Chapter 4 - Snakes in the FoundationBy nine o'clock that evening, the children were fast asleep in my master bedroom suite. I had moved their beds into my room personally, refusing to let them sleep at the other end of the house ever again.
Downstairs in the private underground facility, the mood was jet-black.
Marcus stood beside my desk, dropping a thick manila folder onto the wood surface. Beside him stood two of my tactical officers, their weapons holstered.
"You were right about the secretary, boss," Marcus said, his voice grim. "We checked her bank accounts. Vanessa’s father, Richard Vale, transferred four hundred thousand dollars into an offshore account in the Caymans three days after you left for Europe."
I opened the folder, scanning the bank statements and wire transfers. "What was the trade?"
"They were draining your legitimate asset holding funds," Marcus revealed, pointing to a ledger line. "Vanessa wasn't just abusing the kids, Evan. She was setting up a legal guardianship trap. If you had stayed in London another month, her father’s legal team was planning to file emergency papers declaring you unfit or missing, using modified medical reports. Vanessa would have gained control of the Whitaker Trust."
I turned my black onyx ring slowly around my pinky finger.
"Where is Richard Vale now?" I asked coldly.
"He's at his country club in Greenwich," Marcus replied. "He thinks Vanessa was just kicked out over a 'domestic spat.' He doesn't know we've uncovered the financial fraud yet."
"Good," I said, standing up. "Keep it that way for forty-eight hours. I want every asset connection mapped out. Every judge he bought, every banker he used. When we strike the Vale family, I don't want a single branch left standing."
"What about the girl?" Marcus asked carefully. "Grace Miller."
I paused, looking up at him. "What about her?"
"We ran a background check on her, boss," Marcus said, his eyes serious. "Just like you ordered."
He slid a second, smaller file across the desk.
"Grace Miller isn't just a housekeeper," Marcus said quietly. "Her real name is Grace Sterling. Four years ago, she was a pediatric nurse at Hartford Memorial. She lost her job and her nursing license because she blew the whistle on a corrupt hospital director who was embezzling funds meant for low-income child care."
I read through the documents. The Sterling family had been ruined financially by the lawsuit. Grace had taken low-paying domestic jobs under her mother’s maiden name just to pay off her family's legal debts and care for her sick mother.
"She gave up her entire career because she refused to stay silent while children suffered," I muttered softly to myself.
"She's clean, boss," Marcus affirmed. "Pure gold. In fifteen years of working for you, I've never seen anyone stand up to a boss's fiancée like that."
"Pay off her family's legal debts tonight," I commanded Marcus. "Quietly. Don't let her know it came from me yet."
"And her position here?"
May you like
I looked toward the ceiling, thinking of my children fast asleep upstairs, holding onto Grace as if she were an angel.
"Offer her the position of personal guardian and head of household," I said. "Whatever salary she asks for, double it."
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