Chapter 5: The Betrayal Inside His Office
Aldric entered his company at seven the next morning.
His executive assistant, Reid Mercer, was already clearing files from his desk.
“Going somewhere?” Aldric asked.
Reid dropped a folder.
“You weren’t supposed to be back until Friday.”
“That seems to be a popular sentence.”
“I can explain.”
“Start with why your employee number authenticated a forged guardianship petition.”
Reid’s eyes moved toward the lift.
Conrad stepped out and blocked it.
“You must be the man who sent my deposit to an account owned by Heloise,” Conrad said.
“I never touched your money.”
“Then you won’t mind opening the company ledger.”
Reid reached for his computer.
Instead of entering a password, he pulled the power cable from the wall.
Aldric caught the monitor before it fell.
“That looked like fear.”
“It was panic,” Reid said.
“There’s a difference.”
“Tell me what Heloise offered you.”
Reid wiped his forehead.
“She said the house should have belonged to her after Elara was gone.
She said you had cheated the family.”
“So you helped her take Thora.”
“I helped prepare documents.
Corvin handled the court.”
“You knew they were using my child.”
“I didn’t know she was being mistreated.”
Aldric placed the photograph of Thora’s blanket on the desk.
“You knew enough.”
Reid looked away.
“Heloise paid my mortgage arrears.
She said no one would be hurt.”
A phone rang inside Reid’s open briefcase.
Aldric saw Heloise’s name and pressed the speaker button.
“Did you wipe the server?” Heloise asked.
Reid stared at Aldric.
“Answer her,” Aldric said.
“Heloise, Aldric is here.”
Silence filled the office.
Then Heloise said, “You foolish man.
I told you to leave before dawn.”
Aldric leaned toward the phone.
“The server isn’t being wiped.”
“You think that saves you?”
“It saves the records.”
“I have photographs of what you did to me.
Corvin has six statements from guests who saw you lose control.”
“Two of those guests are standing with me.”
“Then perhaps you should ask them what happens to their money if the sale fails.”
Conrad folded his arms.
“I’d rather lose a deposit than help you take a home from a child.”
“You won’t lose only the deposit,” Heloise said.
“I’ll make sure every investor hears you tried to buy disputed property.”
“Go ahead.”
Her voice sharpened.
“Aldric, sign the settlement before the hearing.
Give me the house, and I will withdraw my guardianship claim.”
“You just admitted the claim is leverage.”
“And you didn’t record me.”
Celeste entered holding her own phone.
“Actually, I did.”
Heloise went silent.
Celeste placed the device on the desk.
“I started recording during dinner because Corvin was pressuring me to witness papers I hadn’t read.”
“You have no right—”
“I have every right to preserve a conversation I was part of.”
Fiona arrived with a technician, who connected Reid’s computer to an external drive.
Lines of archived messages appeared on the monitor.
“There,” Fiona said.
“Payments from Heloise.
Draft petitions from Corvin.
Aldric’s travel itinerary sent to both of them.”
Reid sank into his chair.
“I’ll cooperate.”
“You will tell the court exactly what you did,” Aldric said.
“If I do, Corvin will ruin me.”
“If you don’t, Heloise will let you carry everything.”
Reid looked at the phone.
“There’s something else.”
Heloise shouted through the speaker.
“Keep your mouth shut!”
Reid flinched.
“Corvin said Elara left a second will.
Heloise has been searching the house for it.”
Aldric stared at him.
“Elara had one will.”
“No,” Reid said.
“Her final message said the second document changed who controlled Thora’s trust.”
Celeste tapped her recording and raised the volume.
Heloise’s voice came through clearly from the previous evening:
“If Aldric finds what Elara hid, I get nothing.”
May you like
The recording ended with Corvin asking one question.
“Did you check inside the child’s music box?”
