Chapter 13 - A Mother's Intuition
That night, Claire waited until Ethan finally came to bed.
He looked exhausted, his tie loosened and dark circles forming under his eyes.
"Ethan, we need to talk about David," Claire said softly, sitting on the edge of the mattress.
Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples to fight off a looming headache.
"Did he ask for a raise already?" Ethan asked, pulling off his shoes.
"No, Ethan, I think there is something seriously wrong with him."
Claire explained everything she had observed.
She told him about the manipulative whispers, the strange focus on the inheritance, and the hidden lockbox.
Ethan listened, but the extreme stress of his corporate merger clouded his judgment.
"Claire, you are exhausted from taking care of the baby," Ethan said gently.
"David came highly recommended by the best agency in Boston."
"He is just trying to bond with Noah, and teenagers are naturally moody."
Claire felt a sharp sting of frustration.
"I am not imagining this, Ethan."
"He is intentionally trying to drive a wedge between Noah and the rest of this family."
Ethan pulled her into a tired embrace.
"I will have my security team run a secondary background check on him tomorrow, just to give you peace of mind."
"But please, try to relax, my love."
Claire nodded, but she knew she could not rely on Ethan while he was so distracted.
The next morning, Ethan left for a critical three-day business trip to New York.
He kissed Claire and the children goodbye, promising to celebrate when the deal was finally closed.
As soon as Ethan's car drove through the front gates, Claire went directly to her home office.
She opened her laptop and began doing her own research.
She bypassed the agency's polished resume and started digging into the deep web.
She hired an independent private investigator she had used years ago during her medical career.
She sent him the photograph of David, his supposed social security number, and the details of his university degree.
"I need to know exactly who is sleeping in my guest house," Claire told the investigator over the phone.
"I will have a full dossier for you by tomorrow evening, Mrs. Caldwell," the voice on the other end promised.
For the next twenty-four hours, Claire did not let Noah out of her sight.
She canceled his lessons, claiming they were going to have a special mother-son movie marathon.
May you like
David smiled and agreed, but Claire saw the cold, furious flash in his eyes before he turned away.
The tension in the massive estate was thick enough to cut with a knife.
