Chapter 4
Grace asked me to close the hospital room door.
I did.
Hope was watching cartoons in the adjoining family lounge with a hospital volunteer.
For the first time since our reunion, Grace looked ready to tell me something she'd been carrying for years.
I sat beside her bed.
"What happened?"
She took a breath.
"Before Victor accused me of stealing company files, I discovered something."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Financial records."
I frowned.
"Grace, you didn't work for Cross Technologies."
"No. But I sometimes helped you organize receipts and invoices when you were starting out."
I remembered.
In those early days, Grace had helped with almost everything.
She sorted paperwork.
Brought meals.
Helped me prepare investor presentations.
She believed in the company almost as much as I did.
"One evening," she continued, "I noticed a payment from the company to a consulting firm."
I nodded.
"So?"
"The company didn't have many clients. I recognized most of the expenses."
She looked directly at me.
"This one was different."
I leaned forward.
"How?"
"It was a large payment. And the consulting company's address matched a business Victor had mentioned owning years earlier."
My pulse quickened.
"How much?"
"Almost four hundred thousand dollars."
I stared at her.
"Four hundred thousand?"
She nodded.
"I thought it might be a mistake."
"What did you do?"
"I asked Victor about it."
I closed my eyes.
That was the moment everything changed.
Grace continued.
"He told me it was confidential."
I waited.
"Then he warned me not to mention it to you."
My stomach turned.
"Did you?"
"Yes."
I stared at her.
"I remember you trying to talk to me about company expenses."
She nodded.
"But you were exhausted. You said we'd discuss it later."
I remembered that night.
We'd argued about how much time I spent working.
I thought Grace wanted me to take a break.
I hadn't understood that she was trying to warn me.
"Two days later," she whispered, "Victor accused me of stealing files."
I felt sick.
"And everyone believed him."
She looked away.
I stared at the floor.
For six years, I'd thought Grace had betrayed me.
Now I was beginning to understand that she may have been the only person trying to protect me.
"Why didn't you tell the investigators?"
"I did."
She looked at me.
"I told them everything."
I frowned.
"But the investigation found suspicious files on your computer."
Grace nodded.
"I know."
I stared at her.
"Then how—"
"I don't know exactly how they got there. But I know I didn't put them there."
She took a shaky breath.
"Victor had access to the office computer system."
My hands tightened.
I remembered Aaron's report.
Victor's credentials.
The restricted archive.
The suspicious access logs.
Everything was beginning to connect.
I looked at Grace.
"Did Victor threaten you?"
She hesitated.
Then nodded.
"After you broke up with me, he came to my apartment."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
"He told me to leave the city."
I stared at her.
"He said if I stayed, the investigation could become criminal."
Grace's voice trembled.
"He said nobody would believe me because you already thought I was guilty."
I felt anger burning beneath my skin.
"Why didn't you call me?"
She looked at me sadly.
"Damon, you had already blocked my number."
I closed my eyes.
She was right.
I had done that.
Not Victor.
Me.
I had made it easy for him to isolate her.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
Grace looked down.
I continued.
"I can't change what happened. But I will find out the truth."
She was silent.
Then she said, "Promise me something."
"Anything."
"Don't let this become another fight about money."
I frowned.
"What do you mean?"
She looked toward the family lounge.
"Hope has already lost enough."
My chest tightened.
"I know."
"She needs safety. She needs stability."
Grace's voice broke.
"And she needs people who won't disappear when life becomes difficult."
The words struck harder than any accusation.
I nodded.
"I understand."
But understanding wasn't enough.
I needed to prove it.
Over the next several days, Rachel and Aaron worked to preserve the records and coordinate with independent forensic specialists.
We couldn't simply accuse Victor without proof.
I had learned what happened when people acted on assumptions.
This time, I would do things differently.
Meanwhile, Grace slowly recovered.
Her fever improved.
Her strength returned.
And Hope began treating the hospital like a strange temporary home.
She made friends with the nurses.
She drew pictures for the doctors.
And every afternoon, she asked whether I would come back.
At first, the question hurt.
Then it became my favorite part of the day.
One evening, I arrived carrying a small paper bag.
Hope ran toward me.
"Cake man!"
I laughed.
"Hello, princess."
She stopped.
"Did you bring cake?"
I held up the bag.
"Better."
Her eyes widened.
"Better than cake?"
I nodded.
She opened it.
Inside was a pair of bright pink sneakers.
She stared at them.
Then looked at me.
"For me?"
"For you."
She carefully touched one shoe.
"They're new."
"Yes."
Her expression changed.
"Can I keep them?"
I felt my throat tighten.
"Of course."
She looked at Grace.
"Mama, can I?"
Grace smiled through tears.
"Yes, sweetheart."
Hope sat on the floor and tried them on.
They fit perfectly.
She jumped to her feet.
Then ran in a circle.
"Look! I can run!"
I laughed.
Grace covered her mouth.
Hope suddenly stopped in front of me.
Then wrapped her arms around my legs.
"Thank you."
I knelt and hugged her.
For a moment, I forgot every business problem waiting outside that room.
Then Hope pulled back.
"Do you have a daughter?"
The question surprised me.
I looked at Grace.
She went still.
I turned back to Hope.
"Well..."
Hope tilted her head.
"Because you're really good at being nice to kids."
My chest tightened.
I smiled.
"I'm still learning."
She nodded seriously.
"You should have one."
I glanced at Grace again.
Her eyes were filled with tears.
Then Hope ran off to show a nurse her new shoes.
I sat beside Grace.
Neither of us spoke for a long time.
Finally, she whispered, "She's been asking about her father."
I looked at her.
"What have you told her?"
"That her father was someone I loved very much."
My eyes burned.
"Grace."
She shook her head.
"I never told her you abandoned us."
I stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because I didn't want her growing up believing she wasn't wanted."
I couldn't speak.
She continued.
"I told her sometimes grown-ups make mistakes."
I looked toward Hope.
She was laughing with a nurse.
Then I whispered, "I want to tell her."
Grace studied my face.
"Tell her what?"
"That I'm her father."
Her eyes widened.
I continued.
"When she's ready. When you're ready."
She looked down.
For several seconds, I feared she'd refuse.
Then she nodded.
"Let me speak to her first."
Relief flooded through me.
"Of course."
That evening, I left the hospital feeling something unfamiliar.
Hope.
Real hope.
But when I reached my office, Rachel was waiting.
Her expression was serious.
"Damon, we have a problem."
I froze.
"What happened?"
She placed a financial report on my desk.
"Victor has been transferring company assets."
My stomach tightened.
"How much?"
She hesitated.
"Potentially tens of millions."
I stared at her.
"Where?"
"Through a network of companies connected to his personal associates."
I felt cold.
Rachel continued.
"And we believe he's preparing to leave the country."
I looked toward the window.
Victor wasn't simply hiding an old secret.
He was trying to escape with the money.
I reached for my phone.
But Rachel stopped me.
"There's one more thing."
I looked at her.
She swallowed.
"One of the companies receiving those transfers is controlled by Elisa Rochefort."
The same woman who had screamed at my hungry daughter.
May you like
And suddenly, I realized the charity gala hadn't been the beginning of this nightmare.
It was only the place where everything finally started coming apart.
