Chapter 8 - THE ENEMY AT THE GATE
Ethan wanted Charles left outside.
Rosa disagreed.
“If he knows something about Lily, let him talk.”
“He lies for a living.”
“Then listen carefully.”
“You suddenly trust him?”
“No.”
Rosa looked toward Lily.
“But I trust fear.”
Ethan frowned.
“What?”
“Look at him.”
Charles stood outside the gate in yesterday's clothes.
No driver.
No attorney.
No polished control.
“He's terrified.”
Rosa said.
“People tell the truth differently when they're terrified.”
Ethan hated that she was right.
“Bring him in.”
Charles entered the safe house under guard.
The first person he saw was Rosa.
He stopped.
Rosa did not.
She walked toward him.
Then slapped him.
The sound cracked through the foyer.
Everyone froze.
Charles touched his cheek.
Rosa's hand shook.
“That was for telling a pregnant woman the father of her baby didn't want her.”
Charles said nothing.
Rosa slapped him again.
“That was for watching my daughter.”
“Rosa.”
Ethan said softly.
She stopped.
Not because Charles deserved mercy.
Because Lily was upstairs.
Rosa stepped back.
“Now talk.”
Charles looked at Ethan.
“Jonathan has Victoria.”
“She went willingly.”
“For now.”
“What does he want?”
“The settlement evidence.”
“We know.”
Charles's eyes narrowed.
“How?”
“My mother left a recording.”
Charles looked genuinely shaken.
“What recording?”
“Not important.”
“It is if she mentioned Alexander.”
Ethan stared.
“She did.”
Charles sat.
For the first time, he looked old.
Rosa remained standing.
“Tell us what happened.”
Charles looked away.
“No.”
Ethan's voice hardened.
“You came here asking for help.”
Charles closed his eyes.
Then began.
“I was drunk.”
Victoria's brother Alexander had been nineteen.
Charles had been driving.
They argued.
The car hit a barrier.
Charles climbed out.
Alexander couldn't.
“He was alive.”
Charles whispered.
“I thought the car would catch fire.”
“Why didn't you pull him out?”
Rosa asked.
“I tried.”
“Not hard enough.”
Charles looked at her.
“No.”
His eyes filled.
“Not hard enough.”
Jonathan arrived minutes later.
Instead of calling emergency services, he recognized an opportunity.
He photographed the scene.
Charles.
The alcohol.
Alexander trapped inside.
Then he offered Charles a choice.
Call the police and face prison.
Or let Jonathan handle it.
Charles chose himself.
Jonathan called emergency services anonymously twenty minutes later.
Alexander died before they arrived.
Rosa stared at Charles with disgust.
“You left your own son.”
“Yes.”
“And then spent twenty years pretending you were protecting your family.”
Charles's face crumpled.
“Yes.”
Ethan felt no sympathy.
But he understood the chain now.
Jonathan blackmailed Charles.
Charles helped Jonathan disappear.
Charles inserted himself deeper into Caldwell Industries.
Then when Rosa became pregnant, Charles protected the financial arrangement by separating her from Ethan.
One act of cowardice had poisoned two families for decades.
“What does Jonathan want now?”
Ethan asked.
“Freedom from the settlement.”
“And money.”
“Always money.”
Charles nodded.
“But there is something else.”
“What?”
“He wants Caldwell Industries back.”
Ethan almost laughed.
“He never built it.”
“He thinks your mother stole it.”
“My mother saved it.”
“I know.”
“Does he?”
“No.”
Charles looked toward the window.
“And now Lily makes his return impossible.”
Rosa's face tightened.
“What does he plan to do?”
Charles hesitated.
“Jonathan believes the direct-heir clause can be challenged.”
“How?”
“If Lily's paternity is disputed.”
Ethan's eyes hardened.
“It isn't.”
“He doesn't need to win.”
Charles said.
“He only needs litigation.”
“Years of it.”
“Enough to freeze trust transfers.”
“Enough to force a settlement.”
Rosa felt sick.
“So he wants to claim Lily isn't Ethan's.”
“Yes.”
“And if that fails?”
Charles did not answer.
Ethan stepped closer.
“If that fails?”
Charles looked at him.
“He told Victoria accidents happen to children every day.”
The room went silent.
Rosa's face drained.
Ethan's expression became terrifyingly calm.
“Ben.”
The security chief stepped forward.
“Sir.”
“Double Lily's detail.”
“Already done.”
“Nobody gets within fifty feet of her without Rosa or me.”
“Yes, sir.”
