Chapter 5 - The Person Nobody Suspected
Nathan read the notebook in complete silence.
The kind of silence that felt more dangerous than shouting.
Dr. Trevor Ashford had not acted alone.
That was clear.
But the second name changed everything.
“Who is this?” Nathan asked.
I pointed to the page.
A single name.
Victoria Hale.
Nathan’s expression changed.
“Impossible.”
“Who is she?”
Nobody answered.
That scared me more than anything.
Gerald finally spoke.
“She was Mrs. Coleman’s personal assistant.”
Nathan looked at him.
“She died.”
“When?”
“Six months ago.”
I looked between them.
“Then why is her name here?”
Nobody had an answer.
Nathan immediately ordered a background investigation.
Within an hour, his security team discovered something shocking.
Victoria Hale was not dead.
She had disappeared.
Her death certificate was fake.
Her records had been altered.
Someone had helped her disappear.
Someone powerful.
Nathan walked through the mansion like a storm.
Every employee was questioned.
Every room searched.
Every hidden corner inspected.
The man who controlled entire businesses was now hunting for the person who had nearly destroyed his family.
But I couldn’t stop thinking about one thing.
Why the twins?
Why Nathan’s sons?
Poisoning children was cruel.
But there had to be a reason.
There always was.
I returned to the boys’ room.
Marcus was awake.
“You found something?”
Children surprise adults.
They hear more than people realize.
“Yes,” I said carefully.
“Are we sick because of someone?”
I sat beside him.
“We’re trying to figure that out.”
He looked down.
“Mommy used to say bad people don’t always look scary.”
My heart stopped.
“What did she mean?”
He hesitated.
“Before she died, she told Daddy not to trust everyone.”
I leaned closer.
“Did she say who?”
Marcus shook his head.
“But she was scared.”
That sentence stayed with me.
Elena Coleman knew something.
Something she never got the chance to reveal.
That evening, Nathan showed me something.
A photograph.
His late wife Elena.
Standing beside a woman.
Victoria Hale.
“She worked with Elena for five years,” Nathan said.
“Trusted her?”
“More than anyone.”
I studied the picture.
Victoria looked ordinary.
Friendly.
Warm.
The kind of person nobody feared.
That was usually the most dangerous type.
“Why would she hurt your sons?”
Nathan stared at the photo.
“I don’t know.”
Then he stopped.
A thought crossed his face.
“What?”
He looked at me.
“Before Elena died, she changed her will.”
I frowned.
“What does that matter?”
“She moved control of a trust fund.”
“To whom?”
Nathan’s voice became quiet.
“To Marcus and Mason.”
I understood.
Money.
A fortune.
Enough to kill for.
The next morning, we found Dr. Ashford missing.
His room was empty.
His phone was destroyed.
His car was abandoned miles away.
He had escaped.
Nathan was furious.
“He knew we found the notebook.”
I looked at the empty room.
“No.”
Nathan looked at me.
“He knew before that.”
“What do you mean?”
“Someone warned him.”
The realization hit both of us.
There was another person inside the mansion.
Another traitor.
And this person had access to everything.
That afternoon, one of the security guards found something hidden behind a painting.
A small camera.
Facing directly toward the boys’ bedroom.
Nathan stared at it.
“How long?”
The guard swallowed.
“We don’t know.”
I stepped closer.
The camera was old.
Which meant one terrifying possibility.
Someone had been watching the twins long before they became sick.
Someone had been planning this.
For a long time.
Then the camera suddenly received a signal.
The screen turned on.
A message appeared.
Three words.
“You’re too late.”
And underneath it was a photograph.
A picture taken that morning.
Of me.
Standing beside the twins.
May you like
Someone was watching us.
Right now.
