CHAPTER 9 â THE ENEMY INSIDE THE MANSION
Victor Hale had always believed his enemies were easy to identify.
They were the executives who smiled while planning his downfall.
The competitors who shook his hand while secretly trying to destroy him.
The strangers who wanted his money and his power.
But he never imagined the greatest threat would come from someone who shared his blood.
Someone who sat at his family table.
Someone who called him family.
For the next three days, Victor changed.
Everyone noticed.
The employees at Hale Corporation whispered among themselves.
The man who once trusted nobody now questioned everyone.
Security around the penthouse doubled.
Every employee was investigated.
Every delivery was checked.
Every visitor was monitored.
Because Victor had finally accepted the truth:
Someone had entered his home with a purpose.
And that person had already hurt the woman he loved.
An noticed the change immediately.
She watched Victor standing in Ethan's nursery, checking the cameras himself.
"You haven't slept."
Victor didn't turn around.
"Neither have you."
An looked away.
The answer was true.
Ever since she returned, she had been watching Ethan even more carefully.
Not because she didn't trust Victor.
Because she knew something he didn't.
Danger didn't always come with warnings.
SometimesâŠ
It smiled.
"Victor."
He stopped.
"What?"
An hesitated.
"There is something else you need to know."
His expression hardened.
"About Elena?"
She nodded.
"Before she died, she was investigating someone."
"Who?"
An looked at Ethan.
"Someone inside the Hale family."
Victor's jaw tightened.
"Richard?"
An remained silent.
And that silence was enough.
Victor left immediately.
He went to his father's mansion.
Richard Hale was sitting in his study, drinking coffee as if nothing in the world was wrong.
When Victor entered, Richard looked up.
"Unexpected."
Victor closed the door behind him.
"We need to talk."
Richard studied his son's face.
"You look angry."
Victor laughed coldly.
"Do I?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"You look like a man who discovered something he wasn't prepared to know."
Victor placed Elena's letter on the desk.
Richard's expression changed.
Only slightly.
But Victor saw it.
"You recognize it."
Richard remained silent.
"You knew about this."
"Victorâ"
"No."
His voice became dangerous.
"Don't lie to me."
Richard looked at the letter.
Then sighed.
"Your wife was emotional after giving birth."
Victor froze.
"Be careful."
Richard continued.
"She became suspicious of everyone."
"She imagined threats that weren't there."
Victor stared at him.
For years, he had respected his father.
But nowâŠ
Something felt wrong.
"You're saying Elena was crazy?"
Richard looked away.
"I'm saying grief and fear can change people."
Victor's hands tightened.
"She was the mother of my son."
"And she was my daughter-in-law."
Richard looked back.
"Don't pretend I didn't care about her."
The words sounded convincing.
Almost.
But Victor had spent his entire life reading people.
And something in his father's eyes bothered him.
When Victor returned to the penthouseâŠ
An was waiting.
One look at his face told her everything.
"He denied it."
An nodded.
"I expected that."
Victor looked at her.
"You knew?"
"I knew he would."
The answer frustrated him.
"How much do you know?"
An was silent.
Too silent.
Victor stepped closer.
"An."
She looked at him.
"I know enough to understand that Elena wasn't wrong."
That night, Victor reviewed every security camera recording from the penthouse.
Every movement.
Every person.
Every detail.
ThenâŠ
At 2:13 a.m.
Something appeared.
A figure entering Ethan's nursery.
Victor froze.
He replayed it.
Again.
Again.
The person wore a hood.
The face was hidden.
But the movementsâŠ
Victor recognized them.
"No..."
His voice became a whisper.
The next morning, the entire penthouse was in chaos.
Ethan's favorite blanket was missing.
The one Elena had made before he was born.
The one Victor kept beside his son every night.
Victor searched everywhere.
Then he found something.
A note.
Placed inside Ethan's crib.
Only four words.
"She couldn't protect him."
Victor's face turned pale.
An immediately understood.
This wasn't just a threat.
It was a message.
A reminder.
Someone wanted them to know:
They could enter anytime.
Victor called his security chief.
"Lock down the building."
The man hesitated.
"Sir?"
"Now."
"Butâ"
Victor's voice became terrifying.
"I said now."
Minutes later, the security report arrived.
There was no forced entry.
No broken locks.
No alarms.
The person who enteredâŠ
Had access.
Victor looked at the list of people with access to the penthouse.
His eyes moved slowly.
One name.
Then another.
ThenâŠ
He stopped.
Because there was only one person he never suspected.
Victoria.
His younger sister.
Victor stared at the name.
Impossible.
Victoria had always been close to him.
She had helped him after Elena's death.
She had comforted him.
She had cried at Elena's funeral.
Could she really be involved?
An saw his expression.
"What is it?"
Victor didn't answer.
She looked at the screen.
Then her face changed.
"Victoria."
Victor looked at her.
"You know something."
An hesitated.
Then whispered:
"Elena was afraid of her."
The room became silent.
Victor felt like the ground beneath him disappeared.
"My sister?"
An nodded slowly.
"Your wife once told me..."
She swallowed.
"She said the person closest to her was the person she feared most."
At that exact momentâŠ
Victoria stood outside the penthouse.
Watching the building from her car.
She held a photograph.
A photograph of Elena.
Her fingers slowly tore it in half.
Then she smiled.
"Almost."
She whispered.
"Almost everything is falling apart."
Her phone rang.
She answered.
"It's done."
A man's voice replied:
"Are you sure Victor suspects you?"
Victoria looked up at the penthouse.
"No."
A cold smile appeared.
"He suspects everyone."
A pause.
"Except the person he trusts the most."
She ended the call.
Inside the penthouseâŠ
Victor looked at An.
For the first time, he understood something terrifying.
The enemy wasn't trying to destroy his company.
They weren't trying to steal his money.
They wanted something much more painful.
They wanted to take away the last thing Elena left him.
His son.
And the only woman standing between Ethan and dangerâŠ
May you like
Was An.
The maid he once thought he couldn't trust.