Charles stood.
“You can't hide forever.”
“I don't need forever.”
Ethan looked at him.
“I need enough time to end this.”
Marcus Vale arrived under federal escort that afternoon.
He had decided cooperation was healthier than becoming another casualty of the Haynes-Caldwell war.
Rosa sat across from him.
“You remember me?”
Marcus looked ashamed.
“Yes.”
“Did Charles pay you?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Seventy-five thousand.”
Rosa laughed bitterly.
“My fear cost seventy-five thousand dollars.”
Marcus lowered his eyes.
“What exactly did he ask you to do?”
“Convince you that contacting Ethan would put custody at risk.”
“Was that legally true?”
“It was possible.”
“That wasn't my question.”
Marcus sighed.
“No.”
“Not the way I presented it.”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
Rosa continued.
“You knew Ethan didn't know about Lily.”
“Yes.”
“And you still told me he did.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Money.”
Rosa stared at him.
At least that answer was honest.
Marcus looked toward Ethan.
“There is something else.”
“What?”
“Charles asked me to prepare a paternity challenge.”
Ethan's expression changed.
“When?”
“Three years ago.”
“Before Lily was born?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“In case Rosa went public.”
Ethan leaned forward.
“On what basis?”
Marcus hesitated.
“Fabricated evidence.”
Rosa went cold.
“What evidence?”
“An alleged relationship between Rosa and another man.”
“There was no other man.”
“I know.”
“Who?”
Marcus swallowed.
“A graduate student named Michael Trent.”
Rosa stared.
“Michael?”
“You know him?”
“He was my lab partner.”
Ethan looked at her.
“Were you involved?”
“No.”
She snapped.
“Never.”
Marcus continued.
“Charles obtained photographs of you together.”
“Studying.”
Rosa said.
“Working.”
“He intended to frame them differently.”
Ethan's anger rose.
“Where are those photographs?”
“Probably in Charles's archive.”
Charles stood at the back of the room.
Everyone looked at him.
He said nothing.
Rosa turned.
“You were going to tell the world I cheated.”
Charles lowered his eyes.
“Yes.”
“While I was pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“So Ethan would reject Lily.”
“Yes.”
Rosa crossed the room.
Ethan caught her wrist before she reached Charles.
“Don't.”
“He deserves it.”
“I know.”
“Let go.”
“Lily is upstairs.”
That stopped her.
Again.
Everything came back to Lily.
Rosa pulled away.
“I hate you.”
She told Charles.
He nodded.
“You should.”
Then Charles's phone rang.
Victoria.
Everyone froze.
Charles answered on speaker.
“Victoria?”
Her voice came through trembling.
“Dad.”
Charles stood.
“Where are you?”
“I made a mistake.”
Rosa looked at Ethan.
Victoria was crying.
“Jonathan isn't what he said.”
Charles's face drained.
“What happened?”
“He found the compartment.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“Victoria.”
She heard his voice.
Silence.
Then she whispered.
“Ethan?”
“Where are you?”
“At your house.”
“Is Jonathan there?”
“Yes.”
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
A crash sounded.
Victoria gasped.
Then lowered her voice.
“He's trying to open the piano.”
Ethan's heart pounded.
“Listen to me.”
“Get out of the house.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
Victoria began sobbing.
“Because he locked the doors.”
A man's voice sounded in the distance.
“Victoria?”
She whispered quickly.
“He knows Margaret has the key.”
“Don't tell him where we are.”
“I didn't.”
“Victoria.”
Ethan's voice softened despite everything.
“Go to the west library.”
“What?”
“There's an old service passage behind the second bookcase.”
“I don't know—”
“I do.”
“Go.”
Footsteps approached.
Victoria started moving.
Then she whispered something that stopped Ethan.
“He has someone else here.”
“Who?”
“I don't know.”
“A woman.”
“What woman?”
Victoria's breathing became shallow.
“She says she knows Rosa.”
Rosa froze.
“Me?”
Victoria whispered.
“She says Lily belongs to her family too.”
The line went dead.
Rosa stared at Ethan.
“What does that mean?”
Nobody knew.
Then Charles slowly sat down.
His face had become white.
Ethan noticed.
“You know.”
Charles shook his head.
“Charles.”
Rosa stepped closer.
“Who is the woman?”
Charles closed his eyes.
When he answered, Rosa felt the entire room tilt.
“Your mother.”
Rosa stopped breathing.
“My mother is dead.”
Charles looked at her.
May you like
“No.”
“She isn't.”
