Billionaire Pretends To Be A Janitor To Find True Love — But Discovers A Secret Hidden For 20 Years
Chapter 9
Alexander couldn’t believe it.
His stepmother, Vivian Hayes, had always seemed distant.
Elegant.
Polished.
Private.
She married his father four years after Emma disappeared.
She had never talked about the past.
She had never asked about Emma.
Now Peter claimed she controlled Richard’s hidden accounts.
Grace looked at Alexander.
“Do you trust her?”
“No.”
“Then we find out.”
Vivian was hosting a charity luncheon that afternoon.
Alexander arrived unexpectedly.
She smiled.
“I heard you were back.”
“Back?”
“In the city.”
He sat across from her.
“You know about Emma.”
Vivian’s smile disappeared.
“I know many things.”
“Then answer me.”
“What?”
“Did you know my aunt was alive?”
“I knew she existed.”
“Did you know she had a daughter?”
Vivian looked at Grace.
For a moment, something strange passed across her face.
“Yes.”
Grace stared.
“How?”
Vivian remained silent.
Alexander stood.
“Did you threaten Emma?”
“No.”
“Did you use her money?”
“No.”
“Then explain.”
Vivian sighed.
“Your father wanted to protect Emma.”
“I know.”
“But he also wanted control.”
Alexander frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“He used the family trust to keep her dependent.”
Grace stepped closer.
“My mother wasn’t dependent.”
“She was trapped.”
Alexander felt sick.
“By whom?”
“Your father.”
Silence.
Vivian continued.
“He loved Emma.”
“But?”
“He didn’t trust her.”
“Why?”
“Because she knew too much.”
Grace’s face hardened.
“You all made decisions for her.”
Vivian nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect the family.”
Grace laughed bitterly.
“There it is again.”
Vivian looked away.
“The truth is ugly.”
Alexander asked,
“What did you do?”
Vivian took a long breath.
“I found Emma after she left.”
Grace froze.
“You saw my mother?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Six months before she died.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“She asked me not to.”
Alexander stared.
“Why?”
“She had cancer.”
Grace covered her mouth.
“Did she know she was dying?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t she come back?”
“Because she believed Richard’s people were still watching.”
Alexander felt tears in his eyes.
“And my father?”
“He knew she was sick.”
“Did he see her?”
Vivian shook her head.
“He was too afraid.”
Grace looked at Alexander.
“What kind of family is this?”
Alexander couldn’t answer.
Vivian reached into her purse.
She removed a photograph.
Emma.
Older.
Smiling.
Holding a little girl.
Grace.
The photograph had been taken when Grace was five.
Vivian had been there.
Grace stared.
“My mother looked happy.”
“She was.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because she believed secrecy was protection.”
Grace shook her head.
“It wasn’t.”
Vivian nodded.
“I know.”
Alexander looked at the photograph.
“There is something else.”
Vivian handed him a document.
“The original trust.”
Alexander opened it.
The beneficiary wasn’t Emma.
It was Grace.
Every dollar.
Every property.
Everything.
Grace had been the true heir all along.
But the final clause was shocking.
If Grace ever discovered the truth before turning thirty-five, all assets would be transferred to the Hayes family.
Grace was thirty-one.
“Who wrote this?”
“Your grandfather.”
Alexander stared.
“He wanted to control her even after death.”
Vivian nodded.
“And Richard discovered it.”
“So the secret was never just about Emma.”
“No.”
“It was about Grace.”
“Yes.”
Vivian looked at her.
“Your mother spent twenty years trying to keep you free.”
Grace’s eyes filled.
“I never knew.”
Vivian whispered,
“She loved you more than money.”
Alexander took Grace’s hand.
“We’ll make sure her sacrifice meant something.”
Grace nodded.
Then Vivian’s phone rang.
She answered.
Her face changed.
She handed the phone to Alexander.
A man’s voice spoke.
“You found Vivian.”
Alexander’s heart stopped.
“Who is this?”
A laugh.
“Ask Peter.”
The call ended.
Peter was standing in the doorway.
His face was white.
“That’s him,” he whispered.
“Who?”
Peter swallowed.
“Richard’s son.”
Alexander froze.
Richard had a son.
And he was alive.
