Chapter 11 - Grace’s Last Call
Victor had avoided Grace’s old phone for years.
It remained locked inside a safe.
He had never been able to bring himself to erase it.
That night, he finally opened it.
Most messages were ordinary.
Pictures of Ethan’s nursery before he was born.
Appointments.
Notes.
Voice recordings.
Then Marcus found an archived folder.
Grace had labeled it PRIVATE.
Inside were eleven recordings.
Victor pressed the first one.
Grace’s voice filled the room.
“Victor, if you ever hear this, I probably waited too long to tell you.”
He closed his eyes.
Lily quietly carried Ethan from the room.
Victor continued listening.
Grace described unusual changes to Blackwood’s corporate structure.
Adrian had been trying to position allies around several family trusts.
Charles Blackwood had discovered it.
Father and son had fought.
Then Grace mentioned Serena.
“I saw Adrian with a woman named Serena Vale.”
Victor looked at Naomi.
The recording continued.
“She works through Larkin Consulting.”
Naomi whispered.
“Three years ago.”
Grace’s voice became quieter.
“She asked questions about the beneficiary provisions in Ethan’s trust.”
Victor felt sick.
Serena had entered his life eighteen months later at a charity auction.
She had pretended they were strangers.
Every smile.
Every coincidence.
Every romantic story.
Constructed.
The final recording was dated two days before Grace’s fatal car accident.
Victor pressed play.
Grace sounded frightened.
“I spoke to Charles tonight.”
“He says he’ll handle Adrian.”
“But I don’t trust anyone anymore.”
Then she said something Victor had not expected.
“Daniel tried to warn me.”
Victor looked toward his former chief of staff.
Daniel’s face collapsed.
Grace continued.
“If something happens, there’s a copy outside the family.”
“A man named Howard Pierce knows where.”
The recording ended.
Naomi looked stunned.
“Howard Pierce was Blackwood Holdings’ chief forensic accountant.”
Victor remembered.
Howard had abruptly resigned three years earlier.
No explanation.
No farewell.
Victor stood.
“Find him.”
Marcus searched.
Howard Pierce was alive.
Living quietly in Vermont.
Then Victor’s phone buzzed.
A text message appeared from an unknown number.
It contained an address.
May you like
Beneath it were four words.
Howard has been waiting.
