Chapter 2 - THE FIRST RECORDING
Elena woke beneath white hospital lights.
Her first thought was the baby.
She reached for her stomach.
A nurse immediately leaned over her.
“Mrs. Howard?”
“My baby.”
“The baby’s heartbeat is stable.”
Elena closed her eyes.
Tears escaped anyway.
“Stable?”
“Yes.”
“You were very lucky.”
Lucky.
Elena almost laughed.
There was nothing lucky about being pushed down seventeen marble steps.
“You have a fractured wrist, severe bruising, and a concussion.”
The nurse adjusted the IV.
“The obstetrician wants to monitor you overnight.”
“Where’s my husband?”
“Outside.”
Elena turned toward the door.
Daniel stood behind the glass.
He looked destroyed.
She nodded.
The nurse let him enter.
Daniel crossed the room quickly.
He stopped beside the bed.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Then Daniel took her uninjured hand.
“I’m sorry.”
Elena looked at him.
“For what?”
“For not believing you.”
That answer mattered.
Because three weeks earlier, Elena had told him Vanessa was dangerous.
Daniel had laughed.
Not cruelly.
Worse.
Dismissively.
Vanessa had been his childhood friend.
His first girlfriend.
His mother’s favorite.
When Vanessa returned to New York after six years in London, Margaret had welcomed her like a daughter.
Elena had tried to welcome her too.
Then the anonymous messages started.
Leave Daniel.
The next one came two days later.
You don’t belong here.
Then someone placed a photograph of Elena’s ultrasound on her pillow.
Across it, written in red ink, were four words.
THIS BABY CHANGES NOTHING.
Daniel had blamed an obsessed employee.
Margaret had called it a tasteless prank.
Vanessa had hugged Elena and whispered how terrible it was.
But Elena had noticed something.
The red ink on Vanessa’s fingers.
That was when she called Detective Ruiz.
Daniel lowered his head.
“You told me.”
“Yes.”
“And I made excuses.”
“Yes.”
“I thought Vanessa was jealous.”
“She is.”
Daniel looked up.
“But this wasn’t jealousy.”
“No.”
“What is it?”
Elena studied him.
“Your inheritance.”
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
“Your father’s trust.”
“How do you know about that?”
“Because Vanessa knows about it.”
Daniel stepped back.
“My father’s trust is private.”
“Not private enough.”
Elena reached toward the bedside table.
Her phone had been placed there.
She unlocked it.
Opened a secure folder.
Then pressed play.
Vanessa’s voice filled the room.
“When the baby is born, everything changes.”
Margaret answered.
“That is exactly why this must be handled before then.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
Elena watched his face.
The recording continued.
Vanessa spoke again.
“If Elena leaves him?”
“Daniel still controls his shares.”
“And if she doesn’t?”
A long silence.
Then Margaret’s voice.
“Then we make sure Daniel believes she’s unfit.”
Daniel stared at the phone.
“No.”
Elena stopped the recording.
Daniel looked sick.
“That’s my mother.”
“Yes.”
“When was this?”
“Eight days ago.”
“Where?”
“Your father’s old study.”
Daniel slowly sat down.
“My mother knew?”
“She knew something.”
“Why didn’t you show me?”
“Because I didn’t know how far it went.”
Daniel stood again.
“How far?”
Elena’s expression changed.
“I think someone has been stealing from Howard Holdings.”
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
“Millions.”
“That’s impossible.”
“No.”
She looked toward the door.
“It’s just very well hidden.”
Before Daniel could respond, Detective Ruiz entered.
His expression told Elena something had gone wrong.
“What happened?”
Ruiz closed the door.
“We found your cameras.”
Daniel looked confused.
“Cameras?”
Elena ignored him.
“And?”
“Six were still recording.”
Elena felt relief.
Ruiz didn’t.
“But the main server is gone.”
Her relief vanished.
“What do you mean gone?”
“Someone removed it from the security room before my team reached it.”
“That’s impossible.”
“We locked down the house less than twelve minutes after your call.”
“Then it happened during those twelve minutes.”
Ruiz nodded.
Daniel looked between them.
“Who knew where the server was?”
Elena answered.
“Only three people.”
“Me.”
“Detective Ruiz.”
She hesitated.
“And the electrician who installed it.”
Ruiz’s phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen.
His face tightened.
“What?”
Elena asked.
Ruiz turned the phone toward her.
A security image showed a man leaving the rear service entrance carrying a black equipment case.
Elena recognized him.
So did Daniel.
Daniel whispered the name first.
“Thomas?”
Thomas Reed.
Daniel’s personal assistant.
His closest friend for fourteen years.
The man who had stood beside Daniel at their wedding.
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
Ruiz zoomed in.
Thomas wasn’t alone.
A woman was walking beside him.
Only part of her face was visible.
But Elena recognized the coat.
Margaret Howard had worn it that evening.
Daniel stared at the image.
Then his phone rang.
THOMAS.
Daniel answered immediately.
“Where are you?”
Thomas was breathing hard.
“Daniel, listen carefully.”
“Where is the server?”
Silence.
“Thomas!”
“I took it.”
Daniel’s face twisted with disbelief.
“Why?”
“Because if the police get what’s on it, your family is finished.”
Daniel looked at Elena.
“Give it back.”
“I can’t.”
“Why?”
Another silence.
Then Thomas said quietly:
May you like
“Because your mother just offered me five million dollars to destroy it.”
The call disconnected.
