he believed removing Grace from my life would protect the company.”
“He says Charles convinced him that a public relationship with Grace would threaten an investment partnership.”
Victoria whispered.
“That was before my time.”
Nathan looked up.
The letter said otherwise.
He read aloud.
“Three years after the child was born, Victoria Whitmore discovered Lily’s existence and used that knowledge to renegotiate the marriage alliance.”
Victoria’s face went white.
Nathan’s stomach turned.
“Marriage alliance?”
Elliot swore under his breath.
Grace stared at Victoria.
Nathan kept reading.
“Charles demanded that Nathan marry Victoria in exchange for permanent silence regarding Lily.”
“And if Nathan refused?”
Nathan’s hand began to tremble.
“The Whitmores threatened to expose false criminal allegations against Grace and challenge custody using records created at St. Matthew’s.”
Detective Warren slowly lowered his folder.
Grace whispered.
“They actually did it.”
Nathan looked at the warrant.
The exact mechanism described in the letter was unfolding around them.
Victoria shook her head.
“My father handled those records.”
“That isn’t the same as me.”
Nathan looked at the first sentence again.
VICTORIA KNOWS ABOUT LILY.
He continued reading.
His father had written that he regretted everything.
He had tried to reverse the arrangement during the final year of his life.
But Charles had threatened to trigger financial clauses that could destroy Cole Meridian’s credit structure.
Nathan stopped.
“That’s why the company almost defaulted before he died.”
Elliot nodded slowly.
“We never understood the sudden lender withdrawals.”
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“He wasn’t sick from stress because of the company.”
“The company was under attack because he was trying to undo this.”
Victoria stepped forward.
“Your father was not innocent.”
Nathan looked at her.
“I know.”
She hesitated.
“So don’t turn him into a hero.”
“I’m not.”
Nathan folded the letter.
“I’m trying to find out whether I’m about to marry one of his accomplices.”
Victoria’s composure cracked.
“I never asked him to threaten Grace.”
Grace’s face hardened.
“No.”
“You just benefited from it.”
Victoria turned.
“I was twenty-two when I found out.”
“I was scared.”
Grace stared at her.
“You were scared?”
“My daughter was three.”
“You followed us to a grocery store.”
“You waited until Lily was holding my hand.”
“Then you leaned close and told me that if I ever contacted Nathan, Lily would grow up visiting me through prison glass.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
Victoria whispered.
“I was angry.”
Grace took a step toward her.
“You were calculating.”
Victoria’s voice rose.
“I loved him.”
Nathan looked at her.
The room became silent.
Victoria realized what she had said.
Nathan’s expression was almost empty.
“You loved me.”
“Yes.”
“So you protected our relationship by making sure I never learned I had a daughter.”
Victoria began crying.
“I thought if you knew, you would leave me.”
Nathan stared at her.
“And you were right.”
Victoria flinched.
Detective Warren cleared his throat.
“We still have a warrant.”
Elliot stepped forward.
“And you now have credible evidence that the complainant fabricated supporting records.”
Warren looked at the letter.
“That letter is not enough to invalidate a warrant.”
“No.”
Elliot opened his case.
“But this might be.”
He removed a tablet.
“I filed for an emergency judicial review while driving here.”
Warren’s eyebrows lifted.
“You cannot get a judge that quickly.”
Elliot turned the screen around.
“Apparently I can.”
The temporary order instructed police to delay custodial separation until a hearing could review the disputed maternity records.
Grace sagged against the counter.
Nathan caught her before she fell.
For one second, she allowed him to hold her.
Then she remembered herself and stepped away.
Lily came running from the sunroom.
“Mommy!”
Grace dropped to her knees despite the pain.
Lily wrapped both arms around her.
Nathan watched them.
Four years.
Birthdays.
First words.
First steps.
Nightmares.
Fevers.
Christmas mornings.
Someone had taken all of it from him.
Lily looked over Grace’s shoulder.
Her eyes met Nathan’s.
He crouched slowly.
“I’m Nathan.”
Lily frowned.
“I know.”
The answer nearly broke him.
“How?”
“Mommy says your name when she cries.”
Grace shut her eyes.
Nathan looked at her.
Before either could speak, Elliot’s phone vibrated.
He read the message.
His expression changed.
“What?”
Nathan asked.
Elliot looked at Victoria.
“The board just called an emergency meeting.”
Nathan frowned.
“For what?”
Elliot turned the screen toward him.
The notice had been filed twelve minutes earlier.
A motion would remove Nathan as chief executive if he became subject to a public paternity or criminal scandal.
May you like
The person requesting the vote was listed at the bottom.
VICTORIA WHITMORE.
