“Because she’s clever.”
“Have you seen the agreement she brought?”
Silence.
“Victoria?”
“No.”
“Then how do you know what it contains?”
“I know people like her.”
Alexander looked at the photograph of his parents on the desk.
“Did your mother work with my father?”
Victoria’s breathing changed.
“Why are you asking that?”
“Answer the question.”
“Yes, she worked for Whitmore Global. That was years ago.”
“Did she work with Daniel Carter?”
“Alexander, I don’t understand why you’re doing this.”
“Because I found my father’s letter.”
The silence that followed lasted several seconds.
Then Victoria spoke in a much quieter voice.
“What letter?”
“The one he wrote to Daniel three days before the scandal.”
“Where did you get it?”
“Emily gave it to me.”
Victoria exhaled sharply.
“You shouldn’t have read it.”
Alexander froze.
“What did you just say?”
“I mean, you shouldn’t let her influence you.”
“No. You said I shouldn’t have read it.”
“You’re twisting my words.”
“Did you know about the letter?”
She hung up.
Alexander stared at his phone.
For the first time, his suspicions were becoming more than vague concerns. Victoria knew something about the past, and she was terrified that he might discover it.
At nine o’clock, he entered the boardroom.
Seven directors sat around the long table, their expressions carefully neutral. Richard occupied the chair at the head, while Margaret Hale sat to his right.
Alexander had not expected to see her there.
She was a sophisticated woman in her early sixties, with silver-blonde hair and an elegant cream suit. She wore a small diamond brooch and carried herself with the confidence of someone accustomed to being obeyed.
“Alexander,” she said warmly. “Your father tells me you’ve had an eventful evening.”
“Apparently, everyone knows about it except me.”
Margaret smiled.
