C12 The woman who disappeared

CHAPTER 12: The Woman Who Disappeared

Alexander read the threatening message for the fourth time.

You were warned to stop investigating. Now the people you love will pay for your curiosity.

He had received threats before.

Business rivals had threatened to destroy his company. Anonymous callers had promised to expose private information. Men who wanted his money had tried to intimidate him.

None of those threats had frightened him.

This one was different.

Because this time, the people he loved had names.

Elizabeth.

Grace.

And perhaps another child whose identity remained hidden behind five years of lies.

"Alexander?"

Elizabeth's voice brought him back to the room.

He looked up.

She was standing beside the sofa, Grace nestled against her side. Her expression told him she had already guessed that he wasn't being honest about the message.

"Show me," she said.

He hesitated.

"Elizabeth—"

"Please don't start keeping things from me again. I've had enough of that to last a lifetime."

The words struck harder than she intended.

Alexander unlocked his phone and handed it to her.

She read the message.

The color drained from her face.

"They know where we are?"

"I don't know yet."

"That's not an answer."

"No," he admitted. "It isn't."

Elizabeth looked toward the apartment door.

"We need to leave."

"I'm arranging somewhere safer for you and Grace."

"And what about you?"

"I'm not going anywhere until I know you're safe."

She gave him a frustrated look.

"You always do this."

"Do what?"

"Decide that protecting everyone means putting yourself in the middle of every danger."

Alexander almost smiled.

"You're saying that as though you haven't spent your entire life doing exactly the same thing."

Elizabeth opened her mouth, then closed it.

Unfortunately, he had a point.

Before she could respond, Grace tugged at her sleeve.

"Mommy, are we going somewhere?"

Elizabeth immediately softened.

"Maybe for a little while, sweetheart."

"Can I bring Mr. Rabbit?"

"Of course."

Grace hurried toward her bedroom.

Alexander watched her disappear down the hallway.

Then he turned to Elizabeth.

"I'm taking you both to my apartment tonight. It's secure, and my security team will be there."

Elizabeth folded her arms.

"And tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow, we'll decide what happens next."

She studied him for several seconds.

"All right."

He looked surprised.

"You're agreeing?"

"I'm agreeing to keep Grace safe. Don't mistake that for forgiveness."

"I wouldn't dare."

For the first time that evening, the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.

It wasn't much.

But Alexander would take it.

---

Twenty minutes later, Alexander's driver arrived.

While the luggage was being loaded, Alexander called Daniel.

"Any progress on Catherine?"

"Her apartment was empty when our team arrived. No signs of a struggle, but several personal belongings were missing."

"Did she leave voluntarily?"

"We can't establish that yet."

"Security cameras?"

"We're reviewing footage from nearby buildings."

Alexander paced beside the car.

"Find out whether she has family or anyone she trusts. If she left voluntarily, someone may know where she went."

"Understood."

"And Daniel?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Don't approach her aggressively if you locate her. I want answers, but I don't want to frighten someone who may already be in danger."

There was a brief silence.

"Understood."

Alexander ended the call.

Elizabeth approached with Grace's backpack over her shoulder.

"Ready?"

He took the bag from her.

"Ready."

Grace climbed into the car and immediately pressed her face against the window.

"Is your house really big?"

Alexander opened the door for Elizabeth.

"Big enough."

"Do you have a swimming pool?"

"Yes."

Grace gasped.

"Mommy, he has a swimming pool!"

Elizabeth climbed into the car.

"Please don't let the swimming pool become the only reason you like him."

Grace considered this.

"Can I have two reasons?"

Alexander laughed.

Elizabeth shook her head, but she couldn't completely hide her smile.

For a few moments, the journey felt almost normal.

Then Alexander noticed a dark vehicle following them.

He glanced at the driver.

"Take the next turn."

The driver obeyed.

The vehicle behind them turned as well.

Alexander's expression changed.

"Take the next street and circle back toward the main road."

Again, the driver obeyed.

The dark vehicle continued following.

Elizabeth noticed.

"Alexander?"

"Stay calm."

Her face tightened.

"Are we being followed?"

"I don't know."

He called his security chief and quietly explained the situation.

Within minutes, another vehicle joined them, positioning itself behind their car.

The dark vehicle eventually turned onto a different street.

Alexander watched it disappear.

He didn't relax.

"Call the police if it returns," he instructed his security chief. "And preserve any footage we can obtain."

He ended the call.

Elizabeth stared at him.

"Someone really is watching us."

"It appears that way."

She looked toward Grace, who had become unusually quiet.

Alexander followed her gaze.

He leaned forward slightly.

"Grace?"

The little girl turned.

"Yes?"

"Would you like to hear a story when we get home?"

Her face brightened.

"About a princess?"

"Of course."

