Merchant’s Son Humiliated an Apprentice — But Her Father Owned the Trading House
Chapter 8
They escaped through a rear opening just before the warehouse roof collapsed.
The evidence survived.
But now there was no doubt.
Vale knew they had it.
For the next two days, Greyhaven became strangely quiet.
No threats.
No attacks.
No messages.
That frightened Anna more than anything.
On the third morning, the customs investigator arrived.
His name was Robert Ashford.
He entered Hawthorne & Sons without ceremony.
Jonathan placed the evidence before him.
Ashford read silently for nearly an hour.
Then he looked at Anna.
“Who discovered this?”
She answered:
“I did.”
He nodded.
“Who told you where to look?”
“No one.”
Ashford looked impressed.
“Then you may have done more for this investigation than half the men who were paid to conduct it.”
Elias stood nearby.
For once, he said nothing.
Ashford began issuing orders.
Within hours, several officials were questioned.
By evening, Lord Edmund Vale had been summoned.
He arrived laughing.
He believed himself untouchable.
Then Ashford placed the ledger before him.
Vale’s smile disappeared.
“You have no authority to accuse me.”
Ashford calmly opened another document.
“Actually, my lord, I have enough authority to arrest you.”
Vale turned toward Jonathan.
“You.”
Jonathan met his eyes.
“You should have known better than to threaten a man’s daughter.”
Vale looked at Anna.
For the first time, fear crossed his face.
But before the guards could take him, Vale smiled.
“You think this ends with me?”
He looked directly at Elias.
“Ask your father’s son what he knows.”
Anna turned toward Elias.
He looked sick.
“What does he mean?”
Elias shook his head.
“I don’t know.”
Vale laughed.
“You will.”
Then the guards dragged him away.
That night, Elias finally confessed.
Three months earlier, Vale had approached him.
He had offered Elias control of a shipping route.
In return, Elias was supposed to allow certain payments to pass through the company.
“I refused,” Elias said.
Anna stared at him.
“But you knew.”
“I knew something was wrong.”
“And you said nothing.”
“I was ashamed.”
Anna’s expression softened slightly.
“Why did you humiliate me?”
Elias looked away.
“Because you frightened me.”
She almost laughed.
“Me?”
“You walked into a room where everyone expected you to stay silent—and you weren’t.”
He swallowed.
“My whole life, people told me I was going to inherit this company. Then you arrived and saw things I couldn’t.”
Anna looked at him.
“You were afraid I would replace you?”
“No.”
He finally met her eyes.
“I was afraid I didn’t deserve to inherit it.”
