Chương 7
"About a month ago."
"And after that?"
"I don't know."
That was the part I hated.
Not knowing.
My entire career was built around finding what people missed.
And now my own life was full of gaps.
"I need to speak with Victoria," Mara said.
"Why?"
"Because if she sent this, she wants something."
I looked at the message again.
"She wants to protect herself."
"Probably."
"Then why help me?"
"That is what we need to find out."
The next morning, Victoria arrived at the hospital.
She did not come dressed like she had at the wedding.
No jewelry.
No perfect makeup.
No expression designed for cameras.
She looked older.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like the last few days had taken something from her that money could not replace.
She stood near the door.
"Can I come in?"
I looked at my daughter sleeping beside me.
"Why?"
The question made her pause.
"I owe you an explanation."
"You owe me more than that."
She nodded.
"I know."
For once, she did not argue.
She stepped inside.
"I am not going to pretend I did everything right."
That surprised me.
Victoria Bellacourt admitting fault was something I had never seen.
"I protected my family," she said.
"At my expense."
"Yes."
The honesty made me uncomfortable.
I expected excuses.
Not agreement.
"Why did you lock me in that room?"
Her face tightened.
"I did not."
I looked at her.
She corrected herself.
"I mean, I did not tell anyone to lock the door."
"That is not what I asked."
She looked down.
"My son told me he needed time."
"For what?"
"To talk to you."
I almost laughed.
"He had hours."
"I know."
"Then why?"
Victoria sat down slowly.
"Because Evan was trying to decide what to do."
"About what?"
She looked at my daughter.
"About us."
I waited.
She took a breath.
"The Bellacourt name."
There it was.
The thing everything seemed to return to.
The name.
The reputation.
The image.
"My husband built this company from nothing," she said.
"That is what everyone says."
"It is true."
"Is it?"
She looked at me.
Not angrily.
Just tired.
"Not completely."
The answer surprised me.
"My husband made mistakes."
"Mistakes?"
She looked toward the window.
"That is the word people use when they are afraid to say something worse."
The silence stretched.
"Your father-in-law started using illegal financial arrangements years ago."
I listened.
"At first, Evan did not know."
"At first?"
She nodded.
"Then he found out."
"And stayed."
"Yes."
The word was quiet.
"But he thought he could fix it."
I looked at her.
"That is what he told himself."
Victoria did not deny it.
"Yes."
The room filled with my daughter's soft breathing.
A sound so small it made the conversation feel even heavier.
"Why send me the document?"
Victoria folded her hands.
"Because I realized something."
"What?"
"My family was not protecting the family."
She looked at me.
"We were protecting the appearance of one."
I said nothing.
"I thought if we controlled the damage, we could survive."
Her voice cracked slightly.
"I was wrong."
I wanted to feel sympathy.
A part of me did.
But sympathy did not erase what happened.
"You let them leave me alone in that room."
"Yes."
"You watched me become a problem."
Her eyes closed.
"I know."
"And now you need me to help you."
"No."
That answer was immediate.
"I need you to know the truth."
I studied her.
"Why?"
She looked at the baby.
"Because if this continues, they will make you the person responsible."
The words landed heavily.
"Who?"
Victoria hesitated.
Then she said,
"The person who has been controlling this from the beginning."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
She looked at me.
And for the first time since I met her, Victoria Bellacourt looked afraid.
"Your supervisor."
I did not speak for several seconds.
Not because I did not understand the words.
Because I understood them too quickly.
"My supervisor?"
Victoria nodded.
The room suddenly felt smaller.
"My supervisor has nothing to do with Bellacourt Vineyard."
"That is what makes him useful."
I stared at her.
"Explain."
Victoria looked toward the door.
Not nervously.
Carefully.
As if she had spent years learning that walls could have ears.
"Your supervisor was the first person who contacted my husband about your investigation."
The statement was so unexpected that I almost rejected it immediately.
"No."
Victoria did not react.
"I know you want that to be impossible."
"Because it is."
"Is it?"
Her question was gentle.
That made it worse.
I looked at the photograph again.
The copied signature.
The altered report.
The information leak.
Pieces that had refused to connect were suddenly moving closer.
"Who is my supervisor working for?"
Victoria looked down.
"I do not know."
"You expect me to believe that?"
"I expect you to understand that powerful people rarely tell the whole truth to anyone."
That sounded exactly like something a Bellacourt would say.
But for once, I believed her.
Not completely.
Not enough.
Just enough to keep listening.
"What is his name?"
Victoria hesitated.
"Daniel Price."
The name hit me with a strange familiarity.
Not because I knew him personally.
Because I had heard it constantly for the last year.
Daniel Price was the director of our regional financial investigations division.
The person who approved major assignments.
The person who praised my work during meetings.
The person who told me I had the instincts of someone who could lead the department one day.
I remembered his office.
The glass walls.
The expensive watch.
The way he always seemed calm even when everyone else was overwhelmed.
"Why would he do this?"
Victoria gave a tired smile.
"That is the question everyone asks when they discover someone powerful is corrupt."
I looked at her.
"Everyone?"
She looked away.
"Daniel was not the only one."
My stomach tightened.
"Who else?"
"I don't know."
The answer sounded honest.
That frightened me more.
May you like
I picked up my phone and called Mara.
She answered after one ring.
