Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN EVERYONE WANTED SILENT
By midnight, the Wellington Grand was surrounded by police.
Guests were moved to another property.
Employees were sent home.
Every entrance was locked.
But Daniel Whitmore was gone.
So was David.
And Anna was terrified.
We placed her and the twins in a secured room on the twenty-fourth floor.
For the first time since I bought the hotel, I understood how vulnerable the building really was.
Money could buy security.
It couldn't buy certainty.
I sat across from Anna.
"Tell me everything."
She looked exhausted.
"I already told you."
"No."
I placed the photograph of Daniel on the table.
"You told me what you wanted me to know."
She stared at it.
Then she whispered:
"Daniel isn't the real danger."
"Who is?"
"His father."
Charles Whitmore.
I knew the name.
Everyone in Chicago did.
"He wanted the children because Daniel couldn't inherit the family trust unless he produced an heir."
I frowned.
"That's absurd."
"It's worse."
She took a breath.
"Daniel was supposed to marry another woman."
"His current wife?"
"No."
I waited.
"A woman chosen by his family."
"And you?"
"I was supposed to disappear."
She looked at Sophia and Samuel through the glass wall.
"They weren't supposed to exist."
Her voice cracked.
"Three years ago, Daniel tried to help us escape."
"Then what happened?"
"He changed his mind."
"Why?"
"Because Charles threatened to destroy him."
She lowered her head.
"I heard them arguing."
"What did they say?"
"Daniel said he'd leave the family."
"And Charles?"
"He said Daniel would never survive without the family."
I sat silently.
Anna continued.
"That night, Daniel disappeared."
"And everyone thought he was dead?"
"Yes."
"But you knew he was alive."
"I saw him."
"When?"
"Two months ago."
I leaned forward.
"Where?"
"Outside my old apartment."
"Why didn't you tell anyone?"
"Because he told me to run."
"Why?"
"He said his father was coming."
The room became quiet.
Then someone knocked.
Our security chief entered.
"Mr. Martin."
"What?"
"We found something."
He placed a laptop on the table.
"Hotel surveillance from the night Anna entered the presidential suite."
The footage showed Anna entering.
Then nothing.
But at 11:14 p.m., a figure appeared.
He walked directly toward my suite.
I leaned closer.
The man stopped outside the door.
Looked at the camera.
Then removed his hood.
David.
Anna covered her mouth.
"What was he doing?"
Security chief shook his head.
"We don't know."
I watched the footage again.
David wasn't carrying anything.
Then I noticed something.
He had a key.
Not a hotel key.
A master access key.
"Freeze."
The image stopped.
Zoom.
His hand was holding the key.
I knew that key.
It belonged to me.
My private master key.
The only one.
I stood.
"Who else has access to it?"
"No one."
"Check the key log."
He did.
His face changed.
"Sir..."
"What?"
"The system says you used it."
"When?"
"Last night."
I stared at him.
"I didn't."
The log showed my name.
My employee number.
My biometric authorization.
But I hadn't used it.
Someone had duplicated my identity.
Then the elevator doors opened.
Daniel Whitmore stepped out.
Security drew their weapons.
Anna screamed.
"Daniel!"
He raised both hands.
"I'm not here to hurt anyone."
I stepped forward.
"Then why are you here?"
He looked directly at Anna.
"Because my father knows where the children are."
Anna shook.
Daniel continued.
"And he's coming tonight."
"Why?"
Daniel's face hardened.
"Because the twins aren't just my children."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
He looked at me.
"They're the legal heirs to a fortune worth almost a billion dollars."
Silence.
Anna whispered:
"No."
Daniel nodded.
"My father never wanted the children because of love."
He looked toward Sophia and Samuel.
"He wanted them because whoever controls them controls the Whitmore trust."
Then Daniel turned toward me.
"And someone has already filed paperwork claiming custody."
I stared at him.
"Who?"
He answered:
"Your hotel."
My stomach dropped.
"What?"
"Someone used Wellington Grand corporate records to establish that Anna is an unstable employee and the children are neglected."
I looked at Anna.
She looked devastated.
Daniel said quietly:
"Someone is trying to make you the villain."
I understood.
If the story reached the media, the headlines would be brutal.
CEO shelters homeless employee.
Employee hides children.
Illegal hotel access.
Corporate misconduct.
And behind all of it, someone would quietly take control of the twins.
Then my phone rang.
Rachel.
Her voice was trembling.
"Mr. Martin..."
"What happened?"
"Someone just filed an emergency court petition."
"Who?"
She whispered:
"Your board."
May you like
I closed my eyes.
The trap had finally sprung.
