Chapter 4 - The Shadow in the Background
By eleven o'clock that evening, the storm had finally cleared, leaving Boston wrapped in a quiet, crisp blanket of night air.
The charity event had concluded, and Arthur Vance—desperate to avoid a public scandal and federal charges—had written me a certified cashier's check for fifty thousand dollars on the spot. It was back pay, stolen tips, and damages for wrongful termination, signed under the watchful eyes of Colonel Whitmore’s legal team.
I sat in the plush leather backseat of Alexander’s armored SUV, holding the check in my trembling hands. I couldn't believe it. Fifty thousand dollars.
Ava’s shoes. The electric bill. Rent for the next two years. Gone was the crushing weight that had been suffocating me for months.
"You look like you've seen a ghost, Megan," Eleanor said softly from the seat beside me, her foot resting comfortably on an elevated ottoman.
"I... I just don't know how to thank you," I whispered, tears brimming in my eyes. "Two hours ago, I thought my life was over."
Alexander sat in the front passenger seat, his massive shoulders blocking half the windshield. He turned his head around, looking at me with a rare, soft expression in his steel-blue eyes.
"You don't owe us thanks, Megan," Alexander said smoothly. "You saved my mother. In my book, that makes us forever in your debt."
He paused, his phone buzzing in his hand. He looked down at the screen, and I noticed his eyebrows instantly pull together into a tight, dark line.
"Is something wrong, Alexander?" Eleanor asked sharply, picking up on her son's sudden tension.
"It's about the house, Mother," Alexander said, his voice dropping an octave. "The security team at your estate in Beacon Hill just reported a breach."
Eleanor’s face instantly drained of color. "A breach? What do you mean?"
"Someone tried to access your private study twenty minutes ago," Alexander said, turning his body fully around to face us. "The silent alarm was tripped. Whoever it was knew the security codes."
"My brother," Eleanor breathed, her voice trembling for the first time all night. "It was Richard."
I looked between Eleanor and Alexander, completely lost. "Richard?"
Alexander’s face turned into a mask of pure iron. "My uncle, Richard Whitmore. He’s been trying to force my mother to sign over the family estate and the trust fund for the last six months. He claimed she was mentally unfit to handle her own affairs."
"That's why I left the hotel tonight!" Eleanor confessed, grabbing my hand tightly. "Richard sent his lawyers to my suite this afternoon. They threatened to have me committed to a private psychiatric facility if I didn't sign the power-of-attorney documents by tomorrow morning! I ran out because I was terrified... I slipped in the rain because I was looking over my shoulder, afraid his men were following me!"
A cold shock ran through my spine.
Everything suddenly clicked into place. Why Eleanor had panicked when I offered to call an ambulance. Why she was terrified of going to a hospital. She wasn't afraid of the injury—she was afraid her greedy brother would use a hospital admission as legal proof to strip away her freedom!
"He knew you were missing tonight, Mother," Alexander said, his eyes blazing with a terrifying, protective rage. "He thought you were helpless out in the storm. He sent his team to steal the original deeds from your safe while everyone was distracted looking for you."
"Did they get them?" Eleanor asked, her voice cracking.
May you like
"No," Alexander said, a ruthless smile appearing on his face. "Because Sergeant Miller caught them inside the house five minutes ago. And Richard is currently sitting in the study, waiting for us."
Alexander looked at the driver. "Take us to Beacon Hill. It’s time to end this once and for all."
