Semua Bab His hidden heir : Bab 61 - Bab 70

Aiden’s school play was on Thursday at 4 p.m. Alicia had told Alex three times. She’d texted him. She’d written it on the whiteboard in the kitchen. She’d even left a note on his pillow. So when Thursday came and went and Alex didn’t show up, Alicia’s heart sank before her pride could kick in. “Where’s Papa?” Aiden asked, standing in his little astronaut costume, face painted silver, eyes bright and then slowly, painfully, dimming. Alicia knelt down and smoothed his hair. “I’m sure he got held up, baby. He’s so sorry.” But when she called Alex, it went straight to voicemail. When she texted, she got no reply. That night, Alex came home at 9 p.m. with flour on his shirt and exhaustion in his eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said immediately, pulling Aiden into a hug. “I got stuck in a meeting. I thought… I thought the play was next week.” Alicia felt the familiar ache. “It was today, Alex.” Aiden hid his face in Alex’s shirt. Alex looked up at her, guilt etched into his face

Alicia stopped sleeping after the third note.Not completely. She’d drift off for an hour here, twenty minutes there. But every creak in the hallway pulled her awake. Every soft vibration from her phone made her chest tighten.And every morning, Keith was there.Always smiling. Always helpful. Always exactly where Alicia didn’t want her to be.By Monday, Alicia had started documenting everything.The missed calls.The deleted messages.The notes left on her nightstand.The times Keith picked up Aiden without asking her first.She kept it all in a folder on her laptop labeled Insurance.Because after Kessler, Alicia trusted instincts more than appearances.And her instincts were screaming.That afternoon, Alicia walked into Alex’s office without knocking.Keith was inside. Of course she was.She sat on the edge of Alex’s desk holding a folder while Alex loosened his tie and listened. They looked comfortable. Familiar.Keith stood quickly when she saw Alicia. “Ms. Dickson. I was just le

The kiss almost happened twice before it actually did.The first time, Alicia turned her head at the last second, overwhelmed by the sudden reality of what they were doing. Alex’s hand stayed against her cheek anyway, his forehead resting lightly against hers while both of them tried to breathe normally.The second time, Aiden called out sleepily from down the hall, “Mama?”They broke apart instantly.Alex laughed under his breath and stepped back. “Guess the universe has timing issues.”Alicia pressed a hand to her face, half embarrassed, half relieved. “I should check on him.”“Yeah,” Alex said softly. “You should.”But when she walked past him, his fingers brushed hers. Deliberate this time.And neither of them let go immediately.Aiden was sitting up in bed when Alicia entered his room, hair sticking up in every direction.“You okay, baby?” she asked gently.He nodded sleepily. “Bad dream.”Alicia climbed onto the bed beside him and smoothed the blankets over his legs. “Want to te

Alicia gripped the phone tighter. “Keith?”Alex was beside her instantly, his expression sharpening the second he heard the name. Reyes reached for the recorder in her jacket on instinct.Keith’s voice stayed calm. Too calm.“You need to leave the house.”Alicia frowned. “What are you talking about?”“I’m talking about the people connected to the files,” Keith said. “The judges, the banks, the contractors. Robert didn’t build that network alone. And now someone knows you have proof.”Reyes mouthed, Keep her talking.Alicia swallowed. “Where are you?”“Not safe enough to tell you.”Alex stepped closer to the phone. “Keith, if you know something, you need to come in. Right now.”There was a pause on the line.Then Keith laughed softly, but there was no humor in it. “Mr. George, if I come in, I die.”The room went still.Aiden looked between them nervously. Zara quietly moved closer to him.Alicia lowered her voice. “Keith… what did you get involved in?”Another silence. Longer this time

Silence.Total. Absolute silence.Even the alarms seemed farther away suddenly.Alicia stared at Mercer like she’d misheard him. “What did you just say?”Mercer straightened his suit slowly after Alex released him just enough to breathe. His expression remained calm, but there was satisfaction underneath it now. He’d landed the hit he wanted.Reyes recovered first. “Careful,” she warned him. “You’re already one bad sentence away from leaving here in a body bag.”Mercer ignored her completely. His eyes stayed on Alicia.“Robert never told you?” he asked softly. “Interesting.”Alicia’s pulse roared in her ears. “You’re lying.”“No,” Mercer replied. “Kessler lied. Robert manipulated. But me? I’m practical.” He adjusted his cufflinks. “Aiden was never the only surviving heir.”Alex’s voice was deadly quiet. “Explain. Now.”Mercer looked almost amused by the command. “Twenty years ago, after the Maris Stella fire, the Dickson family cleaned up loose ends very carefully. Most records disapp