Chapter 2 — The Files Hidden Behind the Perfect Smile
Nathan immediately contacted the only person he trusted.
His private investigator.
Daniel Cross.
At 5:30 a.m., Daniel arrived at the mansion.
He expected a business emergency.
He did not expect to see three frightened children sitting beside Nathan in the living room.
Daniel looked at Nathan.
“What happened?”
Nathan handed him a photograph.
Victoria at a charity event.
Smiling.
Holding a child.
The same smile that appeared on every magazine cover.
Then Nathan showed him the basement.
Daniel’s expression changed.
“How long?”
Nathan looked away.
“I don’t know.”
And that was the part that destroyed him.
He had investigated billion-dollar frauds.
He had exposed criminals.
But he never investigated the woman sleeping beside him.
Daniel began digging.
Within hours, strange details appeared.
School records changed.
Medical appointments disappeared.
Former employees suddenly quit.
Nannies left without explanation.
One former nanny agreed to speak.
Her name was Sarah.
She arrived shaking.
“I tried to tell someone.”
Nathan stared at her.
“Tell me now.”
Sarah’s eyes filled with tears.
“Mrs. Harrington hated losing control.”
She revealed the truth.
Victoria punished the children whenever they embarrassed her.
A wrong answer.
A broken glass.
A public mistake.
Everything became a reason for cruelty.
Nathan felt sick.
“How long?”
Sarah whispered.
“Years.”
The word hit harder than any attack.
Years.
His children had been suffering inside his mansion while the world praised his family.
Then Daniel found something worse.
A hidden journal.
Victoria’s journal.
And inside…
were pages describing every punishment.
Every threat.
Every time she forced the children into silence.
Nathan closed the journal.
His hands were shaking.
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But his decision was already made.
Victoria Harrington would never hurt another child again.
