Chapter 10 - Six Days
The next six days became a countdown.
Roman moved Sophie out of Vale House before sunrise.
He refused hotels.
He refused company properties.
He refused any location Helena might know.
Daniel arranged a secure apartment under another name.
Roman hated relying on him.
But he hated leaving Sophie unprotected more.
Claire came with them.
Nora did too.
Nobody trusted anyone.
That was exactly what Victor wanted.
Roman hired an independent investigator named Evelyn Grant.
Former FBI.
No Vale connections.
No Helena connections.
No loyalty except the contract Roman placed in front of her.
Her first rule was simple.
“Stop telling your security team everything.”
Daniel did not like that.
Roman did it anyway.
By the second day, Evelyn had confirmed Victor Shaw was alive.
She found immigration records under several aliases.
Brazil.
Argentina.
Spain.
Canada.
No clear photographs after the plastic surgeries.
But she found one recent passport image.
Roman stared at it.
The resemblance was disturbing.
Victor did not look exactly like him.
But in poor light, from the right angle, he could.
Especially to a frightened child who had only baby memories and photographs.
“Why spend eight years doing this?” Roman asked.
Evelyn slid a document across the table.
“Because Arthur’s trust is worth more than evidence.”
Roman frowned.
“How much?”
“Potentially four hundred million dollars.”
Claire stared.
Roman looked at her.
“You didn’t know?”
“No.”
Evelyn continued.
“Arthur transferred controlling shares from three private holding companies into the trust.”
Roman’s anger returned.
“My father buried half a billion dollars under my infant daughter’s name?”
“Roughly.”
“And nobody noticed?”
“It was structured through shell entities.”
Roman shook his head.
“This isn’t about evidence.”
“Not entirely.”
Evelyn nodded.
“Victor may want the money.”
“Someone else may want the evidence destroyed.”
Roman thought of the Circle.
“How many people?”
“I’ve identified eleven names from the partial records.”
“Living?”
“Seven.”
“Powerful?”
“Very.”
Roman looked toward Sophie’s bedroom.
“Then why hasn’t someone simply killed her?”
Claire flinched.
Evelyn answered carefully.
“Because Arthur designed the trust to prevent exactly that.”
“How?”
“If Sophie dies before activation, every document is automatically released to multiple federal agencies and news organizations.”
Roman stared.
“So keeping her alive protects them.”
“Until the trust activates.”
“And after?”
Evelyn did not answer.
She didn’t need to.
Claire’s face drained of color.
Roman stood.
“They plan to gain control on her birthday.”
“Then kill her.”
Claire covered her mouth.
“No.”
Roman looked at Evelyn.
“How do we stop activation?”
“We need the original trust documents.”
“Where?”
“Hanover Private Bank.”
The 417 key.
Roman pulled it from his pocket.
Finally something made sense.
That afternoon Roman and Evelyn went to Hanover.
The bank president personally escorted them underground.
Box 417 was enormous.
Not a small safe-deposit drawer.
A private vault.
The key opened the first lock.
The bank manager entered a second code.
The vault opened.
Inside were three things.
A sealed envelope.
A leather ledger.
A video recorder.
Roman opened the envelope.
Arthur’s handwriting.
FOR SOPHIE, WHEN SHE IS READY.
Roman unfolded the document.
It was the original trust.
Evelyn read beside him.
Her expression changed.
“This is different.”
“How?”
“The guardian clause.”
“What about it?”
“The father doesn’t control the trust.”
Roman looked at her.
“Then who does?”
Evelyn pointed.
“The person Sophie voluntarily identifies as the adult she trusts most.”
Roman stared.
Not father.
Not mother.
Trusted adult.
Arthur had changed the clause.
Victor’s entire plan might have been based on an outdated copy.
Roman almost felt relief.
Then Evelyn turned the page.
Her face changed again.
“What?”
“There’s an amendment.”
Roman read.
Executed two weeks later.
The trusted adult must also possess Arthur Vale’s signet ring.
Roman remembered the security footage.
Victor wearing Arthur’s black onyx ring.
“He already has it.”
Evelyn nodded.
Roman picked up the video recorder.
One file remained.
Arthur appeared.
Younger than the boathouse video.
Recorded shortly before his supposed death.
“Roman.”
“If you are watching this, I failed to stop them.”
“I need you to understand something about Victor.”
“He is not the architect.”
“He is the replacement.”
Roman leaned closer.
“The person who built the Circle is someone you love.”
Arthur paused.
“And the worst thing I ever did was help that person build it.”
Roman stared.
His father continued.
“You will want a name.”
“I will not give you one.”
“Because if you hear it from me, you will never believe it.”
“You must find the ledger.”
Roman looked down.
The leather ledger sat beside him.
Arthur’s recording continued.
“Page forty-one.”
Roman opened the ledger.
Page forty-one had been removed.
He stared.
Someone had reached the vault before him.
Evelyn checked the box.
No other documents.
Roman turned to the bank manager.
“Who accessed this vault?”
The manager looked uncomfortable.
“Mr. Vale, records are confidential.”
“It’s my vault.”
“It was accessed under joint authorization.”
“By whom?”
The man swallowed.
“Your wife.”
Roman went still.
“Claire?”
“No.”
The bank manager turned his screen.
The authorized name appeared.
HELENA VALE.
Date of access.
Three weeks ago.
The same day Claire disappeared.
Roman understood why Helena had run.
She had page forty-one.
May you like
And whoever wanted it knew she had it.
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