Chapter 10 - The Mother Who Knew Everything
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Victoria Hale arrived at her attorney's office in Manhattan at nine the following morning.
She wore a cream-colored suit, pearl earrings, and the expression of a woman who had never been told no.
For more than thirty years, she'd maintained the image of a devoted wife, generous philanthropist, and respected member of New York society.
Her name appeared on hospital donor walls.
Museum boards.
Charity invitations.
And photographs beside politicians and business leaders.
But investigators had uncovered something that threatened to destroy that image.
Records connected her to visits with Lucia Rossy while Lucia was living under a false identity.
Paige watched the news from Gabriel's estate.
Her stomach twisted.
She remembered Victoria's voice.
Always soft.
Always controlled.
When Paige once appeared at a family dinner with a bruised wrist, Victoria had leaned close and whispered:
Men under pressure sometimes forget their strength. Don't embarrass Colin.
Paige had believed Victoria simply refused to acknowledge what her son was doing.
Now she wondered how much the woman had always known.
Evelyn entered carrying a folder.
“Paige, the investigators would like another statement.”
Paige looked up.
“About Victoria?”
“Yes.”
“I don't know much.”
“You may know more than you think.”
They sat together in the library.
Evelyn asked about Victoria's relationship with Colin.
Paige described the family dinners.
The private conversations.
The way Victoria corrected her appearance.
Her manners.
Her clothes.
Then she remembered something.
At a Christmas gathering two years earlier, Victoria had taken her aside.
She asked whether Paige wanted children.
Paige said someday.
Victoria smiled.
Then said, You'll make a lovely mother once you learn to be obedient.
Paige hadn't forgotten the words.
She simply hadn't understood how disturbing they were until later.
Evelyn wrote them down.
Then asked whether Victoria knew Colin hurt her.
“Yes.”
“How do you know?”
Paige swallowed.
“She saw the bruises.”
“Did she say anything?”
“She told me not to provoke him.”
Evelyn's expression tightened.
Paige continued.
“After he broke my ribs, she arranged for a private doctor to visit. She said hospitals asked too many questions.”
The room went quiet.
“Do you remember the doctor's name?”
Paige thought carefully.
“Dr. Martin Kessler.”
Evelyn wrote it down.
Then looked up.
“Was he associated with the Hale family?”
“Yes. He treated Richard for years.”
The attorney's expression changed.
She checked a document on her laptop.
Then went still.
“Paige.”
“What?”
“Dr. Kessler appears in the financial records connected to Lucia's original admission.”
Paige stared.
The same doctor.
The same family.
The same pattern of hiding harm behind expensive medical care.
She felt sick.
That afternoon, Gabriel called from Switzerland.
He'd finally seen Lucia in person.
Paige heard the emotion in his voice before he spoke.
“She remembered me.”
Paige smiled.
“Of course she did.”
He laughed softly.
“No, I mean she remembered everything about us.”
“Like what?”
“The apartment we grew up in. The old dog. How I used to steal her Halloween candy.”
Paige laughed.
“You stole your little sister's candy?”
“I was eight.”
“That's not a defense.”
Gabriel smiled through the phone.
For a moment, he sounded almost ordinary.
Then he grew quiet.
“She's scared, Paige.”
Her smile faded.
“Of Richard?”
“Of all of them.”
Paige looked down.
“That's understandable.”
“She keeps asking whether someone will take her away again.”
Paige's throat tightened.
“Does she have a therapist?”
“Yes.”
“Good.”
Gabriel hesitated.
Then said, “I don't know how to help her.”
The admission surprised Paige.
A man who could command an entire criminal organization couldn't find the right words for his sister.
She answered gently.
“Don't try to fix everything.”
He was silent.
“Just ask what she needs. And believe her when she tells you.”
A long pause followed.
Then Gabriel whispered, “That's what she used to tell me.”
Paige smiled sadly.
“Sounds like she was right.”
That evening, Evelyn received new information from investigators.
Several witnesses had come forward.
One was a former employee of the Hale family's medical consulting company.
Another had worked for Victoria's charitable foundation.
Together, their testimony and records suggested that Victoria had authorized payments used to maintain Lucia's false identity.
The evidence was substantial enough for investigators to pursue criminal charges.
Richard, Victoria, and Colin were now under increasing legal scrutiny.
But Colin hadn't disappeared.
He'd begun giving interviews.
He described Paige as unstable.
Claimed Gabriel had manipulated her.
And insisted she had willingly participated in the financial arrangements.
Then he made one statement that terrified her.
He told a reporter Paige had stolen confidential Hale family documents.
And suggested those documents were the reason Gabriel took her from the wedding.
Paige stared at the screen.
Her hands began shaking.
Because she knew what Colin was doing.
He was preparing to blame everything on her.
Then Evelyn called.
“Paige, we need to discuss something immediately.”
Paige swallowed.
“What?”
“Colin's attorney has submitted documents claiming you personally authorized the transfers through Aster Holdings.”
Her stomach dropped.
Evelyn continued.
“And one of those documents contains a photograph of you signing papers in a hospital bed.”
Paige closed her eyes.
The day her ribs were broken.
The day Colin told her she was signing insurance forms.
He'd taken photographs.
Not to preserve a happy memory.
May you like
But to create evidence against her.
And now he intended to use the worst day of her life to make her look guilty.
