Chapter 6 - The Sabotage
Just as life in the Carter mansion began to find a peaceful rhythm, a new threat emerged from the corporate shadows. William's absence from the city hadn't gone unnoticed. His rival, a ruthless tech mogul named Julian Vance, had been looking for a weakness in Carter Enterprises for years. And he found it through Vanessa.
It started with a leak. Internal financial documents from William’s firm were leaked to the press, suggesting that the company was unstable due to "personal family crises." The media seized on the story, painting William as an unfit CEO who was neglecting his empire to deal with a broken home.
The stock prices began to dip.
One morning, William was buried in his study, his phone ringing off the hook. I brought him a cup of coffee, finding him surrounded by mountains of paperwork, his hair disheveled.
"It's Vanessa," he said, rubbing his temples as I set the cup down. "She sold her story to Vance. She's claiming I'm keeping the boys hostage, that I'm mentally unstable. The board is calling an emergency meeting for Friday. They want to vote me out."
"Can they do that?" I asked, fear gripping my chest. This man had fought so hard to reclaim his family; to lose his life's work now would be devastating.
"If Vance convinces the majority stockholders that I'm a liability, yes," William said, looking up at me. "Everything I built to secure my sons' future... it could all disappear."
That afternoon, Mason and Luke walked into the study. They had seen the news on their tablets. They stood before their father, no longer the terrified children from weeks ago, but a united front.
"Dad," Luke said, his voice firm. "Let us come to the meeting."
William blinked in surprise. "What? No, Luke. It’s a corporate bloodbath. It’s no place for kids."
"They are saying you're a bad dad," Mason countered, his eyes blazing. "They are saying we are broken. Let us tell them the truth. Let us show them that you're the only one who stayed."
I stepped forward, placing a hand on William’s shoulder. "They're right, William. The board needs to see the real William Carter, not the caricature the media is painting. Let them see the family you are fighting for."
William looked at his sons, then reached up and placed his hand over mine on his shoulder. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver down my spine. "Alright," he said, a new spark of determination in his eyes. "We fight together."
But Julian Vance wasn't finished playing dirty.
The night before the board meeting, I was putting Leo to bed when I heard a strange noise downstairs. The security system hadn't gone off, but a mother’s instinct is sharper than any alarm.
I crept down the hallway, keeping close to the wall. The kitchen door was slightly open. Inside, a figure in a dark hoodie was rifling through the filing cabinet where William kept his personal household records.
"Stop right there!" I yelled, flipping on the main lights.
The intruder spun around. It was the mansion’s chief security officer, a man William had trusted for years. In his hand, he held a file containing my personal background check—and the forged financial documents Vance had leaked.
"Elena," the officer sneered, pulling a small pocket knife from his belt. "You shouldn't have come downstairs. Vance paid me a lot of money to ensure William looks like a fraud, and your little sob story here doesn't fit the narrative."
Before he could advance, a heavy copper frying pan slammed into the side of his head with a resounding CLANG.
The officer dropped to the floor, unconscious.
Standing behind him was Mason, holding the frying pan with both hands, his chest heaving. Luke was right behind him, holding a broom like a spear.
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"Nobody touches our family," Mason breathed, looking down at the unconscious traitor.
I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding, pulling both boys into a fierce hug. They didn't pull away. They hugged me back, burying their faces into my shoulders. The final wall had fallen. We were a family now, and we were ready for war.
