Chapter 8 - THE OTHER VALE
Adrian landed in Washington shortly after midnight.
For the first time in years, he flew commercial.
The company jet was unavailable to him pending investigation.
His corporate travel privileges had been restricted.
He hated every second of it.
That embarrassment vanished when he saw Noah.
The boy was asleep on a sofa inside Charles Whitmore’s Georgetown townhouse, one hand curled around a stuffed dinosaur.
Adrian stopped in the doorway.
He hadn’t seen his son in four days.
It felt much longer.
Claire stood behind him.
“Don’t wake him.”
Adrian nodded.
He surprised himself by obeying.
For several seconds they simply watched Noah sleep.
Then Adrian whispered,
“I should have been better.”
Claire looked at him.
“At what?”
“This.”
She didn’t rescue him from the answer.
“Being his father.”
Adrian swallowed.
“I thought there would always be time.”
Claire’s voice was quiet.
“So did I.”
They went into the study.
Savannah sat with Miriam and two private security officers.
When Adrian saw her, fury returned.
Savannah stood.
“Adrian—”
“No.”
He pointed toward her.
“You don’t get to say my name like we’re anything.”
Her face tightened.
“You lied about being married.”
“Yes.”
“You lied about the pregnancy?”
Savannah looked down.
Adrian laughed once.
“Answer.”
“I was never pregnant.”
The words landed harder than he expected.
Adrian stepped backward.
There had been no child.
No son.
No future.
He thought of every time Savannah guided his hand toward her stomach.
Every doctor appointment she claimed to attend.
Every conversation about names.
It had all been theater.
“You let me believe—”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To keep you attached.”
Claire looked away.
Adrian noticed.
The humiliation of saying this in front of his wife was almost unbearable.
But Claire didn’t look triumphant.
That made it worse somehow.
Adrian turned to Savannah.
“You stole the Nexora files.”
“Yes.”
“For Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“You used me.”
“Yes.”
He moved closer.
Miriam stepped between them.
“That’s enough.”
Adrian stopped.
Savannah stared at him.
“I’m sorry.”
He laughed.
“No, you’re scared.”
“Yes.”
That answer silenced him.
Savannah continued.
“I’m also sorry.”
Adrian turned away.
Claire placed the flash drive on the desk.
“We have another problem.”
She explained the files.
Evelyn.
Dr. Reese.
Victoria’s voice recording.
Potential manipulation of treatment.
Adrian listened without interrupting.
When Claire finished, his face was pale.
“My mother?”
“Possibly.”
“No.”
Claire’s eyes hardened.
“That’s what I said about you and Savannah once.”
Adrian flinched.
Fair.
“What does this have to do with ‘the heir’?”
Savannah leaned forward.
“Daniel has someone inside Vale helping him.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
“You slept beside him for years.”
“He compartmentalized everything.”
Adrian paced.
“Male or female?”
“Don’t know.”
“Board member?”
“Maybe.”
“Executive?”
“Probably.”
“What did Daniel say?”
Savannah thought.
“He called them the person who should have inherited Vale Industries.”
Adrian frowned.
“That makes no sense.”
Charles entered.
“I’m afraid it might.”
Everyone turned.
Charles carried an old envelope.
“I called Richard.”
Adrian stiffened.
“What did he say?”
“Not enough.”
Charles placed a photograph on the desk.
Three young adults.
Richard Vale.
Evelyn Whitmore.
And another man.
Adrian recognized him vaguely.
“My uncle Thomas.”
Richard’s younger brother.
Thomas Vale had died in a car accident before Adrian was born.
Charles nodded.
“Thomas was supposed to run Vale Industries.”
Adrian stared.
“My father founded it.”
“Your grandfather founded the original company.”
Charles sat.
“Richard rebuilt it with Evelyn’s money.”
Adrian looked at Claire.
She knew some of this.
Not all.
Charles continued.
“Thomas was the eldest.”
“Then why didn’t he inherit?”
“He died.”
“Car accident.”
“Yes.”
Something about Charles’s tone made Adrian uneasy.
“What?”
Charles looked toward Claire.
“Thomas left a child.”
Adrian froze.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“My father would have told me.”
“Your father may not have known.”
“Who?”
Charles pulled out a birth certificate.
The name had been partially sealed, but an amended record showed enough.
Father:
Thomas Richard Vale.
Mother:
Marianne Cole.
Adrian frowned.
“Cole?”
Then he stopped.
Ethan Cole.
His executive assistant.
“No.”
Claire leaned closer.
“Ethan?”
Charles nodded.
“Ethan’s mother was Marianne Cole.”
Adrian sat down.
“Ethan is my cousin?”
“Possibly.”
“No.”
Savannah whispered,
“Oh my God.”
Adrian looked at her.
“What?”
She covered her mouth.
“What?”
“Daniel met Ethan.”
Silence.
Adrian stood.
“When?”
“Months ago.”
“You said you didn’t know the insider.”
“I didn’t know Ethan was a Vale.”
“Did Daniel know?”
“I don’t know.”
Claire picked up her phone.
“Call Ethan.”
Adrian stopped her.
“No.”
“Why?”
“If Ethan is involved, alerting him is stupid.”
Claire stared.
He was right.
That irritated her.
Charles called Richard instead.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Adrian tried.
Nothing.
Then Adrian called his mother.
Victoria answered on the first ring.
“Adrian?”
“Where’s Dad?”
Silence.
“Mom.”
“I thought he was with you.”
“No.”
Claire stood.
“When did you last see him?”
Adrian put the call on speaker.
Victoria’s breathing changed.
“Two hours ago.”
“Where?”
“He left after receiving a message.”
“From who?”
“I don’t know.”
Adrian looked toward Savannah.
She had gone pale.
“What?”
He asked.
Savannah whispered,
“Daniel sometimes used Richard as leverage when talking about the heir.”
Claire’s stomach tightened.
“What did he say?”
“He said once Richard was gone, everything would become easier.”
Victoria heard it.
“What does that mean?”
Nobody answered.
Then Claire’s phone buzzed.
A photograph.
Unknown sender.
She opened it.
Richard Vale sat tied to a chair inside what looked like an abandoned industrial building.
His face was bruised.
Adrian grabbed the phone.
Beneath the image was a message.
THE WRONG SON INHERITED THE COMPANY.
Then another message.
BRING THE ORIGINAL SUCCESSION AGREEMENT TO CALIFORNIA.
Adrian’s pulse thundered.
A third arrived.
COME ALONE, CLAIRE.
Charles swore.
Miriam reached for her phone.
Claire stared at the image.
Then the final message appeared.
OR ADRIAN BURIES HIS FATHER THE WAY YOU BURIED YOUR MOTHER.
No one spoke.
Claire looked at Adrian.
The anger between them disappeared.
Not forgiveness.
Not reconciliation.
Something more primitive.
Their families were under attack.
And whoever stood behind Daniel Reed knew secrets that stretched back decades.
Adrian whispered,
“They think you have the agreement.”
“I do.”
“Where?”
Claire met his eyes.
“Somewhere they’ll never find it.”
Savannah suddenly stood.
“Then you need to destroy it.”
Everyone turned.
Claire frowned.
“Why?”
Savannah looked terrified.
“Because Daniel told me the agreement contains something worse than ownership rights.”
May you like
“What?”
“He said if the final page ever becomes public, someone in the Vale family goes to prison for murder.”
