He Returned Home Six Days Early and Found His Daughter Scrubbing the Marble Floor—The Passport Under Her Rag Revealed a Plan to Erase Her From His Life

Chapter 08 - A Father's Dangerous Pretend

Adrian turned with a measured smile. He said the portrait’s hook had come loose and asked Julian to help him lift it. Julian did not move. Instead, he studied Adrian’s hands, his jacket, and the wall panel behind him.

Then he laughed. “Vivian thinks you believe her. I don’t.”

Adrian admitted that he had questions, but he framed them as concerns about the London deal. He accused Julian of hiding routine losses rather than stealing. The insult worked. Julian’s pride overcame his caution.

“You built this company with beautiful sketches and speeches,” Julian said. “I made it profitable. I took what I earned.”

A recording device inside Adrian’s watch captured every word, but Julian stopped before naming Vivian or the trust. He stepped closer and warned that Grace’s public image could be ruined with a single press release. Adrian would either sign the deal and remain quiet, or watch strangers debate his daughter’s mental health online.

Adrian pretended to consider the threat. “What do you want?”

“Control of the company for three years. Vivian keeps the trust. You keep your reputation.”

It was not enough for a conviction, but it proved the conspiracy was real.

Later, Vivian returned from the gala and found Adrian alone in the dark foyer. She sat beside him on the marble steps and spoke gently about second chances. For a moment, he remembered the woman he thought he had married—the one who had comforted Grace after nightmares and donated generously to children’s hospitals.

“Was any of it real?” he asked.

Vivian’s expression changed. “I loved the life you gave me. I could have loved you too, if you had ever stopped worshiping a dead woman.”

Adrian realized then that her cruelty had grown from resentment, but resentment did not excuse what she had done.

He told her he would sign the London agreement at midnight the following evening. Julian could bring every original document to the mansion, and Vivian could prepare the trust papers. He wanted the matter finished privately.

Vivian placed her hand over his. “That is the first sensible thing you’ve said.”

After she went upstairs, Adrian called Maya. The police and federal financial investigators would wait nearby, but they needed Vivian and Julian to open the compartment and discuss the scheme clearly.