Library
Maghanap
Home / Romance / Bound by Deception / Chapter Nine: Who Had Access

Share

Chapter Nine: Who Had Access

Author: Haleemah
last update Petsa ng paglalathala: 2026-08-25 19:29:58

Neither of them slept.

Nadia sat curled in the armchair across from Damian's desk, a blanket Ms. Reyes had quietly brought in sometime after midnight draped over her shoulders, watching Damian pace the length of his study for what felt like the hundredth time.

"It has to be someone with access to the house," he said, more to himself than to her. "Someone who knew the safe existed in the first place. My mother knew about it, but she's been gone for years, living overseas, barely speaks to any of
Patuloy na basahin ang aklat na ito nang libre
I-scan ang code upang i-download ang App
Nakaraang Kabanata Susunod na kabanata
Locked Chapter

Pinakabagong kabanata

  • Bound by Deception    Chapter Seventy: The Cost of Trust

    Security reached Sandra before Julian's men could, though the confrontation outside the café left the street in chaos, bystanders scattering as shouted commands and the screech of tires filled the air. Nadia rushed outside just in time to see Sandra being pulled into a security vehicle, safe but visibly shaken, while the dark sedan sped away before it could be intercepted."Is she alright?" Nadia asked, breathless as she reached the vehicle."Frightened, but unharmed," the security lead confirmed. "We need to get her somewhere secure immediately, and we need to examine that folder carefully before it goes anywhere near your legal team's systems."They returned to the estate quickly, the compromised device carefully extracted from the folder's binding by a security technician equipped to handle exactly this kind of threat. The documentation itself, once verified as safe to review separately, proved every bit as valuable as Sandra had promised, cataloguing months of espionage against th

  • Bound by Deception    Chapter Sixty-Nine: Sandra's Confession

    The café was crowded enough to feel safe, security discreetly positioned at nearby tables, though Nadia's nerves remained taut as she waited for Sandra Whitfield to arrive. The woman who eventually approached looked younger than Nadia expected, sharp-eyed and visibly nervous despite her professional composure."Mrs. Hale," Sandra said, sliding into the seat across from her. "Thank you for agreeing to meet somewhere I imagine felt safer for you.""Let's not waste time on pleasantries," Nadia said carefully. "You said you wanted to explain everything. I'm listening."Sandra glanced around the café before continuing, her voice dropping lower. "Eleanor approached me about a year ago," she said. "Before any of this became public, before Julian resurfaced. She offered considerable money for information about the Hale family's legal affairs, framed initially as simple due diligence for a business matter she claimed to be pursuing.""Did you know what she actually intended?" Nadia asked."Not

  • Bound by Deception    Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Deeper Leak

    The investigation into the break-in led nowhere immediately useful — the perpetrators had worn masks, left no fingerprints, and the security footage from the storage facility had been disabled minutes before their arrival, suggesting inside knowledge of the facility's systems."Whoever did this knew exactly what they were doing," the security lead reported grimly. "Professional, careful, no evidence left behind beyond the fact that they were clearly looking for something specific.""The renunciation document," Damian said. "They wanted to destroy it before we could use it.""Which means someone with detailed knowledge of both the document's existence and our investigation into it," Priya said. "That narrows the list considerably."They spent the following days quietly investigating everyone with access to the relevant information — Ms. Reyes, despite having already been cleared of intentional wrongdoing; the household security team; even, uncomfortably, Vivienne, whose loyalty Nadia h

  • Bound by Deception    Chapter Sixty-Seven: Racing the Renunciation

    The paternity test results came back within days, definitively confirming what Nadia's mother had insisted all along — Edward Voss was, without question, her biological father. Julian's team's challenge collapsed almost immediately once the results were filed, one more fabricated obstacle cleared from their path.But the relief was short-lived, overshadowed entirely by the far more concerning possibility of a signed renunciation document buried somewhere in decades-old estate records."If it exists," Priya said, reviewing everything they knew about the paperwork Nadia's mother had signed, "it could genuinely complicate any inheritance claim, regardless of the paternity confirmation. Renunciations, if properly executed, are difficult to challenge even when signed under emotional duress, unless we can prove genuine fraud or misrepresentation in how they were presented.""My mother said she didn't fully understand what she was signing," Nadia said. "Doesn't that count as fraud?""It migh

  • Bound by Deception    Chapter Sixty-Six: One More Card

    The days following the board vote brought a cautious, hard-won stability. Diane's formal testimony, combined with the completed forensic analysis that finally arrived from Priya's team, thoroughly discredited the fabricated phone records and several of the other documents Julian's team had submitted. Elena's follow-up reporting shifted public opinion gradually back in Nadia's favor, though the damage of the initial coverage lingered in ways that couldn't be fully undone."It's not a complete victory," Priya cautioned during one of their now-routine strategy sessions. "Julian's legal team will likely continue contesting individual pieces of evidence for months. But the core narrative, the claim that you were complicit in the original fraud, has been substantially weakened.""Substantially," Nadia repeated. "Not entirely.""Not entirely," Priya agreed. "These things rarely resolve as cleanly as we'd like."Despite the lingering uncertainty, Nadia allowed herself small moments of hope ov

  • Bound by Deception    Chapter Sixty-Five: The Vote

    Priya worked through the night, and by morning, she arrived at the estate with Diane's notarized statement and the corroborating office records, exhaustion evident but determination steady in her expression."It's not everything," she cautioned as they prepared to leave for the board meeting. "But it's enough to introduce reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the phone records specifically."The boardroom felt different this time as they entered — no longer the triumphant setting of Eleanor's exposure, but something colder, more clinical, board members exchanging wary glances as Damian took his seat at the head of the table.The chairman opened the session without preamble. "We're here to vote on a temporary suspension of Mr. Hale's active leadership role, given the ongoing public scandal surrounding recent allegations against his wife. Before we proceed, Mr. Hale, do you have anything to present in your defense?"Damian rose, steady despite the tension radiating through the room

Higit pang Kabanata

Maaari mong magustuhan

Galugarin at basahin ang magagandang nobela
Libreng basahin ang magagandang nobela sa GoodNovel app. I-download ang mga librong gusto mo at basahin kahit saan at anumang oras.
Libreng basahin ang mga aklat sa app
I-scan ang code para mabasa sa App
DMCA.com Protection Status