Chapter 1 - The Shadow Behind the Diamonds
I looked at the screen of my phone,
and then I looked at Vanessa.
Her hand flew to her throat,
covering the three-hundred-thousand-dollar necklace,
as if the gems could shield her from the truth.
The room was silent,
except for the faint sound of the wind rattling the windowpanes.
The guests stood like frozen statues,
clutching their champagne flutes,
waiting for the explosion.
"You thought I was just building offices,"
I said,
my voice dropping to a low,
dangerous growl.
"You thought I was too busy with spreadsheets to check the security logs."
I turned the phone around.
On the screen,
a grainy video began to play.
It wasn’t a video of the party.
It was a recording from the nursery,
taken three weeks ago.
In the video,
Vanessa was screaming at Grace,
who had accidentally spilled a drop of water on Vanessa’s designer shoes.
The guests gasped as they watched Vanessa shake the five-year-old girl.
"But that isn't the best part,"
I whispered,
scrolling to the next file.
This was a bank statement.
It showed the four million dollars I had sent for the children’s trust fund.
The balance was zero.
The money hadn’t gone to teachers,
or doctors,
or nannies.
It had been funneled into an offshore account in the Cayman Islands.
Vanessa’s face turned from pale to a sickly shade of grey.
"Nathan,
I can explain,"
she stammered,
taking a step back.
"The market is volatile,
I was just trying to protect our future."
"Our future?"
I laughed,
but there was no humor in it.
"You were preparing for my absence."
I looked at the crowd of socialites.
"Leave,"
I commanded.
"Get out of my house,
before I have the police escort you out as accomplices."
The room emptied in seconds.
Fur coats were grabbed,
shoes clicked frantically on the marble,
and the heavy oak doors slammed shut.
Now,
it was just me,
the woman I had mistakenly married,
and the haunting memory of my daughters’ blue feet.
I walked toward her,
each step echoing like a drumbeat.
"I found the hidden suitcase in the attic,
Vanessa."
She froze.
"The one with the fake passports,"
I continued.
"And the documents signed in my name,
forging my consent to send the girls to a boarding school in Eastern Europe."
She opened her mouth to scream,
but I held up a hand.
"The police are already at the gate."
"You can't do this!"
she shrieked,
her poise finally shattering.
"I am your wife!"
"You were a mistake,"
I said,
"and mistakes are meant to be erased."
I turned my back on her,
walking toward the stairs.
I had four little girls to save,
and a lifetime of neglect to atone for.
The diamonds on the floor meant nothing.
The moldy bread was the only thing I could see.
I climbed the stairs,
ignoring her hysterical cries.
My heart was breaking,
but my mind was clearer than it had ever been.
This wasn't just a home anymore.
It was a crime scene.
And I was the lead investigator.
I reached the hallway,
the cold air hitting my face again.
I needed to get them warm.
I needed to make them believe in Christmas again.
But first,
I had to ensure Vanessa never saw the sun as a free woman again.
I dialed my head of security.
"The files are sent,"
May you like
I said.
"Initiate the lockdown."
