The Story Victoria Told
Chapter 04 - The Story Victoria Told
Victoria arrived at the suite at one in the morning wearing a navy coat over her evening gown.
She entered without greeting Abigail.
Her gaze went directly to the old photograph.
“Where did you get that?”
“Someone left it for me,” Abigail said.
Victoria looked at Martin.
He shook his head.
Nathan stood between his mother and Abigail.
“Did you arrange the contract?”
Victoria removed her gloves.
“I arranged protection.”
“You forged my signature.”
“I used a signature you willingly provided to the family office.”
Nathan’s voice hardened.
“That is fraud.”
“That is survival.”
Abigail expected arrogance.
Instead, Victoria looked frightened.
She told them Thomas Monroe had not been an innocent partner.
According to her, he borrowed against the first hotel without Henry’s approval and placed the company at risk.
“When the fire happened, the insurance investigation discovered irregularities,” Victoria said. “Henry removed him to save the business.”
Abigail studied her.
“My father was never charged.”
“Because Henry protected him.”
“Or because he did nothing wrong.”
Victoria turned to Nathan.
“This woman’s family nearly destroyed ours once. Now she appears thirty years later, marries you, and suddenly old claims resurface.”
Abigail’s face burned.
“I did not know any of this.”
“That is convenient.”
Nathan moved closer to his mother.
“You will not speak to my wife that way.”
Victoria stared at him.
“Your wife will own enough shares to remove you if the old agreement is found valid.”
Nathan did not look at Abigail.
He kept his eyes on his mother.
“Then perhaps she should.”
Victoria looked wounded.
For the first time, Abigail understood the cost of Nathan’s choice.
His entire life had been built around preserving the Whitmore company.
Now he was willing to risk it before knowing whether Abigail’s father was innocent.
Victoria took the unsigned champagne glass from the cart and set it aside.
“You think this is about money,” she told Abigail. “It is about what happened the night of the fire.”
“What happened?”
Victoria’s composure finally cracked.
“Your father was inside the hotel.”
Abigail’s breath stopped.
Victoria continued.
“And so was Nathan’s father.”
Nathan stared at her.
“My father died in a boating accident.”
Victoria looked at her son.
“No.”
May you like
The room became silent.
“He died in the fire your grandfather spent forty years covering up.”
