Chapter 3
Daniel carried Sophie back into his bedroom.
He closed the door.
The police officer followed.
“What lady, sweetheart?”
Sophie squeezed her stuffed rabbit.
“The picture lady.”
Daniel sat beside her.
“Can you tell me what she looked like?”
Sophie nodded slowly.
“Yellow hair.”
“Blonde?”
“Yes.”
“What did Grandma call her?”
Sophie thought hard.
“Miss Claire.”
Daniel’s stomach tightened.
He knew only one Claire connected to his family.
Claire Whitmore.
His former fiancée.
The woman he had almost married six years ago.
The woman Eleanor had adored.
“What did Grandma say about Claire?”
“She said she was supposed to be my mommy.”
Daniel stared at his daughter.
Claire had never met Sophie.
At least she was never supposed to have met her.
“When did you see her?”
“At Grandma’s house.”
“How many times?”
Sophie held up three fingers.
Daniel felt dizzy.
The officer asked gently, “What happened when you saw Miss Claire?”
“She gave me dresses.”
“What else?”
“She asked if I wanted a new mommy.”
Daniel’s blood ran cold.
“What did you say?”
“I said I have Daddy.”
Daniel pulled her closer.
Sophie whispered, “She got mad.”
Daniel stepped into the hallway and called Marcus.
“Find Claire Whitmore.”
Marcus hesitated.
“Sir…”
“What?”
“She entered this property twice last month.”
Daniel went silent.
“How?”
“She was registered as a guest of your mother.”
“I never saw her.”
“The visits were during your work hours.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
His house.
His employees.
His security.
His mother.
Everyone had known more about what happened under his roof than he had.
“Where was Vanessa?”
“Here.”
“So Vanessa knew Claire was coming?”
“It appears that way.”
Daniel returned downstairs.
Eleanor and Vanessa had been separated.
Detectives were now interviewing them individually.
Daniel waited until the lead detective, Maria Reyes, approached.
“Claire Whitmore,” he said.
Reyes wrote the name down.
“Relationship?”
“Former fiancée.”
“Why would she be involved?”
“I don’t know.”
That was a lie.
Daniel was beginning to see pieces.
He just did not understand the full picture.
Eleanor had never accepted his marriage to Sophie’s mother, Rachel.
Rachel had died in a car accident when Sophie was eighteen months old.
Eleanor had repeatedly suggested Daniel reconnect with Claire afterward.
He refused.
Then he met Vanessa.
Eleanor had disliked Vanessa at first.
Or pretended to.
Six months later, they became strangely close.
Daniel had thought it was progress.
Now it looked like something else.
Detective Reyes received a message.
Her eyes narrowed.
“We found Claire.”
“Where?”
“Outside.”
Daniel turned toward the front windows.
A black SUV had stopped beyond the gate.
Claire stood beside it.
Even from a distance, Daniel recognized her.
Blonde hair.
Long coat.
Perfect posture.
She had always looked calm when everyone else was falling apart.
Marcus entered.
“She says Mrs. Mercer called her.”
“Tonight?”
“Twenty minutes ago.”
Eleanor had been under police supervision for more than twenty minutes.
Daniel looked toward the living room.
“Check her phone.”
Reyes nodded to an officer.
Claire was allowed inside.
She stopped when she saw Daniel.
“This isn’t what I expected.”
“What did you expect?”
“Your mother said Sophie needed me.”
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“My daughter does not need you.”
Claire glanced upstairs.
“Is she okay?”
“You’ve met her.”
Claire became cautious.
“Yes.”
“You never told me.”
“Your mother asked me not to.”
“Why did you agree?”
Claire looked toward Eleanor.
Eleanor stared back.
Neither woman spoke.
Daniel moved between them.
“Someone tells me the truth now.”
Claire lowered her voice.
“Your mother believed Vanessa was unstable.”
Vanessa shouted from across the room.
“You liar!”
An officer ordered her to sit down.
Claire continued.
“She asked me to spend time with Sophie because she thought Vanessa might leave.”
Daniel frowned.
“That makes no sense.”
“I know.”
“Then why did you do it?”
Claire looked ashamed.
“Because I wanted to see you again.”
Daniel stared at her.
“There it is.”
“I never planned to interfere with your marriage.”
“You secretly met my daughter.”
“Your mother said you knew.”
Daniel looked at Eleanor.
She did not look away.
Claire finally realized.
“Oh my God.”
“No,” Daniel said. “I didn’t know.”
Claire covered her mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
Eleanor suddenly spoke.
“Stop apologizing.”
Everyone turned.
“You were supposed to help.”
Claire stared at her.
“Help with what?”
Eleanor’s eyes widened slightly.
Daniel saw the surprise.
Claire genuinely did not know.
That mattered.
Detective Reyes stepped closer.
“Mrs. Mercer, what exactly was Claire supposed to help with?”
Eleanor remained silent.
Reyes turned to Claire.
“You should consider getting an attorney before answering more questions.”
