Chapter 5 - THE INVESTIGATION UNFOLDS
Alexander sat in his study,
The files were spread out before him,
Financial records,
Property deeds,
Hidden accounts,
He was digging into the past,
His suspicions had been ignited,
And they were burning bright,
He had suspected that the marriage was a setup,
But he hadn't realized how deep the deception went,
He found a ledger,
Hidden in the back of the safe,
It contained names,
Dates,
Amounts,
It was a record of bribes,
Of payments to fix problems,
It was the skeleton key to Elena’s life,
He turned the pages,
Each one revealed a new layer of corruption,
She hadn't just been a socialite,
She had been a fixer,
An extortionist,
He felt a chill run down his spine,
He had been sleeping next to a viper,
He reached for his phone,
He needed to call his lawyer,
But then he hesitated,
If he went to the authorities now,
It would be a circus,
The press would descend like vultures,
He needed to be strategic,
He needed to protect the people involved,
He thought of Sarah,
She was innocent,
She was the victim of this,
And she deserved justice,
He picked up the phone,
He dialed a private investigator he had used for years,
"John, I need you,"
He said,
"I need you to look into something,
Something very sensitive,"
He explained the situation,
He gave him the names,
The details,
The contents of the ledger,
John listened carefully,
"I’m on it, Alexander,"
He said,
"But are you sure you want to open this box?
This could destroy a lot of people,"
"It’s already destroyed,"
Alexander replied,
"I just want the truth,"
He hung up,
He looked at the window,
The night was dark,
The moon was hidden behind clouds,
He felt a strange sense of peace,
For the first time in years,
He was looking at the world without a filter,
Without the artificial brightness of Elena’s influence,
He stood up and walked to the kitchen,
He needed water,
He walked past the servants' quarters,
He saw Sarah,
She was packing her bags,
She looked at him as he passed,
Her eyes were red,
"Sir,"
She said,
"I’m leaving tonight,
I don’t want to be here when the news comes,"
"You don't have to leave, Sarah,"
Alexander said,
"You are a victim here,
I will protect you,"
"It’s not just about protection, sir,"
She said,
"It’s about dignity,
I can’t stay in this house,
It holds too many bad memories,"
She looked at him,
"Why did she do it, sir?
Did she hate me that much?"
Alexander sighed,
"She didn't hate you, Sarah,
She just didn't care about you,
You were an object to her,
A prop in her play,
That is the saddest part of all,"
Sarah nodded,
She understood,
"Good luck, sir,"
She said,
She walked out the door,
Alexander watched her go,
He felt a pang of guilt,
He had been the one who brought her here,
He had been the one who didn't see,
He sat down on the kitchen counter,
He thought about Mia,
The little girl,
He needed to thank her,
Properly,
She had changed the course of his entire life,
He realized that in the midst of this darkness,
May you like
There was a small spark of light,
And he would do everything in his power to keep it burning.
