Chapter 8 - The Woman Everyone Blamed Was Secretly Trying To Save Us
Everything we believed was wrong.
Celeste had not poisoned Margaret.
She had been investigating the poisoning from inside the family.
She had pretended to betray Adrian because she had discovered that someone was watching her.
The person behind it all was Margaret's own brother.
Victor had been a decoy.
The real mastermind was an old family attorney named Raymond Hale.
He had controlled the financial network for decades.
He knew about me.
He knew about the ledger.
And he knew Adrian would eventually destroy the criminal side of the empire.
So he created a plan.
Poison Margaret.
Blame Celeste.
Manipulate Victor.
Find Nora.
Force Adrian into a war.
Then take control.
We went after Hale.
But he was always ahead.
He kidnapped Daniel.
Then Margaret.
Then me.
It happened in seconds.
A black vehicle.
A cloth over my mouth.
Darkness.
When I woke, I was tied to a chair inside an abandoned warehouse.
Margaret sat across from me.
She was injured but conscious.
Hale stood nearby.
“You have no idea what your family costs,” he said.
I looked at Margaret.
She nodded subtly.
Then I noticed something.
A metal pipe behind me.
My hands were tied loosely.
Not enough to escape quickly.
Enough to try.
Hale left the room.
Margaret whispered:
“Three minutes.”
“What?”
“Adrian will come.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I called him.”
Hale returned.
He held a gun.
The door exploded open.
Adrian stormed inside.
Security followed.
Gunfire erupted.
I ducked.
Margaret screamed.
Hale ran.
Adrian reached me.
“Are you hurt?”
“No.”
He cut my restraints.
Then he hugged me.
Hard.
I had never felt him lose control before.
Now I did.
He buried his face against my hair.
“I thought I lost you.”
“You didn't.”
He pulled back.
His hands framed my face.
“Never do that again.”
“I didn't exactly volunteer.”
He laughed shakily.
Then Hale appeared behind him.
He raised the gun.
Daniel fired first.
Hale fell.
Silence.
No one moved.
Then Daniel looked at Adrian.
“It's over.”
Adrian stared at the fallen man.
“No.”
He looked at me.
“It ends now.”
The criminal empire would be dismantled.
The illegal accounts exposed.
The corrupt employees arrested.
The company reorganized.
Adrian handed control of Hargrove Health Group to an independent board.
He kept the hospitals.
He shut down everything else.
Celeste disappeared from public life.
Victor testified.
And Margaret recovered.
Months later, Adrian asked me to move into the lake house.
I refused.
He looked offended.
“You said you loved me.”
“I do.”
“Then why?”
“Because I need my own apartment.”
He laughed.
“Fine.”
“I also need my own career.”
“Fine.”
“And no security following me everywhere.”
He sighed.
“Negotiable.”
I smiled.
“You're learning.”
May you like
He kissed my forehead.
“I had a good teacher.”
