Semua Bab I Buried My Fiancé And Married His Brother: Bab 51 - Bab 60

ChristabelGabriel sank into the chair across from the desk, his hands trembling in his lap, and for a long moment he said nothing at all, staring at the bundle of letters like they might somehow disappear if he looked at them long enough."It started with the debts," he said finally, his voice barely above a whisper. "I told you that part already, and it's true, but I never told you how deep they actually went, or how frightened I was. I'd borrowed from people who don't send polite reminders when payments are late. I started moving money out of the expansion account because I convinced myself I could pay it back before anyone noticed, that it was borrowing, not stealing, that I'd fix it eventually.""And Elena found out," I said quietly."She found records in my study. I'd been careless, exhausted, not thinking clearly." Gabriel's voice cracked. "She confronted me privately, gently even, said she wanted to understand before she decided what to do about it. I panicked. I begged her no

Christabel"Vivienne Aubert," Sophie read aloud, her voice careful, like she was testing the weight of the name before letting it fully land in the room.Beatrix's hand flew to her mouth. "That's her. That's my assistant's name. I don't know how I ever forgot it.""You didn't forget it by accident," I said slowly, watching the pieces settle into place. "Someone that careful, that patient, would have made sure she was easy to forget. She probably kept herself deliberately unremarkable the entire time she worked for you, specifically so nobody would think of her first when things eventually went wrong."Sophie was already typing, cross referencing the name against every database available to her. "I'm finding very little on her beyond the employment record. No property in her own name currently, no active bank accounts under standard searches, nothing that would explain how she's funded years of this operation.""The shell company," Sebastian said. "She's been living off the embezzled f

Christabel"Jane's activity," I said, already moving, my chair scraping back so hard it nearly toppled. "The Wednesday art class. It's at the community center three blocks from the penthouse.""Call the driver, now." Sebastian was already dialing, his voice sharp with barely controlled panic. "Tell Odette not to let her leave the building under any circumstances, security escort only, immediately.""Sir, I'm calling the security team stationed at the penthouse directly," Sophie said, phone already at her ear, her professional calm cracking slightly under the weight of the countdown. "They should still be there for the afternoon shift change."I dialed Odette myself, my hands shaking so badly I nearly dropped the phone twice before the call connected."Odette, don't let Jane leave for art class. Not yet, not until security clears it, do you understand me?""She's already in the car, Christabel, we left five minutes ago, we're almost there." Odette's voice carried confusion, unaware of

ChristabelI sat up so fast the blanket slid off entirely, reaching for the phone before Sebastian had even finished reading the message out loud."Who confirmed," I asked. "Sophie, who responded."Sebastian read it again, his voice tight. "The confirmation came through under the name Colette Marchand."My stomach dropped straight through the floor. "That's not possible. Colette's been in hiding, terrified, she barely agreed to talk to us at all. Why would she suddenly confirm attendance at a public hearing?""Unless she didn't," Sebastian said slowly, the same dread I felt written across his face. "Unless someone's using her name the same way they used Margaux Rousseau's."I called Sophie immediately, my hands shaking as the line connected. "Sophie, we need eyes on Colette right now. If Vivienne's using her name, she might be in danger, or she might already be compromised.""I'm already on it," Sophie said, her voice tight with the same urgency coursing through me. "I have someone he

ChristabelSebastian wanted to call the police immediately, and Sophie agreed, and I understood exactly why, and still I found myself arguing against waiting even the twenty minutes it would take for a proper response team to mobilize."She could be gone in twenty minutes," I said. "She's evaded us for fifteen years, Sebastian. If we wait for the police to organize a raid, we lose whatever window we actually have right now.""And if we walk in there without backup and something goes wrong, we lose a lot more than a window." Sebastian's jaw was tight, fear and urgency warring visibly across his face. "Christabel, this woman has already tried to hurt Jane once. I am not walking either of us into a building she's controlled for fifteen years without proper support.""Then we compromise. Sophie's team, positioned outside, ready to move in the moment we need them. We go in together, careful, and we don't do anything reckless. But we go now, before that light goes dark and she disappears ag