Chapter 2 - THE ENVELOPEThe name of Mark's father changed everything.
Mark had not heard Victoria mention him in months.
His father had died eight years earlier.
A heart attack, according to every official record.
A peaceful death.
A closed chapter.
Or so Mark had believed.
The police officer held the envelope.
“Mr. Hayes, we should continue this conversation somewhere secure.”
Mark nodded.
But he didn't move.
He looked at Victoria.
“What does my father have to do with this?”
Victoria stared at the floor.
“I didn't want you to know.”
“You've been saying that all night.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
Mark laughed bitterly.
“By deleting security footage?”
Victoria looked up.
“I made mistakes.”
“You made a lot of them.”
Claire was taken to the hospital.
Elena remained in the foyer.
She watched Victoria carefully.
There was fear in Victoria's eyes.
Real fear.
But Elena had learned something about frightened people.
Sometimes they were afraid because they were innocent.
And sometimes they were afraid because someone was finally getting close to the truth.
The police placed the documents from the envelope on the dining table.
Mark examined them one by one.
Bank transfers.
Company registrations.
Photographs.
A handwritten note.
He unfolded the note.
The handwriting was unfamiliar.
It said:
IF YOU ARE READING THIS, VICTORIA FAILED TO STOP THEM.
Mark's jaw tightened.
Below it was another sentence.
THE MONEY IS NOT THE REAL TARGET.
“What does that mean?” Elena asked.
Mark looked at her.
“I don't know.”
Victoria whispered from across the room.
“I do.”
Everyone turned.
Victoria slowly sat down.
“The money was never the important part.”
Mark stared at her.
“Then what is?”
“Control.”
“Control of what?”
“Your company.”
Mark shook his head.
“My company is worth hundreds of millions.”
“I know.”
“Who wants it?”
Victoria looked toward the windows.
“Your brother.”
Mark went completely still.
“Richard?”
Victoria nodded.
Mark almost laughed.
“Richard hates me. That's not exactly a secret.”
“He doesn't just hate you.”
“What does he want?”
“Everything.”
The police officer asked, “Are you saying Richard Hayes organized the financial transfers?”
Victoria hesitated.
“Yes.”
Mark looked at her.
“And you knew?”
“I suspected.”
“You suspected my brother was stealing from my charity?”
“I suspected he was using the charity to hide money.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I didn't know who else was involved.”
Mark pointed at the photographs.
“Then explain this.”
One photograph showed Victoria meeting a man outside a restaurant.
Mark recognized him.
Daniel Ross.
The date was six months before Daniel disappeared.
“You told me you hadn't seen Daniel.”
Victoria looked down.
“I lied.”
“Why?”
“Because Daniel asked me to.”
“Why would he ask you to lie?”
“Because he was investigating Richard.”
Mark's eyes narrowed.
“Then why did you tell me Daniel was unstable?”
Victoria began crying.
“Because Richard threatened him.”
The officer leaned forward.
“What kind of threat?”
Victoria whispered:
“He said Daniel's family would disappear.”
Elena's heart sank.
“And you believed him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victoria looked at Elena.
“Because I saw what they were capable of.”
Mark stared at her.
“Who are they?”
Victoria didn't answer.
The security manager suddenly rushed into the room.
“Mr. Hayes.”
“What now?”
“We found another deleted file.”
“Where?”
“In the basement security archive.”
Mark frowned.
“The basement?”
Victoria immediately stood.
“No.”
Mark looked at her.
“Why not?”
“Because there is nothing there.”
Elena knew instantly that Victoria was lying.
Mark did too.
They went downstairs.
The basement was dark and cold.
At the end of the corridor was a steel door.
Mark tried the handle.
Locked.
He turned toward Victoria.
“What is behind this door?”
“Storage.”
“You keep storage behind a steel door?”
“Yes.”
“What's the code?”
“I don't remember.”
Elena looked at the keypad.
She remembered seeing Victoria enter a code months earlier.
A date.
She whispered:
“Your wedding anniversary.”
Victoria's eyes widened.
Mark entered the date.
The lock clicked.
The door opened.
Inside were dozens of boxes.
Photographs.
Documents.
Hard drives.
And an entire wall covered with photographs.
Mark walked closer.
His blood ran cold.
The photographs showed him.
Leaving work.
Entering restaurants.
Walking into his office.
Driving home.
Then he saw Elena.
There were photographs of her too.
Taken outside the mansion.
At the grocery store.
Walking to her apartment.
Elena stepped backward.
“They were following me.”
Mark looked at Victoria.
“Why is Elena in this room?”
Victoria whispered:
“Because they believe she knows something.”
“I don't know anything.”
Victoria shook her head.
“They think your father told you.”
“My father never told me anything.”
Victoria stared at her.
“Then they don't know that.”
Mark walked to a desk.
There was a folder with his name.
He opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Elena standing near the staircase earlier that evening.
Someone had taken the photograph only minutes before.
On the back, four words were written:
SHE KNOWS TOO MUCH.
Mark's expression changed.
“Who took this?”
Victoria whispered:
“I don't know.”
A loud crash came from upstairs.
Everyone froze.
The police officers immediately moved toward the stairs.
Then the security alarm began screaming.
The basement lights went out.
Victoria grabbed Mark's arm.
“They found us.”
Mark pulled away.
“Who?”
Victoria looked into the darkness.
May you like
“The people I've been trying to escape.”
===
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