Claire shook her head.
“I have nothing to hide.”
Vanessa laughed.
“You all have something to hide.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What do you have?”
Vanessa smiled.
“You still think Rachel’s death was an accident.”
The room went silent.
Daniel felt his knees weaken.
“Don’t.”
Vanessa leaned forward.
“Ask your mother.”
Eleanor snapped, “Enough.”
That word changed everything.
Daniel turned toward her.
“You knew Rachel’s accident was investigated.”
“Of course.”
“Was there something I wasn’t told?”
“No.”
Vanessa laughed again.
Eleanor looked furious now.
Not scared.
Furious.
“Vanessa, if you say another word—”
“What?” Vanessa shouted. “You’ll send me away too?”
Daniel looked from one woman to the other.
“You two had a deal.”
Neither answered.
Daniel stepped toward Vanessa.
“What deal?”
Vanessa’s face trembled.
Then she touched her stomach.
“I want protection.”
Detective Reyes frowned.
“From whom?”
Vanessa pointed at Eleanor.
“Her.”
Eleanor actually smiled.
It was small.
Cold.
Daniel had never seen that expression on his mother before.
Vanessa continued.
“She promised me this house.”
Daniel stared at her.
“What?”
“When the baby was born, Sophie would go to boarding school.”
Daniel felt rage rising again.
Vanessa spoke faster.
“Your mother said you would eventually accept it.”
“And Claire?”
Vanessa looked toward Claire.
“Claire was supposed to come back after I left.”
Claire’s face went white.
“I was what?”
Vanessa laughed bitterly.
“You still don’t understand? She never wanted me permanently.”
Eleanor remained silent.
Vanessa looked at Daniel.
“She wanted your son.”
Daniel could barely process the words.
“She wanted the Mercer heir raised by the woman she chose.”
Claire whispered, “That’s insane.”
“It’s true.”
Daniel stared at his mother.
“You were planning my entire life.”
Eleanor finally spoke.
“I was protecting this family.”
“By hurting Sophie?”
“She is Rachel’s daughter.”
Daniel froze.
There it was.
Not his daughter.
Rachel’s daughter.
Eleanor heard herself too late.
Daniel’s voice became dangerously quiet.
“You never loved her.”
Eleanor looked away.
Daniel remembered birthdays.
Christmas photographs.
Eleanor holding Sophie.
Buying gifts.
Calling herself Grandma.
How much had been performance?
Vanessa suddenly said, “Tell him about Rachel.”
Daniel turned.
Eleanor snapped, “Stop.”
Vanessa’s smile vanished.
“You promised me I would be safe.”
“You are destroying everything.”
“No. You destroyed it first.”
Vanessa looked at Detective Reyes.
“Rachel was going to leave Daniel.”
Daniel stared at her.
“That’s not true.”
“She found financial records.”
“What records?”
“Payments.”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
Daniel stepped closer.
“Payments to who?”
Vanessa swallowed.
“A private investigator.”
“For what?”
“To follow Rachel.”
Daniel could hear his heartbeat.
“Who hired him?”
Vanessa looked at Eleanor.
Daniel followed her gaze.
Eleanor spoke quickly.
“Rachel was unstable.”
Daniel turned toward her.
“Do not talk about my wife like that.”
“She was planning to take Sophie.”
“She was planning to take Sophie from you.”
Daniel stopped.
Eleanor continued.
“She hated this family.”
“Because you were following her?”
“Because she discovered things she should not have.”
Daniel stared at his mother.
Detective Reyes immediately said, “What things?”
Eleanor realized the mistake.
Vanessa whispered, “The foundation.”
Daniel frowned.
The Mercer Family Foundation was worth hundreds of millions.
His father had created it before his death.
Daniel had barely participated in its daily management.
Eleanor controlled most of it.
“What about the foundation?”
Vanessa looked at him.
“Rachel found missing money.”
“How much?”
“Millions.”
Daniel’s face went numb.
“And she died before she could tell you.”
Eleanor shouted, “That is enough!”
The officers moved toward her.
She tried to step back.
Detective Reyes raised a hand.
“No one is leaving.”
Then Marcus appeared at the doorway.
He looked shaken.
“Sir.”
Daniel did not want another secret.
Not tonight.
“What now?”
Marcus held a small black device.
“We found this inside the nursery wall.”
“What is it?”
“A wireless transmitter.”
Daniel frowned.
“For what?”
Marcus looked toward Eleanor.
“For a hidden camera.”
The room went silent.
Daniel stared at his mother.
Eleanor stared at the device.
And upstairs, Sophie suddenly screamed.
Daniel ran.
He took the stairs two at a time.
He burst into his bedroom.
Sophie stood beside the window.
“Daddy!”
Daniel rushed to her.
She pointed outside.
A man stood beyond the garden fence.
Watching the house.
Daniel recognized him.
May you like
He had not seen that face in four years.
It was the private investigator who had followed Rachel before she died.
