Chapter 11 - The Trap in Nathan’s Kitchen
Nathan raced home.
But before entering, he called security and instructed them not to rush inside unless Grace or Lily faced immediate physical danger.
He also activated every camera remotely.
This time, Victoria didn’t know.
Nathan entered through the back hall.
Grace stood near the kitchen island.
Lily wasn’t with her.
Victoria faced Grace.
“Where is it?”
Grace’s voice shook.
“Somewhere you’ll never find.”
Victoria stepped closer.
“You have no idea what you’ve done.”
Grace held her ground.
“I know exactly what you did to me.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“You were supposed to take the warning and disappear.”
Nathan stopped behind the hallway wall.
His phone recorded everything.
Grace asked, “And when I didn’t?”
“You came into his house carrying that child like some little time bomb.”
“Lily is a baby.”
“She’s thirty-one percent.”
Grace’s face changed.
There it was.
Victoria didn’t see Lily as a child.
She saw shares.
Votes.
Exposure.
Loss.
Grace whispered, “That’s why you hit me?”
“I hit you because you wouldn’t listen.”
Nathan stepped into the kitchen.
Victoria froze.
“You should’ve listened to yourself.”
Her face collapsed.
“Nathan…”
He held up his phone.
Every word had been captured.
Victoria’s eyes darted toward the cameras.
Their indicators were glowing.
For the first time, Nathan watched her understand what helplessness felt like.
“You set me up.”
“No. I gave you a room and let you speak.”
Victoria suddenly turned toward the rear door.
Two security officers blocked it.
Nathan didn’t touch her.
He didn’t need to.
“You assaulted Grace in this room. You attempted to take evidence. You participated in hiding my child. And now you’ve admitted knowledge of the trust.”
“You can’t prove the rest.”
Nathan almost smiled.
“Evelyn already did.”
Victoria stared at him.
Then something unexpected happened.
She laughed.
A thin, exhausted laugh.
“You still don’t know what Harold has.”
Nathan’s expression tightened.
“What?”
“If I go down, he destroys the one document your grandmother couldn’t replace.”
“What document?”
Victoria stepped closer.
“The original covenant.”
Nathan knew copies existed.
Victoria saw his confusion.
“Copies establish terms. The original establishes the amendment.”
Nathan’s blood ran cold.
“What amendment?”
May you like
Victoria smiled through tears.
“The one your father signed before he died.”
