"My eight-month-old triplets were screaming inside the most protected room in my estate, and every doctor swore there was nothing medically wrong with them. Then a four-year-old girl pointed above their cribs and whispered, “It’s the whistle”—and when we found the hidden device, the authorization record carried the name of the one woman I trusted most. / Chapter 8 / 20

Chapter 8 - The Shadowed Twin|

Victoria Vance had spent her whole life competing with Claire. Where Claire was warm, quiet, and devoted to family, Victoria was calculating, ruthless, and driven entirely by power.

When Claire died, Victoria hadn't even attended the funeral. She had sent a cold wreath of white lilies and a letter from her attorneys demanding an audit of Claire’s estate.

"Get out of my house," I told Vance, my voice trembling with suppressed rage.

"I’m leaving, Mr. Callahan," Vance said, buttoning his jacket. "But I advise you to clean up this fortress of yours. If the state finds out that your children were subjected to acoustic torture inside their own nursery, you won't just lose custody—you'll face criminal charges for child endangerment."

He turned and walked out under the watchful eyes of my guards.

I sank into my leather chair, burring my face in my hands. The room smelled of old wood and rain, but all I could focus on was the terrifying scope of the trap being laid around me.

Daniel walked over, resting a hand on the corner of the desk. "Ethan, if Victoria is behind this, she had to have an insider. Someone who knew the layout of the nursery, someone who knew our security protocols."

"Rosa," I murmured, looking up. "Victoria used to work closely with Rosa when Claire and I were first married. Rosa owed Victoria a favor years ago when Emma was born prematurely and needed expensive surgery."