All Chapters of The Wife He Lost The Heiress I Became : Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Clara’s POVThe warning message was still on my phone the next morning.Stop digging into the past.You have no idea who you're dealing with.I had read those words so many times that I could almost hear the sender’s voice. Whoever they were, they knew I was searching for answers.And they were afraid of what I might find.A knock interrupted my thoughts.“Clara? May I come in?” Daniel called.“Come in.”My brother entered carrying a folder. He sat beside me and placed several photocopied pages on the table.“I found a name connected to the old Ashford–Montecillo partnership,” he said. “A former records clerk who resigned shortly after you disappeared.”I looked at the page.Beatrice Vale — Records Clerk, Confidential Correspondence Division.“How shortly?”“Three weeks after your disappearance.”My stomach tightened. “Did she have anything to do with my case?”“We don't know yet. But her resignation was unusual. She received a payment almost four times larger than the standard separa

Clara’s POVBeatrice Vale replied three days after we sent the letter.I checked my phone so often that Gabriel finally told me to put it away. I tried, but every notification made my heart jump.I hated feeling this desperate for answers. What if she knew nothing? What if she knew everything and still refused to tell me?When Daniel entered the breakfast room, I immediately noticed the phone in his hand.“She agreed to meet you,” he said.I put down my cup. “Really?”“She wants to meet somewhere private. She also asked you to come alone.”My excitement faded.“I'm not going alone,” I said. “But I won't bring the entire family either.”Gabriel offered to wait nearby while Daniel arranged the meeting. I agreed. Beatrice deserved privacy, but after everything we had discovered, I couldn't ignore the possibility that someone might still be watching.For the first time in days, I had a real chance of learning something about my past.I wasn't going to let fear stop me.We met at a quiet c

Clara’s POVBy breakfast, Papa’s security team had traced the number that sent me the warning.It led nowhere useful.“The number was registered under false details,” Daniel explained as he joined me in the small library. “It was activated recently and hasn’t been used since last night.”“So whoever sent it knew how to hide their identity.”“Or they paid someone who did.” He placed a printed report on the table. “We’re still checking, but I wouldn’t expect a name.”I wasn’t surprised. Whoever had been watching our investigation had already shown that they knew how to keep their traces hidden.“What about the missing ledger?” I asked.Daniel opened his laptop. “I went through the transfer codes again. The original destination field is missing, but the code appears in another record from the same month.”He turned the screen toward me.The entry belonged to a private storage company that had handled archived business documents for several firms, including Ashford Holdings. The company h

Clara’s POVThe proposal came back with more questions than approval.I sat across from Ms. Reyes in a glass walled meeting room, reading her notes while Daniel reviewed the projected costs beside me.“The concept is promising,” Ms. Reyes said, “but we need to be realistic. Lower prices mean smaller margins. If we print too many copies and sales are slow, we lose money.”“I agree,” I said. “That's why I suggested a limited release.”She tapped the sales projection. “How limited?”“Three titles to start. We can test them through the online store and a few partner bookstores. If families respond well, we expand. If not, we learn what needs to change.”Daniel glanced at me. “You also suggested including a reading guide for parents.”“And simple activities children can do after each story,” I added. “Not expensive extras. Just a page or two that makes reading together easier.”Ms. Reyes studied the proposal again. She didn't smile, but she stopped looking at it as if it were an impractica

Clara’s POV“Why does this paragraph sound like a teacher giving a lecture?”Daniel leaned over my manuscript, reading the sentence I had been staring at for the past ten minutes.I pulled the pages away from him. “Because my editor crossed out half of it.”“Maybe she has a point.”I gave him a look.He raised both hands. “I’m just saying.”I looked back at the page. Ms. Reyes had marked several sections in red, especially the parts where my main character explained what she had learned instead of simply showing it. I’d been annoyed when I first saw the corrections. Now that I’d read them again, I understood what she meant.I crossed out the paragraph and rewrote it.This time, the little girl in my story didn’t explain why she was upset. She simply sat on the garden steps while her friend offered her half a biscuit.I read the scene aloud.Daniel nodded. “That sounds more like a child.”“Thank you for your expert opinion.”“You’re welcome. I accept payment in lunch.”I laughed despit