Chapter 14 - the woman victoria blamed)
Victoria chose a private suite overlooking Washington.
Clara entered alone.
At least that was what Victoria believed.
Adrian had arranged security in the hallway.
Daniel remained two floors below.
Federal counsel waited nearby because the stolen document might affect regulated trust entities.
But Clara walked through the suite door by herself.
Victoria stood near the window.
Ava sat on the sofa.
The black folder rested in her lap.
Clara looked at the girl first.
“Are you okay?”
Ava nodded.
Victoria laughed.
“She’s fine.”
Clara ignored her.
“Ava, you can leave whenever you want.”
Victoria’s face hardened.
“She’s a minor.”
“And you’re her guardian. Not her owner.”
Ava looked between them.
Victoria crossed her arms.
“You always talk like that?”
“Like what?”
“Like everyone is waiting for your permission.”
Clara almost smiled.
“You threw a bucket of dirty water over my head because you thought I cleaned houses for a living.”
Victoria’s jaw tightened.
“That was before I knew.”
“No. That was before you knew I had power.”
Silence.
Ava looked at Victoria.
Clara continued.
“What you did to me mattered less than why you did it.”
Victoria looked away.
“You want an apology?”
“No.”
“Money?”
Clara almost laughed.
“No.”
“Then what?”
“The truth.”
Victoria’s eyes became cold.
“You already have it.”
“Not all of it.”
Clara pointed toward the folder.
“Why Daniel?”
Victoria’s face changed.
Ava looked down.
Clara waited.
Finally Victoria said, “Rebecca loved him.”
Daniel, listening through Clara’s concealed microphone, heard every word.
Clara remained still.
“After the accident?”
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It didn’t make sense to me either.”
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“My sister spent years defending the man who put her in a hospital.”
“He was twenty-one.”
“So?”
“He was drunk and reckless, not malicious.”
“She could barely walk.”
“And she still didn’t blame him.”
Victoria’s eyes filled.
“That made me hate him more.”
Clara understood.
“Because you needed someone to hate.”
“I had plenty of people.”
“Our father.”
“Your father.”
“Robert.”
“My father stole her settlement.”
“Daniel.”
“He got to live.”
Clara absorbed the words.
There it was.
Not greed alone.
Grief.
Ugly, distorted grief.
“Did you love Daniel?”
Victoria looked toward the window.
Ava watched her.
“Answer,” Clara said.
Victoria whispered, “Yes.”
Clara did not expect that.
Victoria laughed as tears appeared.
“That was the worst part.”
“You planned to use him.”
“Yes.”
“You searched his office.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted the amendment.”
“Yes.”
“You were going to marry him.”
“Yes.”
“And you loved him.”
Victoria wiped her face angrily.
“Yes.”
Ava whispered, “Victoria…”
“Don’t.”
Clara asked, “Why didn’t you tell him?”
“Tell him what? Hello, Daniel, my dead sister was your passenger when you wrapped your father’s car around a concrete barrier?”
“You had two years.”
“I wanted him to suffer.”
“Did he?”
Victoria stared at her.
“Not enough.”
Clara’s voice sharpened.
“My brother has lived with that night for seventeen years.”
“Poor Daniel.”
“He didn’t know who Rebecca was.”
“He still drove drunk.”
“Yes.”
“And she paid for it.”
“Yes.”
Clara did not excuse him.
That stopped Victoria.
Clara stepped closer.
“What Daniel did was wrong. What Charles did afterward was monstrous. What Robert did was exploitation. And what you did to my staff was cruelty.”
Victoria flinched.
“You don’t get to wrap revenge around abuse and call it justice.”
Ava looked at Victoria again.
Clara pointed toward the folder.
“That belongs to Ava.”
Victoria held out her hand.
“Ava.”
The girl did not move.
“Ava, give it to me.”
“No.”
Victoria froze.
Ava stood.
“My mom said I should decide.”
Victoria’s voice softened.
“I’m protecting you.”
“You said Clara would steal everything.”
Clara answered before Victoria could.
“If that amendment is valid, I will recognize whatever is legally yours.”
Victoria laughed.
“Of course you say that now.”
Clara looked at Ava.
“I will not ask you to trust me because of blood. Trust has to be earned.”
Ava’s eyes filled.
“My mom wanted to meet you.”
“I know.”
“She wrote letters.”
“I want to read them.”
“She wrote some for Daniel too.”
Clara’s breath caught.
Victoria said, “Enough.”
Ava stepped away from her.
“No.”
Victoria stared.
“I raised you after Matthew and Lauren died.”
“For six weeks.”
“I fought for you.”
“You fought for the trust.”
“That is not true.”
“Then why did you tell me I could make Clara pay?”
Silence.
Clara looked at Victoria.
Ava’s hands trembled around the folder.
“You told me she stole my mother’s life.”
Victoria said, “Her family did.”
“Clara didn’t even know.”
“She benefited.”
“So did you.”
Victoria went pale.
Ava continued.
“Grandpa Robert used Mom’s money to build the company that paid for your schools and trips.”
Victoria’s face crumpled.
For the first time, she had no answer.
A knock sounded.
Clara turned.
Victoria panicked.
“You said you came alone.”
“I did.”
“Who is that?”
Clara opened the door.
Daniel stood outside.
Victoria stared.
“No.”
He entered slowly.
His eyes were red.
“You heard?”
Daniel nodded.
“All of it.”
Victoria looked as if she had been struck.
“Daniel…”
He stopped several feet away.
“I’m sorry about Rebecca.”
“Don’t.”
“I will be sorry until I die.”
Victoria covered her mouth.
“But I’m done being punished by someone who never told me the charge.”
She cried silently.
Daniel looked at Ava.
“Your mother wrote me letters?”
Ava nodded.
“One says she forgave you.”
Daniel’s face broke.
Ava held out a smaller envelope.
Daniel took it with shaking hands.
Victoria backed toward the window.
Clara watched her.
“Victoria.”
“What?”
“The engagement is over.”
Victoria laughed through tears.
“I figured that out.”
“The staff you abused will receive formal apologies and compensation.”
Her expression hardened.
“You’re ordering me?”
“No.”
Clara stepped closer.
“I’m telling you what will happen if you want me not to pursue civil claims connected to theft, harassment and interference with trust property.”
Victoria stared.
Then looked toward Ava.
“What about her?”
Clara answered quietly.
“She gets a choice.”
Ava held the black folder against her chest.
“I want to go back to Dallas.”
Victoria looked devastated.
“With her?”
Ava glanced at Clara.
“Not with anyone.”
Clara nodded.
“That can be arranged.”
The girl looked relieved.
Daniel opened Rebecca’s letter.
He read the first line.
Then stopped.
His face changed.
“Clara.”
She turned.
“What?”
Daniel handed her the letter.
Near the bottom, Rebecca had written something none of them expected.
If Victoria ever finds you, do not assume she is the only one searching.
Gerald knows why Charles really separated us.
And he is more dangerous than Robert.
Clara looked up.
The suite door stood open.
Adrian appeared in the hallway.
His face was pale.
“Clara.”
“What happened?”
“We found Gerald Whitmore.”
“Where?”
May you like
Adrian swallowed.
“At your house.”
