All Chapters of Secrets and Second Chances : Chapter 21 - Chapter 30

MARIA'S POV The door closed behind Ethan and Paul, and I finally allowed myself to breathe. The meeting had gone better than I expected. I glanced at the documents spread across the conference table. Woods Enterprises had come prepared. Their distribution network was exactly the kind of opportunity I had been looking for as I expanded across Louisiana. But I wasn't going to let a good opportunity cloud my judgment. “Patty.” She looked up from the notes she was gathering. “Send everything to legal. I want them to review the investment terms, distribution agreement, and every clause concerning control before we respond.” “Already on it.” She gathered the documents and left. I remained in the conference room for a moment, staring at the empty chair where Ethan had been sitting. Five years. And somehow, the man who had once been the center of my entire world had become just another businessman across a table. I wasn't sure whether to feel relieved or amused by that. I return

SUSAN'S POV I stared at the photograph on my phone for the third time. Naomi Jackson. There was something about her that refused to leave my mind. It wasn't simply her beauty. Beautiful women walked through my world every day. I had never been threatened by beauty alone. It was the way she carried herself. The confidence. The calmness. The way she had looked at Ethan across that table without a trace of intimidation. And those eyes. I zoomed in on the photograph. Blue. Clear. Unusually familiar. I locked my phone and dropped it onto the bed. “Ridiculous.” I was allowing a stranger to occupy far too much space in my head. Naomi Jackson was a successful businesswoman. That was all. At least, that was what I had been telling myself. My phone vibrated. I immediately picked it up. The message was from the person I had contacted after my suspicions began. I found some information. Can we meet? My pulse quickened. I stared at the message for several seconds before re

ETHAN'S POV The report arrived on my desk before nine the next morning. I stared at the folder for several seconds before opening it. Paul had spent most of the previous evening reviewing the transactions I had asked him to investigate. I expected irregularities. I didn't expect this. I turned the first page. Then the second. My expression hardened. There were dozens of questionable payments. Not enough to make the company bleed immediately, but enough to cause serious damage over time. Vendor invoices that didn't match the services provided. Consulting fees paid to companies I had never heard of. Transfers split into smaller amounts and routed through different departments. Whoever was doing this understood exactly how to avoid attracting attention. I picked up my phone. “Paul.” “Morning.” “Come to my office.” “I’m already on my way.” He arrived a few minutes later carrying another folder. “You found more.” He placed it on my desk. “Much more.” I opened it. “T

MARIA'S POV I kept checking the rearview mirror as I drove away from the boys’ school. The black van was still parked where I had seen it. Tinted windows. Dark body. No visible reason for being there. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe someone was waiting for a parent. Maybe I was letting old fears turn an ordinary vehicle into something it wasn't. I tightened my grip on the steering wheel. But the feeling in my chest refused to disappear. The boys were unusually quiet in the back seat. Normally, the moment they got into the car, the questions started. Who won their game. Who stole whose pencil. Who said something funny in class. Today, even they seemed to notice that something was different. I glanced at them through the mirror. Ted was watching me. “Mom?” “Hmm?” “What's wrong?” My heart skipped. I forced a small smile. “Nothing.” He didn't look convinced. Timmy leaned forward between the seats. “You look worried.” “I said I'm fine.” My voice came out softer than I

SUSAN POV I couldn't stop thinking about the message. She has children. I had stared at those three words for almost an hour. Naomi Jackson had children. For some reason, that piece of information unsettled me more than anything else I had discovered about her. Maybe because it made her life feel even more complete. She had a successful company. A beautiful home. People who trusted her. A man like Andrew Campbell who had been around her for years. And now I knew she had children. Three of them. I picked up my phone and called the investigator. “How old are they?” “Five.” My heart stopped for a second. “Five?” “Yes. All three.” I slowly sat down. Five years. I looked toward the window. Maria had disappeared five years ago. I immediately told myself it meant nothing. Five years was a long time. People had children every day. Women disappeared from old lives and started new ones. It didn't automatically make Naomi Maria. Still, I couldn't ignore the timing. “W