Chapter 5 - The Woman Who Raised Him
Jonah didn't believe Sebastian.
Not immediately.
I didn't either.
Helena Vale had been in his life longer than almost anyone.
She had worked for his father.
She had helped raise both brothers.
She managed Jonah's household with absolute loyalty.
Which made her either the least likely suspect—
Or the perfect one.
“Why would Helena tell you that?” Jonah asked.
Sebastian sat opposite him.
“I don't know.”
“When?”
“Five weeks ago.”
“Before you contacted Reese?”
“Yes.”
Jonah’s eyes hardened.
“You lied.”
“I needed you to listen.”
“You fabricated the reason you came home.”
“I told you about the payment.”
“You withheld Helena.”
“Because if I walked in and accused the woman who practically raised us, you would have thrown me out.”
Jonah said nothing.
Because Sebastian was right.
I hated that too.
“What exactly did she say?” I asked.
Sebastian looked at me.
“She called from an encrypted number. Said Jonah's condition was deteriorating. Said someone planned to make sure he never recovered enough to regain control.”
“Control of what?”
“The family companies.”
Jonah leaned back.
“Who?”
“She refused to say.”
“Then why contact you?”
“Because legally, if Jonah died without changing his estate structure…”
Sebastian stopped.
Jonah's eyes narrowed.
“Say it.”
“I inherit voting control.”
The room went cold.
There it was.
Money.
Power.
Inheritance.
All the usual reasons families became dangerous.
“Does Helena know that?” I asked.
“Yes,” Jonah said.
I turned to him.
“Who else?”
“Board members. Attorneys. Adrian.”
“And Sebastian?”
Jonah looked at his brother.
“He knows.”
Sebastian's jaw tightened.
“I don't want it.”
Jonah laughed without humor.
“You wanted it ten years ago.”
“I was twenty-one.”
“You hated me.”
“I was stupid.”
“You disappeared.”
“Because every room in that house told me I was second.”
Jonah’s eyes flashed.
“And now?”
Sebastian looked at the wheelchair.
Then immediately looked away.
Jonah noticed.
“So that's why you came back? Pity?”
“No.”
“Don't lie.”
“I came back because somebody said you were dying.”
“That isn't the same thing?”
“No.”
Sebastian leaned forward.
“It means you’re my brother.”
For a moment, the two men looked younger.
Not powerful.
Not dangerous.
Just brothers carrying old injuries.
Then Jonah looked toward me.
“What do we do?”
That question mattered.
He wasn't ordering.
He was asking.
“We don't confront Helena.”
Sebastian frowned.
“Why?”
“Because if she’s involved, she'll destroy evidence.”
Jonah nodded.
“And if she isn't?”
“Then we protect her while we find who’s using her.”
“How?”
“Watch.”
So we watched.
For three days.
Helena's routine never changed.
Breakfast at seven.
Staff meeting at eight.
Household accounts at ten.
Lunch supervision.
Deliveries.
Guest wing.
Tea at four.
Kitchen inspection.
Lights.
Nothing suspicious.
Then Thursday came.
At six fifteen, Helena left the estate.
Alone.
Adrian was still suspended, which meant Jonah's temporary security chief followed her from a distance.
Sebastian wanted to go.
Jonah refused.
I went anyway.
Jonah threatened to fire me.
I told him he already tried that.
We compromised badly.
I rode with the surveillance team.
Helena drove to Yonkers.
Storage facility.
Unit 214.
We watched from across the street.
She entered the unit.
Stayed twelve minutes.
Then left carrying nothing.
When she drove away, we waited.
Five minutes.
Ten.
Then another car arrived.
Gray sedan.
A man got out.
Dr. Mercer.
My stomach dropped.
He opened unit 214.
Jonah's physician.
The man responsible for his medications.
The man who asked too few questions.
Suddenly the missing pills made sense.
We photographed everything.
Then Mercer entered the unit.
Twenty minutes later, he left carrying a file case.
We followed him.
He drove south.
Not toward his clinic.
Not home.
Manhattan.
He stopped beneath an office tower.
A company name glowed above the entrance.
NAVARRO DEVELOPMENT GROUP
Jonah’s own company.
Mercer entered.
At nine twenty, he emerged with a man.
Tall.
Gray suit.
Silver hair.
I recognized him.
“Who is that?” I asked.
The security driver beside me answered.
“Victor Dane.”
“Who?”
“Chief financial officer.”
That night, Jonah looked at the photographs.
His face revealed nothing.
“Victor has been with the company fourteen years.”
Sebastian paced behind him.
“And he controls half the corporate debt.”
Jonah looked at me.
“Mercer?”
“Could be feeding him medical updates.”
“Helena?”
“Could be a courier.”
Sebastian shook his head.
“Or partner.”
I looked at Jonah.
“No.”
