Chapter 15 - Whispers in the Wind
|
A year passed in blissful tranquility.
Savannah had become our haven. Liam was six now, enrolled in a prestigious private academy where he excelled in art and science. His teachers described him as a brilliant, kind-hearted boy with a gentle soul. The dark memories of Buckhead seemed to have faded into an old, forgotten bad dream.
I had built a quiet, powerful life. I spent my days managing Vance International from a home office and my afternoons taking Liam to the beach, collecting seashells, and watching the sunset over the Atlantic.
Then, on a stormy Tuesday evening in October, the tranquility shattered once more.
I was sitting in my study, reviewing a quarterly report, when my personal phone rang. It was an encrypted line that only Marcus and my top security detail possessed.
I picked it up. "Marcus?"
"Madeline," Marcus's voice was unusually grave, stripped of its usual calm confidence. "I need you to listen to me very carefully."
My heart instantly tightened. "What happened? Did Jeffrey get early parole?"
"No," Marcus answered grimly. "Jeffrey is still in prison. But an hour ago, Noelle Carter was admitted to an emergency room in Atlanta. She suffered a massive stroke."
I remained silent for a moment, staring at the rain crashing against my windowpane. "Why are you telling me this, Marcus? She means nothing to me."
"Before she slipped into a coma," Marcus continued, his voice dropping into a low whisper, "she kept repeating a single phrase to the head nurse."
"What phrase?"
"She said: 'Tell Madeline... the London money wasn't for Cynthia. The real owner is coming for Liam.'"
My breath caught in my throat. The room seemed to drop ten degrees in an instant.
May you like
"What real owner, Marcus?" I demanded, standing up from my desk. "What was she talking about?!"
"I don't know, Madeline," Marcus admitted grimly. "But ten minutes ago, our corporate server in London detected an unauthorized breach. Someone just downloaded Liam's medical files and his current residential address in Savannah."
