Billionaire Caught Her Janitor Teaching His Daughter Math—Then His Tattoo Exposed a Shocking Secret
Chapter 9
Victoria stared at the page.
“My husband trusted me.”
Lucas nodded.
“Yes.”
“Then why is my name here?”
He didn’t answer.
She turned the page.
Daniel had written:
If anyone tries to use Emma, Victoria must decide whether to protect her daughter or protect the company.
Victoria’s heart sank.
She understood.
Daniel had never wanted her to know about Orion because he knew she would choose Emma.
And he wanted proof.
Proof that she would sacrifice the company if necessary.
She looked at Lucas.
“I did.”
“What?”
“You told me earlier that protection gives someone a choice.”
“Yes.”
“I chose Emma.”
Lucas smiled.
“That was the test.”
Victoria looked at the servers.
“But why did Daniel create the test?”
“Because he didn’t know who would survive.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Lucas handed her another document.
Daniel had discovered that one of his closest advisers was planning to eliminate both him and Victoria.
The plan failed.
Daniel died.
But he had already arranged the protection network.
Lucas.
The archive.
The trust.
The mathematical key.
Everything.
Victoria suddenly remembered the week before Daniel died.
He had asked her an unusual question.
“If you had to choose between the company and Emma, what would you choose?”
She had laughed.
“That’s not fair.”
He had smiled.
“I know.”
Now she understood.
He had been preparing her.
Then the archive lights went out.
A phone rang.
Not Victoria’s.
Lucas’s.
He answered.
His face changed.
“What?”
He listened.
Then looked at Victoria.
“Your father’s old adviser is alive.”
“Charles Mercer?”
“No.”
“Who?”
Lucas whispered,
“Daniel’s brother.”
Victoria froze.
“My husband had a brother?”
Lucas nodded.
“Hidden.”
“Why?”
“He was part of Orion before Daniel.”
“Then what does he want?”
“Emma.”
Victoria felt the same fear return.
They left the archive.
At the safe house, Lucas examined the old records.
Victoria sat beside Emma.
“My father had a brother?”
“He did.”
“What was his name?”
Lucas answered,
“Jonathan Bennett.”
“Where is he?”
“Missing.”
“Dead?”
“No evidence.”
Emma suddenly looked up.
“Mom.”
“What?”
“The number.”
Victoria turned.
Emma had been drawing again.
She showed them a sequence.
3-1-9-6-2.
Lucas stared.
“That’s not random.”
“What is it?”
“A date.”
“Which date?”
He entered it.
The computer returned an address.
An old Bennett summer house.
Victoria recognized it.
Her family had sold it fifteen years ago.
But the address was still active.
They drove there.
The house was empty.
Lucas searched the rooms.
Victoria noticed a piano.
Emma walked toward it.
She touched three keys.
A hidden drawer opened.
Inside was another file.
Jonathan Bennett.
Photographs.
Letters.
And a single photograph of Daniel with Lucas.
Victoria stared.
Her husband had known.
He had found Jonathan.
And he had warned Lucas.
At the bottom was a message:
If Daniel dies, Jonathan will believe Emma belongs to him.
Victoria’s stomach tightened.
“Why?”
Lucas shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Then a voice came from the doorway.
“You do now.”
A man stood there.
Older.
Gray-haired.
Calm.
Victoria recognized him from the photograph.
“Jonathan.”
He smiled.
“Hello, Victoria.”
Lucas moved in front of them.
Jonathan laughed.
“You’re still protecting them.”
“Yes.”
“Exactly as Daniel wanted.”
Victoria stared.
“What do you want?”
Jonathan looked at Emma.
“What every Bennett wants.”
She stepped forward.
“What’s that?”
“Control.”
