Chapter 5: The Housekeeper Who Finally Spoke
Chapter 5: The Housekeeper Who Finally Spoke
Victoria stared at Alexander in complete silence.
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For the first time in her life, she had no immediate answer.
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The confidence that had carried her through decades of manipulation slowly began to crack.
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She glanced toward the apartment door.
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Almost instinctively.
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Alexander noticed.
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"You can leave."
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Victoria looked back at him.
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"I don't need your permission."
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Alexander stepped aside.
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"No."
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"You don't."
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"But understand something."
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"This is the last time you walk away before answering for what you've done."
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Victoria lifted her chin.
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"I have done nothing except protect this family."
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Emily let out a quiet laugh.
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It was not a joyful sound.
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It was the laugh of someone who had run out of tears years ago.
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Victoria shot her a cold look.
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"You should be grateful."
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"I kept you alive."
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The apartment became deathly quiet.
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Alexander slowly turned toward his mother.
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"What did you just say?"
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Victoria realized too late what she had admitted.
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She quickly recovered.
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"I meant financially."
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"I helped whenever I could."
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Emily shook her head.
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"No."
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"You didn't."
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"You made sure no one else could."
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Victoria walked toward the door.
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"You'll regret believing her."
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Alexander answered without looking at her.
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"I already regret believing you."
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She stopped.
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His words hurt more than the slap she had received hours earlier.
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Without another word, she left.
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The apartment door closed.
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For several long seconds...
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No one moved.
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Then Alexander quietly locked the deadbolt.
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Only then did Emily finally allow herself to breathe.
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Sophia slowly walked out of the bedroom.
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"Is Grandma gone?"
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Alexander knelt beside her.
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"Yes."
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She wrapped her tiny arms around his neck.
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"Can Mommy stop hiding now?"
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Emily covered her mouth.
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The innocence of that question shattered what little strength she had left.
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She began to cry.
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Not loudly.
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Not dramatically.
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Just quietly.
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The exhausted tears of a woman who had survived far longer than anyone should have been forced to.
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Alexander crossed the room.
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For the first time in six years...
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He gently wrapped his arms around his wife.
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Emily stiffened.
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Then slowly relaxed.
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She buried her face against his chest.
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Neither of them spoke.
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Words could never recover six stolen years.
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The next morning.
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Sunlight filtered through the cracked apartment window.
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Alexander had barely slept.
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Neither had Daniel.
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While Emily and Sophia rested in the bedroom, Daniel entered carrying a tablet.
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"I have something."
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Alexander looked up.
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"What is it?"
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"The forensic team confirmed it."
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Alexander already knew the answer before hearing it.
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"The signatures are fake."
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Daniel nodded.
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"Every one of them."
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"The divorce papers."
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"The custody agreement."
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"The property transfer."
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"All forged."
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Alexander closed his eyes.
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His mother had not merely lied.
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She had committed crimes.
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Serious crimes.
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Daniel continued.
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"But that's not all."
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"I tracked everyone who worked at Sterling Manor six years ago."
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"Most refused to speak."
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"One agreed."
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Alexander looked up.
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"Who?"
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"Margaret Collins."
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Alexander frowned.
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"The senior housekeeper?"
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Daniel nodded.
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"She retired suddenly five years ago."
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"She asked to meet you."
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"Today."
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One hour later.
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Alexander arrived at a quiet nursing home on the outskirts of the city.
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Margaret Collins sat alone in the garden.
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She looked much older than he remembered.
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Her silver hair was neatly tied back.
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Her hands rested on a wooden cane.
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When she saw Alexander...
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Tears immediately filled her eyes.
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"Master Alexander."
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He hadn't heard anyone call him that since childhood.
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He sat beside her.
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"You wanted to see me."
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Margaret nodded.
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"I've carried this guilt long enough."
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Alexander remained silent.
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She looked toward the flower garden before speaking.
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"I failed your father."
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"I failed you."
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"And I failed Mrs. Emily."
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Alexander's heartbeat quickened.
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"What happened?"
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Margaret wiped away a tear.
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"The day Emily left..."
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"...she never wanted to leave."
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Alexander stared at her.
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"What?"
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Margaret nodded slowly.
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"She packed only one suitcase."
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"She planned to stay at her sister's house for two days."
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"She wanted everyone to calm down after another argument with Mrs. Sterling."
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Alexander frowned.
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"What argument?"
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Margaret's voice became shaky.
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"Mrs. Sterling demanded that Emily sign a postnuptial agreement."
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"Emily refused."
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"She said marriage should never be based on money."
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Alexander remembered.
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His mother had told him Emily stormed out after demanding millions of dollars.
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Another lie.
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Margaret continued.
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"That night..."
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"Mrs. Sterling entered your study."
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"I saw her."
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"She searched your desk."
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Alexander leaned forward.
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"For what?"
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"Your signature."
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His blood ran cold.
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"I watched her remove old business contracts."
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"She practiced copying your handwriting."
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Alexander slowly clenched his fists.
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"You saw all this?"
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Margaret nodded.
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"I was terrified."
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"I wanted to tell you."
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"But the next morning..."
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"Mrs. Sterling called me into her office."
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Margaret's hands began trembling.
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"She knew I had seen everything."
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Alexander's voice dropped.
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"What did she do?"
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Margaret swallowed hard.
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"She placed an envelope on the desk."
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"Inside were photographs."
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"My grandson."
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"My daughter."
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"My family."
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Alexander felt a chill run through his body.
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"She smiled."
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"Then she told me..."
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'If Alexander ever learns the truth, your family will lose everything.'
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"I believed her."
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"So..."
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"I stayed silent."
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Alexander looked toward the sky.
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His father had always said one sentence.
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Fear is the favorite weapon of cruel people.
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Now he understood exactly what his father had meant.
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Margaret reached into her handbag.
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"I've kept something."
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She carefully removed a small brown envelope.
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"I was too afraid to give it to anyone."
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"But it belongs to you."
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Alexander opened it.
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Inside were several old photographs.
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One showed Victoria sitting at Alexander's desk.
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Another showed forged documents spread across the polished wood.
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A third photograph captured something even more shocking.
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Victoria was handing a thick envelope of cash to a man Alexander immediately recognized.
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Richard Hale.
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The private investigator Alexander had hired to find Emily.
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Alexander's breathing stopped.
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Richard had never failed.
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He had never searched.
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He had been paid to lie.
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Margaret quietly spoke again.
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"I'm sorry."
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"I should have spoken years ago."
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Alexander gently took her hand.
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"You just did."
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"And because you did..."
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"...everything is about to change."
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At that exact moment, Daniel's phone rang.
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He answered immediately.
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His expression changed within seconds.
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He looked at Alexander.
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"Sir..."
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"We have another problem."
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"What is it?"
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Daniel lowered the phone.
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"Victoria has emptied every account connected to the Sterling Family Trust."
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"And..."
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May you like
"...she's preparing to leave the country."
End of Chapter 5
