Chapter 3 - Ethan Comes Home
Ethan returned from London two days early.
He entered the mansion shortly after midnight and found Elena sitting on the staircase with her coat beside her.
A packed suitcase rested near the front door.
“Elena?”
She looked up.
Relief crossed her face so quickly that Ethan dropped his travel bag and hurried toward her.
“What happened?”
“I was leaving.”
“Why?”
“Your mother moved me into another room, hired a nurse I didn’t request, took a private letter from my drawer, and tried to make me sign over control of my medical care.”
Ethan’s expression darkened.
“She did what?”
Elena handed him Vivian’s folder.
He read the Maternal Care Directive.
“This isn’t standard,” he said.
“I know.”
“I’ll speak to her.”
“This is bigger than a family argument.”
Elena showed him the photograph.
Ethan studied his father’s face, then the woman and baby.
“I’ve never seen this.”
“The writing says the first Vale child was never you.”
“That could mean anything.”
“Rosa recognized Saint Orla House. Her sister worked there when a baby disappeared.”
Ethan looked toward the dark upper corridor.
“Why didn’t you call me?”
“I did. Your phone was unavailable.”
“I had no missed calls.”
She showed him her call history.
There were eight attempts.
Ethan removed his phone and checked it.
No calls from Elena appeared.
“That’s impossible.”
“Someone may have blocked my number through your account.”
“Only my executive assistant has access.”
“And your mother?”
Ethan hesitated.
Vivian had helped establish the account years earlier. She knew the passwords to almost everything related to the family.
“I’ll change them,” he said.
Elena placed her hand over his.
“I need you to understand something. I don’t think your mother is simply trying to control me. I think she’s preparing to take the baby.”
Ethan’s first reaction was disbelief.
Then Elena showed him the anonymous messages.
He read them in silence.
“I’m taking you to a hotel,” he said.
“No. Vivian will destroy evidence if we leave suddenly.”
“I’m not keeping you here while she threatens you.”
“We need to know what she’s hiding.”
“We need to keep you safe.”
“And if we run without understanding the threat, are we safe?”
Ethan looked at her stomach.
Their daughter was due in seven weeks.
He had spent months preparing a nursery, attending appointments, and pretending he was not terrified of becoming a father. Now someone had turned that happiness into a target.
“You said daughter,” Elena reminded him gently.
“What?”
“You looked at her and called her our daughter in your mind.”
Ethan managed a faint smile.
“You know me too well.”
“That’s why I know you’re already planning to confront your mother.”
“I am.”
“Don’t.”
“Elena—”
“She will lie. If she realizes you believe me, she’ll hide everything.”
“So what do you suggest?”
“We act normally.”
“Nothing about this is normal.”
“We let her believe I’m isolated and that you think I’m overreacting.”
Ethan hated the idea.
But he understood Elena’s reasoning.
They needed proof.
Not suspicion.
Not an anonymous letter.
Proof strong enough to survive the Vale family’s lawyers, influence, and reputation.
“Two days,” he said. “We investigate for two days. Then we leave, whether we have answers or not.”
Elena nodded.
Ethan reached into his travel bag and removed a small device.
“What is that?”
“A secure recorder. I use it during negotiations.”
“You travel with a hidden recorder?”
“When billion-dollar contracts are involved, trust becomes expensive.”
He placed it in her hand.
“Keep it with you.”
The bedroom door opened.
Vivian stood there in a silk robe.
Her gaze moved from Ethan to Elena’s suitcase.
“You’re home early.”
“The meeting ended early.”
“That is unfortunate.”
Ethan’s eyebrows lifted.
Vivian corrected herself.
“I mean the rushed travel must have been exhausting.”
Ethan held up the Maternal Care Directive.
“Why did you ask Elena to sign this?”
Vivian’s expression remained calm.
“She misunderstood its purpose.”
“It gives you authority over her treatment.”
“Only if she becomes incapable.”
“She isn’t incapable.”
“I’m aware.”
Vivian looked directly at Elena.
“Although she has been under unusual emotional stress.”
Ethan stepped between them.
“My wife and child are my responsibility.”
Vivian’s eyes narrowed.
“Your responsibility is to the entire family.”
“They are my family.”
Vivian’s expression became almost sorrowful.
“You still do not understand what your father left behind.”
“What does that mean?”
She turned away.
“You should ask the trustees why the merger cannot proceed until your child is born.”
Ethan stared at her.
The merger documents had included an unexplained delay in transferring the company’s controlling shares. His lawyers had blamed a routine trust restriction.
“Mother.”
Vivian stopped at the door.
“What happens when the baby is born?”
She looked over her shoulder.
“Everything your father denied me becomes hers.”
Then she left.
May you like
Ethan and Elena stood in silence.
The recorder in Elena’s hand was still running.