"With a dragon?"

"Definitely."

"And a handsome prince?"

Alexander glanced at Elizabeth.

"Let's not get carried away."

Grace giggled.

Elizabeth looked out the window, but this time, the fear in her expression had softened slightly.

Alexander had always known how to make people feel safe.

For years, she had mistaken that ability for arrogance.

Now she was beginning to understand that sometimes it was simply the way he loved people.

And that realization frightened her almost as much as the threats.

---

Alexander's apartment occupied the upper floors of a luxury building overlooking Central Park.

When the elevator doors opened, Grace stepped out and stopped in amazement.

The living room was enormous, with tall windows, elegant furniture, and a view that seemed to stretch across half of Manhattan.

Grace turned slowly.

"Alexander?"

"Yes?"

"Are you secretly a king?"

Elizabeth burst out laughing.

Alexander looked down at the little girl.

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Then why is your house so big?"

"Because I work a lot."

Grace frowned.

"That's a silly reason."

Elizabeth covered her mouth to hide another laugh.

Alexander sighed dramatically.

"I can already tell that living with you is going to be difficult."

Grace beamed.

"Good!"

Within minutes, she had discovered the television room, the bookshelf, and a large basket of blankets near the sofa.

She was especially fascinated by the view from the windows.

"Mommy, look! The cars are tiny!"

Elizabeth joined her.

For a moment, she forgot why they had come.

She had spent years imagining Alexander's life as something cold and untouchable. She had pictured expensive dinners, powerful business associates, and a world in which there was no room for the little things that mattered to her.

But standing beside her daughter, she found herself wondering what it would have been like if Grace had grown up here.

The thought was painful.

Alexander approached quietly.

"I've arranged rooms for both of you."

Elizabeth turned.

"Both of us?"

"Of course. You'll have your own bedroom, and Grace will have hers."

"Thank you."

He nodded.

"I'll have security outside the apartment and downstairs. No one will be allowed in without authorization."

Elizabeth looked at him carefully.

"And what will you be doing?"

"Trying to discover who is threatening us."

"Alexander."

He paused.

"Yes?"

"Don't let your need for answers make you reckless."

He held her gaze.

"I'll be careful."

She wanted to believe him.

For the first time in five years, she desperately wanted to believe him.

---

Later that night, Grace fell asleep halfway through Alexander's story about a princess who outsmarted a dragon.

He carried her to the bedroom prepared for her and gently tucked her beneath the covers.

Her stuffed rabbit rested beneath her chin.

"Goodnight, sweetheart," he whispered.

Grace stirred.

"Alexander?"

"I'm here."

"Will you be here tomorrow?"

He swallowed.

"Yes."

She smiled sleepily.

"Good. I like you."

His throat tightened.

"I like you too, Grace."

He remained beside her bed for another minute before standing.

As he reached the doorway, he looked back at her.

He had spent years building a life in which nothing could surprise him.

Now a five-year-old girl had changed everything simply by asking him to stay for breakfast.

And he still didn't know whether he was her father.

He needed the truth.

But for the first time, he understood that the truth was not merely something he wanted to uncover.

It was something he owed her.

---

At eleven thirty, Alexander entered his private study.

Daniel had sent several updates, but one message stood out.

We've identified a vehicle matching the description of the car that followed you. The registration leads to a company connected to Richard Hayes.

Alexander stared at the screen.

Richard.

Again.

He immediately called his stepbrother.

Richard answered after several rings.

"Alexander. It's rather late for a social call."

"Why was a vehicle belonging to one of your companies following me today?"

A pause.

"Good evening to you too."

"Answer the question."

"I have several companies, Alexander. I can't possibly know where every vehicle is at every moment."

"Then you won't mind helping me establish who was using it."

Richard laughed softly.

"You've been spending too much time watching crime dramas."

"And you've been spending too much time pretending you have nothing to hide."

The laughter stopped.

"What exactly are you accusing me of?"

"Someone is threatening Elizabeth and Grace. Someone is interfering with my investigation into the hospital records. And now a vehicle connected to you has been following us."

"That's an impressive collection of coincidences."

"Do you want to explain them?"

"No."

Alexander's jaw tightened.

"No?"

"Because I have nothing to explain. If you're accusing me of threatening a woman and a child, perhaps you should find some evidence before making a fool of yourself."

"Be careful, Richard."

"That sounds suspiciously like a threat."

"Take it however you like."

Richard's voice became colder.

"You're making a mistake, Alexander. Whatever you think happened five years ago, digging it up won't change the past."

Alexander went still.

There it was.

Not a denial.

A warning.

"How do you know what happened five years ago?" Alexander asked.

Richard didn't answer.

"Richard?"

"Goodnight, Alexander."

The call ended.

