“I was driving to meet a federal investigator. Julian intercepted me in the parking garage. He said Father only wanted to talk.”
Her voice became distant.
“They took my phone and documents. Father told me I could protect the family or destroy it. I refused to sign a statement saying I had stolen the money.”
“So they imprisoned you?”
“At first, they kept me in a private clinic outside the city. They told the staff I was unstable. I was pregnant, though no one in the family knew.”
She touched Noah’s cheek.
“A nurse eventually helped me escape. I changed my name and spent years moving from place to place. Every time I tried to contact the authorities, someone found me.”
“Julian?”
“Usually men working for him.”
“Why didn’t you contact me directly?”
“I did.”
“I never received anything.”
“Because Father watched you. Your assistants, your drivers, even your apartment staff reported to him. I was terrified that contacting you would lead Julian to Noah.”
A tear slid down her cheek.
“But I became ill last year. When Julian found us again, I knew I was running out of time. The gala was my last chance. I knew there would be witnesses.”
“Where is the red ledger?”
Lydia looked at the brass key in my hand.
“Still where Evelyn left it.”
“At Union Central Bank?”
She nodded.
“The ledger is in the deposit box, along with copies of the transfers. But there is something else.”
“What?”
“An audio recording.”
Marcus leaned forward.
“Of whom?”
“Conrad and Julian.”
My sister’s eyes returned to mine.
“They argued after I refused to sign the confession. Julian wanted to make certain I could never speak. Father stopped him, but not because he cared about me. He was worried about the attention my death might attract.”
The room fell silent.
Noah buried his face against his mother’s shoulder.
I took Lydia’s hand.
“They will not reach you again.”
“You don’t know how powerful Father is.”
“I know exactly how powerful he is. He taught me how his world works.”
A car door slammed outside.
Noah sat up sharply.
Lydia’s expression changed.
“They found us.”
Footsteps climbed the metal staircase.
Marcus moved toward the window.
“Three men,” he said. “No visible weapons. One of them is Julian.”
I pulled out my phone.
Before leaving the gala, I had contacted federal investigators and sent them the address of the apartment. I had also activated a live audio connection with an attorney I trusted.
The footsteps stopped outside the door.
Julian knocked.
“Audrey,” he called calmly. “Open the door. We need to solve this before it becomes worse.”
I looked at Lydia.
For eight years, she had survived by hiding.
Now she slowly pushed herself upright.
“Let him in.”
Chapter Four
The Price of Silence
Julian entered wearing the same tuxedo he had worn at the gala.
Rain darkened his shoulders. Without the ballroom lights and admiring guests, he looked less like the heir to an empire and more like a frightened man who had finally lost control.
Two security employees remained on the landing.
Marcus kept his phone pointed toward Julian.
“You’re recording me?” Julian asked.
“Yes.”
“Turn it off.”
“No.”
Julian looked at me.
“You have created a scandal that could destroy thousands of jobs.”
“You mean it could destroy you.”
“Our company employs more than twenty thousand people. Banks, pension funds, and families depend on us.”
Lydia gave a weak laugh.
“You always did hide behind other people.”
His eyes moved to the bed.
For an instant, I saw surprise. He had not expected Lydia to still be alive.
“You should have left when I warned you,” he said.
“You should never have come near my son.”
“I was trying to protect him.”
Noah pressed closer to his mother.
“By frightening him?”
“I offered you money, Lydia. A new home. Medical care. You refused.”
“You wanted the ledger.”
“I wanted this madness to end.”
I stepped between them.
“It ends tonight.”
Julian sighed.
“You don’t understand Father. Once he realizes what you have done, he will protect the company by any means necessary.”
“Is that a warning?”
“It is the truth.”
A second set of footsteps sounded on the stairs.
My father entered the apartment.
Conrad Vale looked utterly out of place beneath the cracked ceiling. His tailored coat was wet, and the anger he had concealed at the gala had finally surfaced.
He stared at Lydia.
“You have always been selfish,” he said.
I could hardly believe the words.
“She was imprisoned because she found evidence of your crimes.”
“I built everything this family has. Do you imagine companies of that size survive through innocence?”
“You stole money meant for children.”
“I redirected capital.”
Lydia shook her head.
“You even have a respectable phrase for theft.”
My father turned to me.
“Come home, Audrey.”
“This is my home now.”