Chapter 12 - THE BETRAYAL INSIDE JULIAN’S OFFICE
Julian looked as though he had been struck.
Marcus Hale was more than an employee.
They had attended college together.
Marcus had stood beside Julian at his father’s funeral.
He had been scheduled to serve as best man at Julian and Victoria’s wedding.
“What did you do?”
Julian asked.
Marcus lowered his head.
“Five years ago, Victoria asked me to redirect Sarah’s calls.”
Sarah felt her pulse pounding.
“You heard me calling?”
Marcus nodded.
“Several times.”
“And you never told him?”
“No.”
Sarah stood.
“Why?”
Marcus’s eyes filled with shame.
“My younger brother had gambling debts.”
“Arthur Sterling paid them.”
“In exchange, I blocked your number.”
Julian grabbed the edge of the desk.
“And the letters?”
“I gave Victoria access to the executive mail cabinet.”
Julian looked ready to hit him.
He did not.
Instead, he asked the more important question.
“Why confess now?”
Marcus reached into his jacket.
He removed a small flash drive.
“Because she contacted me yesterday.”
“She wants me to destroy the trust records before the board vote.”
Sarah stared at the drive.
“What’s on that?”
“Copies of messages Victoria sent me over five years.”
“I kept them as insurance.”
Julian plugged it into his laptop.
Hundreds of files appeared.
Texts.
Emails.
Payment confirmations.
One message from Victoria read:
SHE CAME AGAIN.
MAKE SURE JULIAN NEVER SEES HER.
Another:
THE BABY CHANGES EVERYTHING.
IF ARTHUR IS RIGHT ABOUT THE TRUST, WE NEED HER GONE BEFORE HE FINDS OUT.
Sarah covered her mouth.
There it was.
Not a confession to everything.
But enough to prove intent.
Then another message appeared.
It was dated eleven days earlier.
I FOUND THE BOY.
HE LOOKS EXACTLY LIKE JULIAN.
WE HAVE NINE DAYS.
Julian’s jaw tightened.
Sarah felt tears burn her eyes.
Victoria had known.
She had deliberately brought Leo into the ballroom.
She had ordered Sarah to dance in front of guests.
She had wanted cameras recording.
“She planned the video.”
Sarah whispered.
Marcus nodded.
“She wanted footage making you look desperate for money.”
“If Julian discovered Leo afterward, she intended to claim you had staged everything.”
Sarah finally understood.
The hundred-dollar bills.
The humiliation.
The guests.
The child in the tuxedo.
It had all been a trap.
Except Victoria had made one mistake.
She had lost control of her temper.
And Julian had arrived before she could finish the performance.
Marcus looked at Julian.
“There’s more.”
He opened another folder.
Inside was tomorrow’s board agenda.
The merger was item four.
But directly beneath it was an emergency resolution.
REMOVAL OF JULIAN VANCE AS CHAIRMAN.
Julian stared at the screen.
Victoria was not merely trying to save her family company.
May you like
She intended to take his.
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