Chapter 9 - The Secret Benefactor
A week had passed since the dramatic boardroom showdown at the Meridian building.
Julian remained behind bars,
unable to afford the massive bail set by the judge.
Eleanor was under house arrest at her mansion,
surrounded by a team of expensive defense lawyers.
I was sitting in the nursery of the Wright estate,
rocking little Arthur to sleep gently.
The house was quiet,
save for the crackle of the baby monitor on the table.
Ethan tapped softly on the door frame,
stepping into the dimly lit room with a letter.
"This arrived for you by courier today,"
he whispered,
handing me a thick black envelope.
"It has no return address,
but the wax seal belongs to an old family friend."
I carefully broke the seal,
pulling out a piece of heavy parchment paper inside.
The handwriting was elegant,
written in a flowing script with a fountain pen.
"Dear Vivian,"
the letter began,
my eyes scanning the words with deep curiosity.
"You do not know me,
but I knew your father,
Arthur,
very well during his lifetime."
"I have watched your struggle from afar,
admiring your incredible resilience and strength."
"The Vance family thought they were clever,
but they were merely pawns in a much larger game."
"There is a third party involved in the theft of your childhood identity,
Vivian."
"Eleanor did not act alone twenty-five years ago,
she was helped by someone inside your own house."
"Look closely at the old staff payroll records from nineteen-ninety-nine."
"The truth will set you free,
but it will also challenge everything you think you know."
"Signed,
A Friend in the Shadows."
I stared at the letter,
a cold dread creeping into my heart once again.
"Ethan,
look at this,"
I whispered,
handing him the mysterious parchment document.
He read it quickly,
his brow furrowing into a deep,
worried line as he finished.
"A friend in the shadows?"
he muttered,
analyzing the unique wax seal closely.
"This is the crest of the Sterling family,
the oldest legal dynasty in the state."
"Charles Sterling was our father's personal attorney and closest confidant before he passed away."
"He went missing shortly after you disappeared twenty-five years ago,"
Ethan revealed.
"Everyone assumed he was dead,
but this letter proves he is still alive somewhere."
"Why would he hide for so long?"
I asked,
looking down at my sleeping baby boy.
"Because he knew too much,"
Ethan realized,
his eyes flashing with sudden understanding.
"If someone inside our house helped Eleanor steal you,
they would have killed Charles to keep him quiet."
"We need to find those old payroll records immediately,"
I stated,
standing up carefully.
"They are stored in the basement archives of the Meridian building,"
Ethan noted.
"The very place you used to clean every single night,
Vivian."
I smiled grimly,
the irony of the situation not escaping my mind at all.
"Then it looks like I'm going back to work,"
I said with absolute determination.
"But this time,
May you like
I'm not bringing a mop and a bucket."
"I'm bringing a legal team and a warrant to uncover the ultimate truth."
