Chapter 4 — The Woman Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
For three seconds, nobody moved.
Damian still held the phone against his ear.
Even after the call ended.
Even after the screen went dark.
He stood there like a man trapped between two realities.
Because the woman whose body had been carried away less than an hour ago had just spoken to him.
And she had not asked for help.
She had not asked where he was.
She had not asked if he loved her.
She had only given him one warning.
Don't trust Vanessa.
"Sir?"
My voice pulled him back.
He looked at me.
The anger was gone.
The arrogance was gone.
Only confusion remained.
"She's alive."
The words sounded impossible.
I felt my knees weaken.
Alive.
After seeing her lying on that floor.
After hearing that terrible silence.
Alive.
Damian immediately grabbed his coat.
"Where is she?"
"The hospital," Detective Cole answered from behind us.
Neither of us had noticed him standing there.
His expression was calm.
Too calm.
"You heard the call."
Damian turned sharply.
"You were listening?"
"I was investigating."
The detective walked closer.
"And now I have another question."
"What?"
"Why did Vanessa have Mrs. Whitmore's phone?"
Nobody answered.
Because there was no innocent explanation.
The hospital was surrounded by flashing lights.
News cameras had already gathered outside.
A billionaire's wife falling from a staircase was not just a crime.
It was a spectacle.
A story people would consume before they knew the truth.
Inside the private emergency room, Eleanor lay surrounded by machines.
Her face was pale.
Her golden hair spread across the white pillow.
She looked fragile.
Nothing like the woman from magazine covers.
Nothing like the woman everyone thought had everything.
Damian walked toward her slowly.
For a moment, he looked terrified.
Not of losing money.
Not of losing power.
Of losing her.
"Eleanor."
Her eyes opened.
Barely.
But enough.
She looked at him.
And there was no relief in her expression.
Only disappointment.
"Damian..."
His voice broke.
"I'm sorry."
She closed her eyes.
A single tear moved down her cheek.
"Do you know what hurts the most?"
He stepped closer.
"What?"
"Not falling."
The room became silent.
"It was realizing that when I fell..."
She looked toward me.
"...the first person everyone blamed was the one person who would never hurt me."
I lowered my eyes.
I didn't deserve her trust.
But I was grateful for it.
Damian looked away.
The guilt on his face was impossible to hide.
"Tell me what happened."
Eleanor took a slow breath.
"Vanessa knew."
"Knew what?"
"That I discovered the truth."
Damian's expression hardened.
"What truth?"
Eleanor looked at him.
"The reason she came into your company."
Nobody spoke.
"The reason she became your assistant."
Her voice became weaker.
"The reason she got close to our family."
Damian grabbed the edge of the chair.
"What are you saying?"
Eleanor looked directly at him.
"Vanessa didn't want your money."
A pause.
"She wanted revenge."
Later that night, Detective Cole reviewed security footage from the penthouse.
But there was a problem.
The cameras had been turned off.
Exactly seven minutes before Eleanor fell.
A professional move.
Someone knew the system.
Someone knew the house.
Someone knew the timing.
Then the technician discovered something hidden in the security database.
A backup file.
Created automatically.
A file nobody knew existed.
The detective opened it.
The footage appeared.
The staircase.
The living room.
The moment before Eleanor fell.
But there was one shocking detail.
Before Vanessa appeared at the top of the stairs...
Someone else was already there.
Someone standing behind Eleanor.
Someone whose face was hidden.
Detective Cole leaned closer.
Because the person in the video was not Vanessa.
And it was not Clara.
The figure stepped forward.
The recording froze.
But the identity was almost visible.
Almost.
Then the screen displayed the file information.
Camera footage recovered.
Original uploader: Damian Whitmore.
The detective stared at the screen.
Because now there was a new question.
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Why did Damian create a secret copy of the footage?
And what was he trying to hide?
