Chapter 6 - The Mother Who Begged for Protection
Marlene locked the door herself.
The woman who had controlled every room she entered now struggled to hold the key steady.
“Where did you get the laptop?” Sloane asked.
“I took it from the dining room.”
“You shut off the lights.”
“Yes.”
“You disabled the cameras.”
“I know the system code.”
“Bryce gave it to you?”
Marlene looked away.
“Answer her,” Gavin said.
“He gave it to me when I moved in.”
“You stole the laptop to protect him,” Sloane said.
“At first.”
“At first?”
“I thought I could remove the files before you saw more.”
“Why did you bring it here?”
“Because I found a folder Bryce had hidden.”
Marlene pointed toward the screen.
“The recording was inside it.”
“You attended that meeting.”
“I attended part of it.”
“You received stolen company money.”
“I did not know it was stolen.”
“You supported Bryce while he framed Gavin.”
“I believed what my son told me.”
“You called Gavin guilty before the investigation ended.”
Marlene’s voice broke.
“I was wrong.”
Gavin gave a bitter laugh.
“You were cruel. That is not the same as being wrong.”
Marlene closed her eyes.
“I know.”
Sloane did not allow sympathy to distract her.
“Why are you afraid of Bryce?”
“Because the recording is incomplete.”
She opened a drawer and removed a small external drive.
“This contains the original version.”
“Why did you have it?”
“I began recording the meeting after Emilia threatened to leave. I thought I might need leverage.”
“Against whom?”
“Everyone.”
That answer sounded honest.
Marlene connected the drive.
The complete recording began several minutes earlier than the laptop version.
Bryce sat beside Emilia on the hotel sofa. His hand rested on her stomach.
Martin arranged documents on a table.
Marlene stood near the window.
Emilia spoke first.
“I will not help you make Sloane appear incompetent.”
“You are not helping,” Bryce replied. “You are notarizing papers.”
“The papers transfer her house.”
“Into a trust for my child.”
“Your child does not own her house.”
Bryce’s expression hardened.
“My wife owns everything because an old woman preferred her bloodline to mine.”
Marlene turned from the window.
“You knew that before you married her.”
“I believed she would share control.”
“She gave you the chief financial position.”
“She gave me a title. She kept the voting shares.”
Martin interrupted.
“The board can suspend her authority if there is evidence she placed the company at risk.”
Emilia looked at him.
“What evidence?”
Martin lifted a folder.
“The city project. We increase the projected liability, create concerns about her decision-making and recommend temporary financial supervision.”
“By Bryce?”
“Initially.”
“And Gavin?”
Bryce smiled.
“Gavin is the explanation for the missing funds. His behavior will help us show that Sloane protects family members at the company’s expense.”
Sloane felt Gavin become still beside her.
The recording continued.
Emilia looked frightened.
“You said no one would be hurt.”
“No one will be hurt if everyone cooperates.”
Marlene approached the table.
“This is going too far.”
Bryce looked at his mother.
“You already accepted the money.”
“You said it came from a hospitality investment.”
“And now you know differently.”
Marlene’s face changed.
“You trapped me.”
“I protected your loyalty.”
Bryce reached for the documents.
“Once Sloane signs, the house moves into the trust. Martin files the governance complaint. The board suspends her. Gavin faces criminal charges. By the time anyone understands the full structure, the assets will be secured.”
Emilia whispered, “For us?”
Bryce smiled at her.
“For our family.”
Then Martin asked the question that transformed the plan into something darker.
“What about Evelyn’s private ledger?”
Bryce’s expression sharpened.
“She never told Sloane where it was.”
Marlene spoke quickly.
“That ledger has nothing to do with the company.”
“It has everything to do with the house.”
“You promised not to involve it.”
Bryce stood.
“I promised what I needed to promise.”
The recording ended abruptly.
Sloane stared at the black screen.
“What ledger?” she asked.
Marlene removed the drive.
“I don’t know.”
“You reacted as if you did.”
“Your grandmother once accused Bryce’s father of stealing from her. She kept records.”
“My grandmother barely knew Bryce’s father.”
“She knew more than she admitted.”
Gavin stepped closer.
“What was Bryce planning to do if Sloane refused to sign?”
Marlene did not answer.
Gavin repeated the question.
“What was he planning?”
Marlene’s hands began trembling again.
“He prepared medical reports.”
Sloane felt the room tilt.
“What medical reports?”
“Psychological evaluations. Prescription records. Statements claiming that after Evelyn died, you became paranoid and incapable of making financial decisions.”
“I have never been evaluated.”
“The doctor was paid.”
“By whom?”
“Martin arranged it.”
Sloane looked toward the door.
“Then we call the police.”
Marlene grabbed her arm.
“You cannot.”
“Why?”
“Because Bryce has already sent the reports to two board members. If you accuse him tonight, he will say you are having the breakdown he predicted.”
“I have the recording.”
“He will say it was edited.”
“The original file contains metadata.”
“He has something else.”
“What?”
Marlene’s voice fell to a whisper.
“A video of you entering the company vault on the night the funds disappeared.”
“I was not there.”
“The woman in the video looks exactly like you.”
Gavin stared at Sloane.
“A deepfake?”
Marlene shook her head.
“No. A real woman.”
Sloane remembered employees mentioning that someone had seen her in the building late at night. She had dismissed it as a mistake.
“Who was she?”
“I never saw her face clearly.”
“You said she looked exactly like me.”
“From the cameras, yes.”
“Who hired her?”
Marlene looked toward the laptop.
“Bryce called her the replacement.”
A knock sounded at the door.
Bryce’s voice came from the hallway.
“Mother, open the door.”
No one moved.
“I know Sloane is inside,” he continued. “Open the door before this becomes worse.”
Marlene backed away.
Bryce tried the handle.
“Mother.”
His voice was calm again.
That frightened Marlene more than shouting would have.
Sloane whispered to Gavin, “Send the recording to Naomi.”
Gavin connected his phone to the drive.
The upload began.
Bryce struck the door.
The wood shook.
“Open it now.”
The progress bar reached thirty percent.
Then the mansion’s wireless network disappeared.
The upload stopped.
May you like
Bryce struck the door again.
A crack formed near the lock.
