Chapter 2: The Snake in the Grass
Three weeks passed, and the Hayes mansion descended into a living nightmare.
Ethan went on a total hunger strike, refusing to speak to his father. He wouldn't even look at his purple crutches, choosing instead to sit silently in his wheelchair, staring out the window. Alexander spent hundreds of thousands of dollars hiring new agencies, but Ethan screamed every time a new nurse came near him.
Meanwhile, the media firestorm grew worse. The anonymous source kept leaking details about the household. Alexander’s company stock began to dip from the bad press. He was losing control of his empire, and he was losing his son.
Late one evening, Alexander sat in his dark library, a glass of scotch untouched on his desk. He was reviewing the mansion's financial audit, trying to find proof of Sophia’s betrayal.
Suddenly, a notification popped up on his laptop. It was a motion-sensor alert from the mansion's security cameras, triggered from the back-office corridor—an area the staff rarely used at night.
Frowning, Alexander opened the live feed.
His breath hitched. It wasn't Sophia. It was Dr. Harrison and Nurse Evelyn.
The camera showed them in the medical supply room. Nurse Evelyn was shoving expensive, un-administered medications into her designer handbag. Dr. Harrison was on his phone, laughing.
Alexander clicked the audio feed, his heart pounding in his ears.
"...Yeah, the article keeps the pressure on him," Dr. Harrison’s voice filtered through the laptop speakers. "As long as Hayes thinks the maid leaked it, he’ll keep firing staff and relying on us. I’ve already billed his accountant for twelve fake therapy sessions this month. The billionaire is too busy mourning his dead wife to notice we aren't doing jack shit for the kid."
Nurse Evelyn snickered. "And that little brat Ethan is so weak, he’ll never get better anyway. We just keep him comfortable, pocket the cash, and sell the 'neglected billionaire baby' updates to the tabloids. It's a goldmine."
Alexander felt a rage so violent it blinded him. The very people he had trusted, the people with the highest credentials, were the ones destroying his son and selling his life to the highest bidder. Sophia had been innocent all along. She was the only one who actually cared.
He didn't call the police right away. He wanted them trapped.
Alexander walked down to the medical room, his presence looming like a dark god of vengeance. When he kicked the door open, both Harrison and Evelyn gasped, dropping the stolen goods.
"Mr. Hayes!" Dr. Harrison stuttered, turning pale. "We were just... checking the inventory—"
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"Save it," Alexander said, his voice terrifyingly calm as he held up his phone, showing the recording. "The police are already at the gates. You will both be ruined. I will ensure you lose your licenses, your freedom, and every dime you ever stole from my son."
As the police dragged the screaming fraudsters away in handcuffs, Alexander stood in the driveway, the cold autumn wind biting his face. He felt a profound wave of shame. He had protected his wealth, but he had failed as a father. He had banished the only light left in Ethan's life.
