Chapter 7 - The Name She Buried
Victoria had never told me she had a brother.
She had told me she was an only child.
She had told me both parents were dead.
She had built an entire childhood from lies.
Police records exposed the truth within hours.
Victoria Bell was born Victoria Cross Bell.
Robert Bell was nine years older.
Their father had once served as financial controller for a Hale subsidiary.
He had been fired by my father twenty-two years earlier after an internal fraud investigation.
Three months later, he went to prison.
He died there.
Rebecca placed the file on the table.
“This may explain motive.”
“Revenge?”
“Possibly.”
Marcus shook his head.
“No.”
We looked at him.
“This wasn’t about revenge at first.”
“How do you know?”
“Because Victoria used to talk about my father.”
“She didn’t hate him.”
“She thought he was stupid.”
Marcus leaned back.
“She hated Daniel.”
“Why me?”
“Because you inherited control.”
When our father died, I received voting control of Hale Holdings.
Marcus received significant wealth, but no operational authority.
Noah’s trust contained shares scheduled to transfer to him at twenty-five.
If I died before then, the trust’s appointed guardian would exercise limited rights on his behalf.
Victoria didn’t need Noah’s money alone.
She needed Noah.
Through him, she could eventually influence a company worth billions.
That was why marrying me mattered.
That was why becoming his mother mattered.
And that was why Victoria had been trying to force Noah to call her Mom.
It wasn’t emotional.
It was strategic.
“Where is Bell?” I asked.
Police had no answer.
Then Noah did something none of us expected.
He walked into the room carrying a red toy truck.
“Daddy?”
I knelt.
“What is it?”
He looked around at all the adults.
“Is Aunt Vicky gone?”
Nobody called Victoria Aunt Vicky.
I frowned.
“Who calls her that?”
Noah pointed toward Marcus.
“Uncle Marcus.”
Marcus went pale.
“When?”
Noah squeezed the truck.
“When they talk in the garage.”
Grace crouched beside him.
“What did they talk about?”
Noah looked scared.
“Victoria said I had to learn my new name.”
Every person in the room froze.
“What new name?” I asked.
He whispered,
“Noah Bell.”
Marcus stood abruptly.
“I never heard that.”
Noah flinched.
I stepped between them.
“Sit down.”
“I swear to God, Daniel.”
“Sit.”
He did.
Grace gently continued.
“Did Victoria tell you anything else?”
Noah nodded.
“She said when Daddy goes away, we’re going on an airplane.”
My chest tightened.
“Where?”
“She said somewhere warm.”
“Did she say when?”
Noah looked at me.
“After the wedding.”
The forged passport suddenly made sense.
This had never been only about winning custody in court.
If the legal plan failed, they intended to take my son out of the country.
Rebecca immediately contacted federal authorities.
Within the hour, Noah’s passport was flagged.
Then investigators discovered something worse.
A second passport application had been submitted.
It was for an adult.
Grace Bennett.
Grace stared at the photograph.
“That isn’t my application.”
The document listed her as Noah’s traveling guardian.
May you like
Someone had planned to make it look as though Grace had kidnapped him.
And if that happened, Victoria and Marcus could appear completely innocent.
