Chapter 11 - She Was Never Hired by AccidentEmily found Victoria before noon.
Not at the castle.
At the family’s private riverside estate fifteen miles away.
Police had located the vehicle.
Richard insisted on coming.
Emily told him no.
“This is between her and me.”
He looked at her.
“She tried to drown you.”
“And she hired me knowing I owned what she thought was hers.”
Richard went silent.
Emily arrived with two detectives.
Victoria was sitting on the terrace drinking coffee.
She didn’t look surprised.
“I wondered when you’d work it out.”
Emily stopped several feet away.
“You knew who I was.”
“Yes.”
“Before I ever came to the castle.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victoria looked toward the river.
“Because your mother ruined everything.”
Emily’s jaw tightened.
“My mother died.”
“She had six months to die.”
One detective shifted.
Emily’s voice dropped.
“What does that mean?”
Victoria looked at her.
“Anna came to me because she needed a witness for the trust.”
“Why you?”
“Because I was expected to inherit.”
“So she wanted you to know.”
“She wanted to humiliate me.”
Emily shook her head.
“You’re projecting.”
Victoria stood.
“She told me the entire estate belonged to her bloodline.”
“And you hired me afterward.”
Victoria smiled.
“I wanted to see you.”
“See me?”
“The mysterious heir.”
Emily stared.
“You made me scrub floors.”
“You applied for domestic work.”
“You flagged my application.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victoria’s expression became cold.
“Because I wanted to know what kind of woman could take everything from me.”
Emily almost laughed.
“I didn’t know any of this existed.”
“That made it worse.”
“Why?”
“Because you didn’t even have to fight for it.”
Emily looked at her.
Victoria’s voice sharpened.
“I spent my entire life being trained to run Whitmore Holdings.”
“You spent your entire life believing it belonged to you.”
“It should.”
“But it doesn’t.”
Victoria’s jaw clenched.
Emily continued.
“So the fountain…”
Victoria looked away.
“You broke a tray.”
“That wasn’t why.”
“No.”
“You wanted to humiliate me.”
Victoria smiled faintly.
“I wanted to see whether you would act like an heir when nobody knew.”
Emily stared.
“And?”
“You begged.”
The words hit.
Emily took one step closer.
“I begged because I couldn’t breathe.”
Victoria’s smile vanished.
“You held my head underwater to prove I wasn’t worthy of money I didn’t even know existed.”
Victoria said nothing.
Emily looked at the detectives.
“Are we done?”
One nodded.
Victoria’s expression changed.
“Wait.”
Emily turned.
“You think Richard is on your side?”
Emily paused.
Victoria smiled.
“He knew about the trust.”
“No.”
“He knew enough.”
“What does that mean?”
“He knew Eleanor had moved assets.”
Emily stared.
“He told me he didn’t.”
“Of course he did.”
Victoria walked closer.
“Ask him why Anna refused to make him trustee.”
Emily’s stomach tightened.
“Trustee?”
Victoria nodded.
“Your mother could have named Richard to manage the inheritance.”
“But she didn’t.”
“No.”
“Who did she name?”
Victoria smiled.
“You haven’t found that page yet?”
Emily felt cold.
Victoria leaned closer.
“Your mother named someone else.”
“Who?”
“A man Richard hates.”
Emily stared.
“Who?”
Victoria whispered the name.
“Michael Hale.”
Emily froze.
Hale.
Her grandfather’s family.
“Who is Michael?”
Victoria’s smile widened.
“Jonathan Hale’s son.”
Emily’s pulse hammered.
“That would make him…”
“Your mother’s half-brother.”
Emily’s mind spun.
An uncle she had never known existed.
Victoria continued.
“And unlike Richard…”
May you like
Her voice became almost amused.
“Michael has known about you since the day you were born.”
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