Chapter 7 - Unmasked
Grace kept her tight grip on Mrs. Holloway’s wrist, unheeding of the older woman’s furious glaring.
"Mr. Whitman," Grace said, her voice breathing heavily but steady. "Mrs. Holloway just broke into your private study. She was leaking the boys' confidential psychiatric records to Sophia’s attorney."
Alexander’s eyes locked onto Mrs. Holloway. The air in the room temperature seemed to drop below freezing. He stepped into the kitchen, his tall frame blocking the exit, his presence completely overwhelming.
"Is this true, Martha?" Alexander asked softly—a quiet, terrifying tone that made Mrs. Holloway shake.
"She’s lying!" Mrs. Holloway stammered, her face turning pale. "She’s trying to frame me, Mr. Whitman! She was trying to steal from your safe, and I caught her! She’s an opportunist trying to worm her way into your fortune!"
Without saying a word, Alexander reached out, snatched Mrs. Holloway’s pocket, and pulled out the small black USB flash drive, along with the glowing burner phone that was still on an active call.
Alexander raised the phone to his ear. "Victoria?"
Silence sounded on the other end of the line, followed by the sharp click of the call being disconnected.
Alexander lowered the phone, his face an unreadable mask of absolute stone. He looked at Mrs. Holloway—a woman who had served in his home for six years, a woman he had trusted with his household, who had been secretly destroying his family from within.
"You have ten minutes to clear your personal belongings out of this house," Alexander said, his voice flat, devoid of any human warmth. "If you are still on my property in eleven minutes, I will have the police arrest you for corporate espionage, grand larceny, and breach of non-disclosure agreements. You will spend the rest of your life in a state penitentiary."
Mrs. Holloway gasped, trembling violently. She realized in an instant that her greed had utterly destroyed her life. Without another word, she turned and fled down the hallway toward the staff quarters, sobbing hysterically.
Alexander stood alone in the kitchen with Grace. He looked at the USB flash drive in his hand, then looked up at Grace. His breathing was ragged, his shoulders tense.
"She was feeding them information for months," Alexander whispered, realization dawning on him. "Every time the boys had a bad day, every time they cried... Sophia knew. She was orchestrating this entire collapse."
Grace walked over to him softly. She reached out and gently laid her hand over his arm. "It's over now, Alexander. She’s gone. They can't hurt you from inside this house anymore."
Alexander looked down at her hand on his arm, then looked up into her blue eyes. The barrier between employer and employee, between billionaire and nanny, burned away entirely in the quiet warmth of the kitchen.
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"Thank you, Grace," Alexander said softly, his voice thick with unexpressed emotion. "You saved us. Again."
"We’re a team," Grace said gently, offering him a soft, reassuring smile. "Now, let's clean up this glass. The evaluator arrives in six hours, and we have three little knights to protect."
