Chapter 49 - The Biggest Mistake of His Life
By morning, Northline’s offices had been sealed.
Victor Saye was charged in connection with fraud, witness intimidation, falsified property records and the conspiracy surrounding House Zero.
Harold Venn and several city officials were arrested.
Dr. Cole agreed to testify about the altered identities, Evelyn’s staged death and the medical records he had created.
Celia surrendered Northline’s internal files.
Miriam remained with Eleanor under protection.
For the first time, Rachel, Evelyn and Olivia sat together in Rachel’s kitchen without locked doors or hidden cameras separating them.
The reunion was not easy.
Rachel did not forgive her mother immediately. Evelyn did not ask her to.
Olivia struggled to accept Miriam as her biological mother. Miriam admitted that protecting Olivia had often been an excuse for controlling her life from a distance.
Marcus arrived with Tessa and two officers.
His testimony had helped recover the false-record index, but he still faced charges for his role in the marriage scheme.
He placed his wedding ring on the table.
“Marrying you for Victor was the biggest mistake of my life.”
Rachel looked at him.
“The mistake was not that your plan failed.”
“I know.”
“The mistake was believing my trust made me weak.”
Marcus nodded.
He did not ask for forgiveness.
As the officers led him away, Evelyn opened the final file recovered from Victor’s vault.
It concerned James Bennett’s death.
The report confirmed Victor’s vehicle had forced James off the road. However, Victor had not ordered the attack.
The authorization carried a Northline executive code.
Celia examined it.
“That code belonged to the original director.”
“Eleanor?” Rachel asked.
“No.”
Celia turned the page.
The director’s name had been removed, but a photograph remained.
It showed the person standing beside James’s damaged car.
Rachel recognized the coat.
May you like
She had seen it inside Isaac Nolan’s house.
Across the street, Isaac’s curtains slowly closed.
