Chapter 9 — The Disappearance
Chapter 9 — The Disappearance
The security footage showed Victoria leaving through the service entrance at 5:42 a.m.
She wore a housekeeper’s coat and carried one small suitcase.
A car waited near the rear gate.
The license plate belonged to a vehicle registered under Claire’s name.
Claire had been released after questioning the previous evening.
She had disappeared too.
Police issued alerts for both women.
Emma was moved to a private medical suite under protection.
Her baby’s heartbeat remained strong.
Ryan waited outside the room.
Emma refused to see him.
Samuel sat beside her bed reviewing the timeline.
“Victoria couldn’t have arranged all this alone.”
“Claire helped her.”
“Perhaps. But someone inside the company leaked the documents. Someone knew about Natalie. Someone wanted Victoria exposed.”
Emma stared through the hospital window.
“Maybe Natalie.”
“She denies it.”
“Do you believe her?”
“I believe she wants distance from the Carters.”
Emma rested a hand over her stomach.
Her daughter kicked again.
Samuel smiled faintly.
“She’s strong.”
“She shouldn’t have to be.”
A nurse entered carrying flowers.
“They were delivered for you.”
Samuel stopped her before she placed them near the bed.
“No deliveries without inspection.”
The nurse handed him the card.
Emma recognized the handwriting immediately.
It was Ryan’s.
I cannot undo what I allowed. But I will spend the rest of my life making sure neither of you is ever unprotected again.
Emma looked away.
“Throw them out.”
Samuel did not argue.
That evening, a detective arrived.
“We found Claire’s car at the airport.”
“Did they fly out?” Emma asked.
“No. The passports were left in the glove compartment.”
“Then why go to the airport?”
“To make us think they left the country.”
The detective placed a photograph on the table.
It showed Victoria and Claire entering a storage facility on the edge of the city.
“What was stored there?” Samuel asked.
“We searched the unit. It contained old family records, company files, and personal items belonging to Natalie Shaw.”
Emma’s skin prickled.
“Why would Victoria keep Natalie’s things?”
“We don’t know.”
The detective slid forward another photograph.
Inside the storage unit, police had found a wall covered with photographs.
Natalie.
Emma.
Ryan.
Every woman who had ever worked closely with him.
Some pictures had red marks across their faces.
Others had handwritten notes.
UNSUITABLE.
DISLOYAL.
DANGEROUS.
At the center of the wall was a photograph of Victoria holding Ryan as a child.
Underneath, she had written:
HE BELONGS TO ME.
Emma stared at it.
This was no longer about a controlling mother.
This was obsession.
Her phone rang.
Unknown number.
Samuel answered on speaker.
Victoria’s voice came through calmly.
“Put Emma on.”
The detective signaled for the call to be traced.
Emma spoke.
“What do you want?”
“My home.”
“It was never yours.”
“My son.”
“He is not a possession.”
Victoria’s breathing sharpened.
“You turned him against me.”
“No. You finally showed him who you are.”
A long silence followed.
Then Victoria said, “Ask Ryan where the original deed is.”
Emma looked at Samuel.
“What are you talking about?”
“The copy you have is not enough,” Victoria said. “And by sunrise, the original will no longer exist.”
The call disconnected.
Samuel immediately stood.
“The original deed is stored in the Carter family archive.”
“Where?”
Ryan’s voice came from the doorway.
“In the basement vault beneath the company headquarters.”
May you like
The fire alarm on Samuel’s phone began to scream.
The Carter Group building was burning.
