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The Vancouver night wrapped around me like a cold shroud as I approached Dr. Chen’s
Victorian–style home. The protection detail Leo insisted on melted into the shadows of neighboring properties, invisible but present. Through my earpiece, I could hear Sofia coordinating their positions.
“Security system’s disabled,” she confirmed. “You have fifteen minutes before it resets.”
I slipped through the side gate, remembering countless hospital consultations in Dr. Chen’s.
office. He’d always been kind, professional – until the day Nathaniel suggested the Swiss clinic.
After that, something in his eyes had changed. Now I understood why.
The spare key was exactly where Sofia’s intel said it would be, tucked beneath a loose brick
in the garden wall. Inside, the house smelled of antiseptic and old books – the same scent I
remembered from his office.
“Second floor study,” Sofia directed. “Our source says he keeps patient records in a hidden safe behind the Monet print.
I climbed the stairs silently, my heart pounding against my ribs. Family photos lined the walls – Dr. Chen with Jessica at her medical school graduation, at family dinners, at holidays. Had he known then what kind of person his daughter would become?
The study door creaked softly as I pushed it open. Moonlight spilled through tall windows, illuminating walls of medical texts and framed credentials. The Monet print hung exactly where
Sofia said it would.
“Seven minutes,” she reminded me.
My fingers trembled as I felt behind the frame, finding the slight depression that triggered the safe’s release. The door swung open silently, revealing stacks of files and a small laptop.
“Got it,” I whispered, pulling everything out. “Starting the download now.”
As Sofia’s program copied the laptop’s contents, I flipped through the physical files. Most were standard patient records, but one caught my eye – a thick folder marked simply “C.L.”
My mother’s initials.
With shaking hands, I opened it. Pages of notes spilled out, along with what looked like private correspondence. One envelope bore yesterday’s date.
“Victoria,” it began in Dr. Chen’s precise handwriting. “If you’re reading this, something has happened to me. I’ve spent years trying to gather the courage to tell you the truth about your mother’s death. About what Nathaniel made me do.”
My breath caught. Through the earpiece, I heard Sofia’s sharp intake of air.
“The treatments he insisted on they were designed to fail. But it was worse than that. The medications he had me prescribe… they were causing additional complications. When I realized what was happening and tried to change the protocol, he threatened Jessica. Showed me photos of her leaving her apartment, her workplace. Made it clear that if I didn’t cooperate, my
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daughter would suffer.”
Tears blurred my vision as I read on.
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“Your mother knew something was wrong. She begged me to tell you, but by then Nathaniel had too much power. The day she died, she wasn’t meant to. The dose was supposed to keep her weak, compliant. But her heart couldn’t take it anymore.”
“Victoria.” Sofia’s voice was urgent in my ear. “Movement at the front of the house. Multiple vehicles approaching.”
I shoved the papers into my jacket. “Almost done. The download’s at 95%.”
“You need to move. Now. They’re not hospital staff.”
The laptop chimed softly download complete. I grabbed it and turned to leave, but something else in the safe caught my eye. A small USB drive labeled “Insurance.”
“Thirty seconds,” Sofia warned. “They’re entering the house.”
I snatched the drive and closed the safe, replacing the painting. Footsteps echoed from the
lower floor.
“Side window,” Sofia directed. “There’s a trellis you can use to reach the ground.”
I was halfway out the window when a familiar voice drifted up the stairs.
“Search everything,” Jessica ordered. “If my father kept records, they have to be here
somewhere.”
The trellis creaked beneath my weight as I climbed down, pressing myself against the shadows. Above, lights flicked o
in the study.
“The safe’s been opened!” A male voice called out. “Recently.”
“Find her!” Jessica’s voice cracked with rage. “She has to be here somewhere!”
I dropped the last few feet to the ground, landing in a crouch. The protection detail
materialized from the darkness, hustling me toward the waiting car.
“Well, well.” The voice froze my blood. “Going somewhere, darling?”
Nathaniel stepped out of the shadows, blocking our path to the car. In his hand, a gun gleamed dully in the moonlight.
“Did you really think I wouldn’t figure it out?” He smiled, the expression never reaching his eyes. “You always were so predictable, Victoria. Just like your mother.”
Behind me, I heard Jessica and her men emerging from the house. We were surrounded.
“You know what’s interesting?” Nathaniel continued conversationally, taking a step closer. “Dr. Chen woke up briefly at the hospital. Started rambling about evidence, about secrets. About
you.”
My fingers tightened around the USB drive in my pocket. “What did you do to him?” His laugh was soft, cruel. “Let’s just say he won’t be rambling anymore.”
“You’re a monster,” I whispered.
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porcu,
“No, Victoria.” He raised the gun. “I’m a businessman. And right now, you’re interfering wi my business.”
A red dot appeared on his chest – a sniper’s laser sight. Leo’s voice came through my earpiece, cold as winter. “One more step, and I paint the sidewalk with your brains.”
Nathaniel’s smile widened. “Ah, the cavalry arrives. But tell me, Leo – did you check on you empire while you were playing protector? It would be a shame if something happened to all those legitimate businesses you’re so
ud of.”
My phone buzzed. The message that appeared made my heart stop:
“By the way,” Nathaniel said, watching my face. “Did Victoria ever tell you what really happened the night her father died?”
My heart stonned an
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Marry My Ex husband’s Rival
noppericu mie niyninici taliei uieu)
