Chapter 41 - The Woman Behind the Locked Door
Victor Sloane survived.
That was the first piece of good news we'd received in days.
The second was that he had managed to contact his attorney before losing consciousness.
The bad news was that investigators were examining a possible assault, and nobody yet knew who had entered his home.
Grayson and I waited in a private hospital conference room while Evelyn coordinated with Victor's legal representative.
"He's conscious," Evelyn finally announced. "But the medical team has limited visitors."
"Can we speak with him?" Grayson asked.
"Only if he agrees and his doctors approve."
I sat beside the window, watching rain slide down the glass.
The similarities to our earlier battles were becoming impossible to ignore.
Someone had manipulated family relationships.
Someone had hidden financial records.
And once again, the people searching for answers were receiving threats.
But this time, the conspiracy seemed to reach back decades.
"Claire?"
Grayson approached.
"You're quiet."
"I'm thinking about Oliver."
He sat beside me.
"Me too."
"And Alexandra."
He nodded.
"Do you realize how much time all three of you lost because your father refused to tell the truth?"
Grayson stared at the floor.
"Every day."
I took his hand.
"Then whatever happens with the company, don't repeat his mistake."
He looked up.
"What do you mean?"
"Don't become so focused on protecting the empire that you forget the family."
He smiled sadly.
"I married you because you never let me get away with that."
"Someone has to keep the billionaire humble."
He laughed.
For a moment, I saw the man I'd married beneath the exhaustion.
Then Evelyn returned.
"Victor has agreed to speak briefly."
We entered his room.
He looked frail beneath the hospital blankets.
His left cheek was bruised.
An oxygen tube rested beneath his nose.
But his eyes sharpened when he saw Grayson.
"Richard's son," he whispered.
Grayson moved closer.
"Mr. Sloane, what happened?"
Victor shook his head.
"I didn't see his face."
"Whose?"
"The person who attacked me."
Evelyn immediately reminded everyone that investigators would handle his formal statement.
Victor nodded.
Then he looked at me.
"Mrs. Hale."
"Yes?"
"Your husband's father made terrible mistakes."
I waited.
"But he also tried to correct one of them."
"Through the trust?"
Victor nodded.
"He wanted the children protected."
"All three?" Grayson asked.
"Yes."
Victor closed his eyes.
"Sebastian believed the fifth account contained money that belonged to his investment group."
"Did it?" I asked.
"Some disputed funds were connected to it. But Richard also placed legitimate personal assets into the arrangement. The records must be examined carefully."
He reached weakly toward the bedside table.
"There's something you need to understand."
Grayson leaned closer.
"Tell us."
"Your father wasn't the only person hiding the truth."
My stomach tightened.
"Who else?"
Victor looked at Grayson.
"Your mother."
The room went silent.
Grayson's mother, Eleanor Hale, had died when he was twenty-two.
He spoke of her with a tenderness he rarely showed when discussing his childhood.
She had been the one person who made Richard's cold mansion feel like a home.
"That's impossible," Grayson whispered.
Victor shook his head.
"Eleanor knew about Andrew."
Grayson's face drained.
"No."
"She knew years before Richard died."
"Then why didn't she tell me?"
Victor looked genuinely pained.
"I can't answer that."
I watched Grayson's hands curl into fists.
The thought that his mother had participated in the secrecy seemed to hurt him more than anything we'd learned about Richard.
Victor continued.
"She left a letter."
Grayson stared.
"What letter?"
"Richard instructed me to keep it separate from the estate documents."
"Where is it?"
Victor hesitated.
"With my daughter."
I blinked.
"Your daughter?"
He nodded.
"Charlotte."
Grayson looked confused.
"Why would your daughter have something from my mother?"
Victor's eyes filled with tears.
"Because Eleanor trusted her."
He struggled to speak.
"Find Charlotte. She'll explain."
Evelyn leaned forward.
"Where can we contact her?"
Victor looked at the door.
His expression changed.
"Please," he whispered, "don't let Sebastian find her first."
Then the monitors beside his bed began sounding an alert.
A nurse hurried into the room and asked us to leave.
We stepped into the hallway.
Grayson looked devastated.
"My mother knew."
I reached for him.
"Gray—"
"She knew I had a brother."
He shook his head.
"And she let me believe I was an only child."
I held him.
For once, I didn't try to find the perfect words.
There weren't any.
Then Evelyn's phone vibrated.
She read the message twice.
"Charlotte Sloane contacted our office."
Grayson looked up.
"What does she want?"
Evelyn swallowed.
"She says Eleanor Hale left something for Grayson."
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"What?"
"A recorded confession."