Alexander stood motionless, staring at his phone.

Richard knew something.

He had known it from the beginning.

Now Alexander needed to discover whether his stepbrother had helped conceal the truth or whether he was protecting someone else.

Perhaps even their mother.

---

Across the city, Victoria Hayes sat in her private sitting room when Richard entered.

She looked up from the document in her hands.

"Did you speak to your brother?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"He knows a vehicle connected to one of my companies was following him."

Victoria closed her eyes.

"How could you allow that to happen?"

Richard's expression hardened.

"Me? You're the one who insisted we keep an eye on him."

"I told you to monitor the situation, not draw attention to yourself."

"Perhaps you should have mentioned that before sending me incomplete information."

Victoria placed the document on the table.

"Do not raise your voice to me."

Richard laughed without humor.

"You have spent five years telling me what I can and cannot know. You've used me whenever you needed something done, and now you're surprised that I'm asking questions?"

"Everything I did was to protect this family."

"Then tell me the truth about the second child."

Victoria froze.

Richard watched her carefully.

For the first time, he was certain that his mother was hiding something even from him.

"Who is that boy?" he asked.

Victoria stood.

"You need to stop asking questions."

"Why? Is he Alexander's son?"

"Richard—"

"Or is he mine?"

The question hung between them.

Victoria's face went white.

Richard stared at her.

He had asked the question partly to provoke her.

He hadn't expected her reaction.

"Mother," he whispered, "what have you done?"

Victoria turned away.

"You have no idea what you're talking about."

"Then explain it."

"I cannot."

"Cannot or will not?"

She looked back at him, and for the first time in years, Richard saw genuine fear in her eyes.

"Some truths destroy everything they touch."

Richard stepped back.

"And some lies destroy people long before the truth comes out."

He left the room without another word.

Victoria remained standing beside the table.

Her gaze fell on the document she had been reading.

A document she had kept hidden for five years.

A document bearing the name of a child whose existence could destroy the Hayes family.

---

At twelve fifteen, Alexander received a call from an unfamiliar number.

He answered immediately.

"Hello?"

"Mr. Hayes?"

The voice was female.

He straightened.

"Who's speaking?"

"My name is Catherine Moore."

Alexander stood so quickly that his chair rolled backward.

"Where are you?"

"Somewhere I can speak safely. I don't have much time."

"Are you all right?"

"I'm safe for the moment."

"Where did you go? We've been looking for you."

"I had to leave. Someone discovered I had contacted Elizabeth."

Alexander's expression hardened.

"Who?"

"I don't know. But they made it clear that I needed to stop talking."

"Then tell me what you know."

Catherine hesitated.

"Dr. Whitmore showed you the transfer authorization, didn't he?"

"Yes."

"Then you know Richard was involved."

"I know he signed the authorization. I don't know why."

"Because the second baby was not supposed to remain in the hospital records under the name originally assigned to that child."

Alexander gripped the edge of his desk.

"What does that mean?"

"It means that someone arranged for the child to leave under a different identity."

"Who was the child?"

"I can't tell you that over the phone."

"Why not?"

"Because the people who arranged the transfer are still powerful, and I have reason to believe they're watching everyone connected to the case."

Alexander's patience thinned.

"Ms. Moore, I have a daughter whose entire life may have been shaped by this secret. I need answers."

"And I want to give them to you."

Her voice softened.

"But first, you need to understand something about your mother."

Alexander closed his eyes briefly.

"What about her?"

Catherine took a shaky breath.

"Victoria didn't simply authorize the transfer. She was trying to prevent a family scandal that would have destroyed her position in the Hayes family."

Alexander felt a chill move through him.

"What scandal?"

Before Catherine could answer, he heard a faint sound on her end of the line.

A door opening.

Then a man's voice.

"Catherine?"

She gasped.

"Mr. Hayes, I have to go."

"Wait! Where are you?"

"I'll contact you again. But whatever you do, don't let Richard get to the original records."

The call disconnected.

Alexander stared at his phone.

A moment later, a message arrived.

Catherine Moore: The boy in the photograph is not the only child whose identity was changed that night.

Alexander read the sentence twice.

Then a second message appeared.

Catherine Moore: Ask Victoria Hayes why she was so desperate to keep the two babies apart.

The phone slipped slightly in his hand.

Two babies.

Two identities.

And a woman who had just risked everything to warn him.

Alexander looked toward the bedroom where Grace was sleeping.

For five years, he had believed his greatest loss was Elizabeth.

Now he feared that the truth about Grace's birth would reveal a betrayal far more devastating than anything he had imagined.

He called Daniel.

"Get the car ready."

"Where are we going, sir?"

Alexander picked up his jacket.

"To see my mother."

This time, he wasn't going to ask her what she knew.

He was going to demand the truth.