Chapter 3 - THE WOMAN WHO ENTERED THE FAMILY TO STEAL THE HEIRAdrian watched Claire’s final recording until sunrise.
He did not sleep.
He could not.
Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the same thing.
Claire sitting in that room.
Her voice trembling.
Her eyes filled with fear.
Not fear for herself.
Fear for Ethan.
That was what destroyed him.
Because even in her final moments…
Claire was not thinking about her own life.
She was thinking about protecting their son.
The next morning, Adrian called his investigator.
“Find everything about Victoria Hale.”
The investigator paused.
“Sir, we already checked her background.”
“No.”
Adrian looked at the memory card on his desk.
“You checked the person she wanted everyone to see.”
A silence followed.
“I want the person she buried.”
Within hours, a new report arrived.
And this time…
Victoria’s perfect image disappeared.
The woman Adrian married was not simply a wealthy socialite.
She had changed her name three times.
She had connections to several companies that collapsed under suspicious circumstances.
And five years earlier…
she had worked for a private investment group.
The owner of that group?
Adrian’s former business rival.
Charles Whitmore.
Adrian stared at the name.
Charles Whitmore.
A man who lost billions after Adrian’s company exposed his illegal practices.
A man who publicly promised:
“One day, Adrian Blackwood will lose everything he loves.”
At the time, Adrian thought it was an empty threat.
Now…
he understood.
Victoria had not entered his life randomly.
She had been sent.
Not to love him.
Not to support him.
To destroy him.
But there was something that bothered Adrian.
The investigator found something strange.
Victoria never attempted to steal Adrian’s money directly.
She never transferred assets.
Never forged documents.
Never touched his company.
Instead…
she focused on one thing.
Ethan.
Adrian looked at the legal documents.
His son was the main beneficiary of Claire’s family trust.
A trust worth nearly $400 million.
Money that Adrian could not access.
Money protected until Ethan became an adult.
Unless…
someone became Ethan’s legal guardian.
Adrian’s face became cold.
Victoria did not want his money.
She wanted control over Ethan.
Because controlling Ethan meant controlling the inheritance.
That evening, Adrian returned to the mansion.
Victoria was waiting.
“You left with Ethan.”
“Yes.”
“Without telling me.”
“Yes.”
Her expression hardened.
“Do you know how embarrassing that was?”
Adrian looked at her.
“Embarrassing?”
“Yes. People are talking.”
There it was.
Not concern.
Not fear.
Reputation.
Always reputation.
“Victoria.”
She looked at him.
“Why did you marry me?”
The question caught her off guard.
“What?”
“You heard me.”
She smiled nervously.
“That’s a ridiculous question.”
“Answer it.”
Silence.
Then:
“Because I loved you.”
Adrian nodded slowly.
“Then why did Claire investigate you before she died?”
Victoria froze.
Only for a second.
But enough.
“You went through my things?”
“No.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“She left me something.”
The color disappeared from Victoria’s face.
“What?”
“A video.”
Victoria stopped breathing.
“What did she say?”
Adrian watched her reaction.
And finally…
he knew.
She was afraid of Claire’s truth.
Before Victoria could respond, Ethan appeared at the top of the stairs.
“Daddy?”
Adrian immediately softened.
“Yes, buddy?”
The little boy held a drawing.
“I made something.”
He walked down slowly.
Then handed it to Adrian.
Adrian looked at it.
A family picture.
Him.
Ethan.
Claire.
And Victoria.
But Victoria was standing far away.
Behind a dark door.
Adrian looked at Ethan.
“Why did you draw her there?”
Ethan whispered:
“Because Mommy said bad people hide behind doors.”
Victoria’s face changed.
That night, Adrian made another call.
Not to his investigator.
Not to the police.
To the most powerful law firm in the country.
“I need every document related to my marriage.”
The lawyer asked:
“Are you preparing a divorce?”
Adrian looked toward Ethan’s bedroom.
“No.”
A pause.
“I’m preparing to take back my son.”
Three days later, Adrian received the first evidence.
A hidden bank account.
Owned by Victoria.
Connected to Charles Whitmore.
And one payment description:
PROJECT HEIR.
Adrian stared at those words.
Project Heir.
Not husband.
Not family.
Not love.
A project.
A plan.
And Ethan was the target.
Then his phone rang.
The investigator.
His voice was urgent.
“Mr. Blackwood…”
“What?”
“We found something about the night Claire died.”
Adrian stood.
“What?”
“The accident report was altered.”
His heart stopped.
“Who changed it?”
A pause.
Then:
“Your wife’s doctor.”
Adrian frowned.
“My wife’s doctor died years ago.”
The investigator became quiet.
“No, sir.”
“He is alive.”
Adrian felt cold.
Because suddenly the story became bigger.
Victoria was not working alone.
Charles was not the only enemy.
Someone had helped erase Claire.
Someone who knew exactly how to make a murder look like an accident.
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And the next person Adrian was about to confront…
was the man who signed his wife’s death certificate.