Both brothers stared at me.
“You don't know that,” Sebastian said.
“I know Helena.”
“You’ve known her three weeks.”
“I know caregivers.”
That earned Jonah’s attention.
“What do you mean?”
I pointed at the photos.
“She enters the unit carrying nothing and leaves carrying nothing. Mercer enters and leaves with documents.”
Sebastian folded his arms.
“So?”
“So if Helena were delivering information, where is it?”
“Inside already.”
“Possible.”
I shook my head.
“But she contacted Sebastian.”
Jonah understood first.
“She was warning him.”
“Exactly.”
Sebastian stopped pacing.
“You think she’s investigating too.”
“I think she’s scared.”
The next morning, Helena entered Jonah's study at eight.
She found all three of us waiting.
She stopped.
Looked at Jonah.
Then the photographs.
Her face changed.
Not guilt.
Relief.
“Oh, thank God,” she whispered.
Jonah’s voice was soft.
“Tell me everything.”
Helena sat.
For the first time since I had met her, her hands trembled.
“Your father made me promise something.”
Jonah’s face tightened.
“What?”
“If anything happened to him, I was to protect you both from the company.”
Sebastian frowned.
“From the company?”
“Victor Dane.”
Jonah leaned forward.
“Why?”
“Your father believed Victor was stealing.”
“How much?”
“Millions.”
“Why didn't he fire him?”
“He was building a case.”
Helena looked at Jonah.
“Then your father died.”
The room went silent.
Jonah’s father had officially died from a heart attack.
Helena continued.
“I never believed it was natural.”
Sebastian whispered, “You think Victor killed Dad?”
“I don't know.”
“But you suspected.”
“Yes.”
Jonah’s expression was unreadable.
“And my crash?”
Helena's eyes filled.
“I believe Victor ordered it.”
“Proof?”
“That is why I used the storage unit.”
She explained.
For six months, she had copied financial records.
Mercer had discovered what she was doing.
Instead of exposing her, he joined her.
At least, that was what she believed.
“Why was Mercer meeting Victor?” I asked.
Helena looked confused.
“He wasn't supposed to.”
My pulse jumped.
“Then Mercer may be playing both sides.”
Jonah looked at Helena.
“The mobility reports?”
Her eyes widened.
“What reports?”
I showed her the receipt.
She read it.
Her face drained.
“I've never seen this.”
Jonah stared at her.
I believed her.
Maybe that was dangerous.
But I did.
“Who else knows about the storage unit?” I asked.
“Only Dr. Mercer.”
Sebastian said, “And me.”
Helena looked at him sharply.
“How?”
“I followed you.”
Her expression became offended.
Which would have been funny under other circumstances.
Then Jonah asked the most important question.
“What evidence did you collect?”
Helena looked toward the door.
“Enough to prove Victor has been transferring company funds.”
“Where is it?”
“The unit.”
Sebastian looked at me.
“Mercer just removed a case.”
Helena stood abruptly.
“No.”
“What?”
“That case contained the originals.”
Jonah rolled backward.
“How much?”
“Everything.”
We were too late.
Mercer had taken the evidence.
Then Helena added something worse.
“There was one more file.”
Jonah looked at her.
“What?”
“A copy of your father’s private investigation.”
Silence.
“What was in it?”
“I never opened it.”
“Why?”
“Your father wrote your name across the seal.”
Jonah’s face changed.
“Where is that file?”
Helena looked terrified.
“In the case Mercer took.”
Before anyone could speak, Jonah’s phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
“Navarro.”
A male voice came through speaker.
Dr. Mercer.
“Jonah.”
Jonah’s jaw clenched.
“Where are you?”
“Somewhere safe.”
“You stole documents from my family.”
“I removed documents Helena was too reckless to protect.”
“Bring them back.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
A pause.
Then Mercer said, “Because Victor knows.”
Jonah looked at us.
“How?”
Another pause.
“I told him.”
Sebastian swore.
Jonah’s expression became deadly.
“You’re working for him.”
“No.”
“Then explain.”
“I've been giving Victor medical information.”
My stomach dropped.
“Why?” I demanded.
Mercer heard me.
“Because if I didn't, he would replace me with someone willing to do worse.”
Jonah’s grip tightened on the phone.
“What does he want?”
Mercer exhaled.
“He wanted you weak enough to lose control of the board.”
“Wanted?”
“Yes.”
“What changed?”
Mercer’s voice lowered.
“He knows you’re improving.”
Nobody moved.
Then Mercer said:
“And tomorrow morning, Victor is calling an emergency board vote.”
Jonah’s eyes hardened.
“To remove me?”
“No.”
Mercer paused.
“To declare you medically incompetent.”
“And Stella…”
My blood chilled.
“He has your original neurological records.”
May you like
“He’s going to prove you were never supposed to recover.”
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