THE CAMERA THAT SAW EVERYTHIN

Victoria called Sarah the next morning.

No one knew how she obtained the temporary phone number.

Sarah answered because Marcus was recording.

Victoria did not greet her.

"Ten million dollars."

Sarah looked at Richard.

He stood beside Marcus in the security office.

"For what?"

"You leave."

"Leave what?"

"Richard. The house. Ethan."

Sarah almost laughed.

"You think Richard pays me ten million dollars?"

"I think Richard will pay whatever keeps you loyal."

Sarah understood the strategy.

Victoria wanted jealousy.

Comparison.

Competition.

She still believed every relationship could be reduced to leverage.

"I don't want Richard's money."

"Everyone wants money."

"No."

Victoria was silent.

Sarah continued.

"Some people just want the child in the room to be safe."

Victoria's voice cooled.

"You think that makes you better than me?"

"I don't think about being better than you."

That hurt more.

Sarah could hear it.

Victoria recovered.

"You will eventually leave, Sarah."

"Maybe."

"And then what?"

"I'll have a life."

"With whose child?"

Sarah's hands tightened.

"Do not talk about Ethan as though he is property."

Victoria laughed.

"That house has made you sentimental."

"No. You made me careful."

Victoria stopped laughing.

Sarah continued.

"You aren't angry because I took something from you. You're angry because I saw you."

The line went silent.

Richard watched Sarah.

Victoria finally answered.

"You saw nothing."

Sarah looked toward the marble hallway camera feed.

"That's not what I'm counting on."

Victoria disconnected.

Marcus smiled for the first time in weeks.

"That bothered her."

Richard did not.

"She knows the old system exists."

Sarah turned.

"What?"

"Your comment."

"I didn't say which camera."

"No. But she knows there was evidence she failed to erase."

Marcus checked the old statue camera.

The system remained operational.

They had repaired the local recorder and hidden the new storage unit behind a locked wall panel.

Victoria could not access it remotely.

Richard made a decision.

"We let her think the statue footage is incomplete."

Jonathan understood immediately.

"Bait."

Sarah frowned.

"With what?"

Richard looked at her.

"Her property."

The police had released several items belonging to Victoria after determining they contained no evidence.

Richard's attorney informed her that she could collect them from the mansion under supervision.

Victoria refused.

She sent an assistant.

Richard rejected the request.

Personal property had to be collected personally according to the signed inventory agreement.

For two days, nothing happened.

On the third, Victoria's attorney called.

She would come on Friday at three.

Marcus prepared the mansion.

Police were informed.

Plainclothes officers waited outside the property.

Sarah took Ethan to Rebecca's house.

At 2:58, Victoria arrived.

She wore sunglasses.

No lawyer accompanied her.

Richard met her in the foyer.

"Where is he?"

Richard knew she meant Ethan.

"Not here."

Victoria removed her glasses.

"Still afraid of me?"

"Yes."

The honesty surprised her.

Richard continued.

"I'm afraid of what you're willing to do."

Victoria smiled.

"At least we're honest now."

A guard escorted her upstairs.

She collected clothing, jewelry, and personal documents.

Richard remained downstairs.

The old camera recorded the hallway.

At 3:21, Victoria returned carrying two suitcases.

She stopped beside the statue.

Richard saw it on the monitor.

Her eyes moved toward the sculpture.

She stepped closer.

Marcus whispered, "There."

Victoria reached toward the statue's face.

Then stopped.

She looked directly toward the security office door.

She smiled.

And walked away.

Richard felt disappointment.

"She knew."

Marcus nodded.

But outside, Victoria did not leave immediately.

She placed the suitcases in her car.

Then returned to the front steps.

"Richard."

He stood inside the doorway.

"I have one thing you want."

He did not respond.

"The original medical file."

"We already have it."

"No."

She smiled.

"You have Warren's fake version. I have Adrian's planning notes."

Richard's stomach tightened.

"What notes?"

"Every step. Every payment. Every person."

"Give them to the police."

"I will."

"What do you want?"

"Five million dollars."

Richard almost laughed.

"You still think this is a negotiation."

"It is."

"No."

Victoria's smile disappeared.

"If Adrian goes down alone, he takes everyone with him."

"Good."

"Including people inside your company."

That stopped Richard.

Victoria noticed.

"Now you're listening."

She put on her sunglasses.

"Tomorrow. Noon. I call once."

She drove away.

Richard turned toward Marcus.

"Can she be telling the truth?"

"Yes."

Bennett Development employed thousands of people.

Executives had access to travel schedules.

Private information.

Financial records.

Security vendors.

Victoria and Adrian could not have collected everything alone.

Jonathan arrived an hour later.

He reviewed the evidence.

"If there's an insider, we need to find them before Victoria knows we believe her."

Richard looked at the board photographs mounted in the security room.

Staff.

Executives.

Advisers.

Friends.

The betrayal expanded again.

At 11:53 the next morning, Richard's phone rang.

Victoria.

He answered.

"Where?"

She gave him an address.

An abandoned model home at an unfinished Bennett Development project.

"No police."

Richard said, "I'm not bringing money."

"Then don't come."

She disconnected.

Marcus wanted to accompany him.

Richard refused.

Then Sarah entered the room.

She had returned from Rebecca's after receiving Marcus's message.

"You're not going alone."

Richard looked at her.

"I'm not taking you."

"I didn't ask."

"This isn't your fight."

Sarah's expression changed.

"She tried to build a case that I abused Ethan. She planted stolen money in my room. She photographed me. She entered my bedroom. She has said my name more times than yours in the last month."

Richard could not argue with that.

Marcus solved it.

"No one goes alone."

Police placed a tracker under Richard's car.

Marcus followed at a distance.

Sarah stayed at the mansion with Ethan.

Richard reached the model home at noon.

Victoria was inside.

On the kitchen counter sat a burgundy folder.

Richard looked at it.

"The notes?"

Victoria nodded.

"Transfer the money."

"No."

"Then leave."

Richard stepped closer.

"Why Ethan?"

Victoria's expression hardened.

"Because Caroline made him the door."

"He's a baby."

"He's an heir."

Richard stared at her.

She continued.

"Do you know what men like you never understand? You pretend money means nothing because you've always had enough of it."

"You threw away your life for access to mine."

Victoria laughed bitterly.

"You think this started with me?"

Richard looked at the folder.

"Who is inside my company?"

Victoria smiled.

"Ask Jonathan."

Richard froze.

Victoria saw it.

"Your loyal attorney knows more than he's told you."

A noise sounded outside.

Victoria turned toward the window.

Police moved in.

Richard looked back at her.

"You knew they were coming."

"I assumed."

She stepped away from the counter.

"Take the folder."

Richard opened it.

Empty.

Victoria smiled.

"The real information is still somewhere you'll never look."

Police entered.

Victoria was taken into custody for violating the protective order by arranging indirect contact concerning Ethan and for matters connected to evidence tampering.

As officers escorted her outside, she looked at Richard.

"Ask Jonathan who changed Caroline's trust draft three days before she died."

Richard's blood ran cold.

That night, he called Jonathan into the study.

He placed Caroline's original trust documents on the desk.

Then he asked one question.