Chapter Sixty One

The most terrifying part of that threat for Emily was not knowing how much of the threat had already begun. She watched Ryan, waiting for him to clarify what he planned to do. 

Outside Sophia's office window, rain turned Manhattan into gray streaks.

“What exactly does Victor want from me?” Emily asked.

Ryan slipped his phone into his pocket. "I'm not sure. But if he believes you have Margaret's data, he might assume you know more than you actually do."

"I haven't seen all the records," she said.

Ryan shot back, "That won't matter to him." "Victor labels someone a problem before he's seen any evidence."

Sophia put the documents into a folder and locked them in her desk drawer. Emily noticed how firmly she gripped the key, even though her movements seemed calm.

"We need to copy them and store them somewhere else," Sophia said. "If these documents disappear, we can't assume we'll get another chance."

Emily nodded, even though her thoughts had already wandered to Damian. She was now a target herself, as Victor was challenging his position at Knight Global. Although her earlier conversation with Damian still troubled her, she thought about calling him. Ignoring the distance couldn't bridge the gap that his doubt about their child had created.

Ryan watched as she reached for her phone.

"Are you trying to call Damian?" Ryan asked.

"That's none of your concern," Emily replied.

"I know that it is not," Ryan said.

But he didn't look away.

Ryan was curious whether Damian still treated her well, whether she was safe with him, and whether she had at last found the happiness he had ruined. But he would never admit that he wanted to know if she still needed him.

"You don't have to defend me anymore," Emily said.

Ryan's jaw tightened. "I wasn't trying to."

Both of them knew he was lying.

Sophia's office phone rang before Emily could reply Ryan. 

After listening and asking two questions, Sophia slowly put the phone down and said, "Margaret has agreed to give an official statement." "She wants to see me this afternoon and go over the transfers."

"Why now?" Ryan asked.

"Because she finally understands that Victor may not be able to protect her," Sophia replied.

Emily thought about the woman who had raised her after her parents died. She longed for the truth more than she wanted yet another argument, yet she could not forgive Margaret simply because she had decided to cooperate.

Emily said, "Tell her I'll be there."

Sophia stopped for a moment. "Victor may expect precisely that."

"So we shouldn't make it easy for him to predict what we're about to do."

Emily was taken aback by how strong her own voice sounded. For years, other people had passed judgment on her, insisting they knew what was best. She had accepted their apologies because she believed love meant trusting others even when they gave you reasons not to.

She was starting to see that trust without honesty was simply another form of blindness.

___

Victor was speaking to the directors behind him while Damian stood before the boardroom window at Knight Global.

Victor wore the same calm expression and black suit he always did when he wanted cruelty to be mistaken for sound judgment.

"The business requires stability," Victor said. "Damian's personal distractions have turned into a weakness."

Damian turned his gaze away from the window. "If you have questions about my leadership, discuss my choices. But do not bring my private life into this."

Victor placed his hands on the table. Nephew, your judgment has been questioned before. I don't want to watch you repeat the same mistakes that tarnished your father's reputation.

The room fell quiet.

Yet Damian refused to give Victor the reaction he wanted, even as his old rage came flooding back.

"The people who profited from my father's disgrace were the ones who destroyed his reputation," Damian said. "You know that better than anyone else."

A few uneasy glances were exchanged among the directors.

Victor kept his smile, but a cold look entered his eyes.

"Damian, be careful," Victor warned. "Digging into the past could endanger the future you're trying to save."

Damian understood the warning. Victor was using the board meeting to remind Damian that power could be taken away before the truth came out, since he knew the old financial records were under scrutiny.

"What exactly are you threatening?" Damian asked.

"I'm telling you to put the company first," Victor replied.

Neither of them said what he truly thought. Damian wanted to accuse his uncle of orchestrating the scandal that had ruined his father. Victor hoped Damian would understand that he still owned enough of the company to make such a costly accusation.

The meeting ended without a vote, but the directors left with doubt sown in their minds.

Damian stayed behind, staring at the empty seats. His phone was on the table. His recent calls still showed Emily's name.

He longed to hear her voice. He wished to tell her that his love for her had not been lessened by his worries about the child. Yet he was afraid that a call would expose how deeply he needed her, particularly because he had not yet learned to give her the trust she was owed.

His phone rang.

It was his head of security.

"Sir, we have a really bad problem," the man said.

Damian sat up straight. "What went wrong?"

"Someone tried to access the archived security documents from your father's case. The attempt did not succeed, but the request came from an internal account."

"Whose account?"

There was a pause.

"The executive office of Victor Knight."

Damian's blood ran cold.

Before he could answer, the security chief went on, "Sir, there's something else. The person who tried to access the records wasn't only looking for your father's."

Damian gripped the edge of the table.

"What else did they want?"

"Documents concerning Emily Carter's parents and a report naming the person who ordered Thomas Reed away from their home on the night they died."

Damian stared at the closed boardroom doors.

Victor was no longer merely protecting a long-held secret.

He was hiding it away before anyone could uncover the truth.