“IF MY MOTHER WAS ALIVE LAST MONTH, WHY DID EVERYONE LET ME KEEP MOURNING HER?” Maria's voice shook with grief and fury.
The question hung over the room like a storm cloud.
No one answered.
Alexander stood beside her, watching the video screen where Evelyn Vance sat crying in her wheelchair.
Thomas stared at the floor.
Grace had turned away, covering her mouth.
For the first time since the investigation began, Maria no longer felt like a frightened maid caught inside a billionaire's family scandal.
She felt like a daughter whose entire childhood had been stolen.
“Mrs. Vance,” she said softly, “please tell me what my mother said.”
Evelyn struggled to speak.
“She… wanted… you… safe.”
Maria shook her head.
“I needed her.”
Evelyn began sobbing.
“I… know.”
Alexander gently touched Maria's arm.
“Let's read the letter.”
Marcus arranged for the envelope to be documented and delivered through Detective Bennett's evidence team.
Maria waited in the consultation room, watching the rain slide down the windows.
She could barely sit still.
Every minute seemed unbearable.
She imagined Isabella writing the letter.
Had her hands trembled?
Had she cried?
Had she imagined Maria as a grown woman?
Did she know Sofia was recovering from her spinal injury?
Did she know Grace had spent years searching for her?
Or had Isabella been watching them from a distance, unable to step into their lives?
When the envelope finally arrived, Maria held it carefully.
The paper was cream-colored.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Her mother's.
Alexander stood beside her.
“You don't have to read it alone.”
Maria nodded.
Then opened the envelope.
My darling Maria,
If this letter has reached you, it means Evelyn has finally decided that the truth is safer than silence.
Maria's eyes filled with tears.
She continued.
I have watched you grow from a distance. I know about Sofia's accident. I know how hard you worked to keep her alive and give her a future. I know there were nights you went hungry so she could receive treatment.
Maria pressed a hand against her mouth.
Alexander looked away.
The letter continued.
I wanted to come home more times than I can count. But Richard Sterling made it clear that if I approached you openly, he would use the children against me.
I made choices that hurt you. I cannot ask you to forgive them.
Maria wiped her tears.
Then read the next paragraph.
There is something you must understand about the boy born seventeen years ago.
Her heart raced.
His name is not Alexander.
Maria stopped.
Thomas closed his eyes.
Grace leaned forward.
Maria continued.
I named him Gabriel.
A long silence followed.
Gabriel.
For the first time, the mysterious baby had a name that belonged to him.
Not a stolen identity.
Not a hospital code.
Not a financial secret.
A name.
Maria whispered it aloud.
“Gabriel.”
The letter continued.
Gabriel was born during the months when I was hiding from Richard. His father was a man who helped me protect the original trust records. I will explain everything about him when we meet.
Alexander glanced toward Thomas.
But Thomas's expression remained unreadable.
Maria continued reading.
Richard took Gabriel after threatening to expose the children already living under my name. I was told he would be cared for if I remained silent.
I tried to find him. Every time I came close, he was moved.
Maria began crying harder.
Grace placed a hand on her shoulder.
Maria kept reading.
If Gabriel is still alive, he may be the only person who knows where the original blue trust ledger was taken.
Alexander frowned.
“How would he know?”
Thomas answered quietly.
“Richard may have raised him close to the people managing the trust.”
Maria looked toward him.
“You knew his name?”
Thomas hesitated.
“Yes.”
Maria's expression hardened.
“And you waited until now to tell me?”
Thomas lowered his head.
“I'm sorry.”
Maria turned back to the letter.
Do not trust anyone who tells you Gabriel must remain hidden forever. He deserves a life of his own.
And Maria, there is one more thing.
Her hands began trembling.
The woman who came to Sofia when she was thirteen was not me.
Maria froze.
She remembered Sofia's story.
A woman had appeared outside their apartment and asked whether Sofia remembered being called Grace.
Maria continued.
That woman was trying to discover whether Richard had replaced one missing child with another.
Grace went pale.
“What?”
Alexander leaned closer.
Maria read the final lines.
I know who sent her.
Her name is Victoria Sterling.
Silence fell over the room.
Alexander stared.
“Victoria?”
Maria's hands trembled.
The woman who had humiliated Evelyn.
The woman Maria had slapped in front of three hundred guests.
The woman who had threatened to destroy her life.
Had been investigating the Santos children years before Maria ever entered the Vance Estate.
Grace whispered, “Why would Victoria ask about me?”
Thomas looked toward the window.
“Because Richard never trusted his own daughter with the full truth.”
Alexander turned.
“Explain.”
Thomas shook his head.
“I don't know everything she discovered.”
Maria continued reading.
Victoria knows more about Gabriel than Richard realizes. But she is not the only one.
The letter ended with a final warning.
If anyone offers you Gabriel in exchange for the pendant, do not believe that the exchange will end the danger.
Love, Mom.
Maria slowly lowered the paper.
For a few moments, nobody spoke.
Then Alexander reached for his phone.
“I'm contacting Detective Bennett. We need to question Victoria again.”
Marcus nodded.
“I'll coordinate with her legal team.”
Grace stared at the letter.
“Maria…”
Maria looked up.
“What?”
Grace's voice trembled.
“If Victoria was searching for me when Sofia was thirteen, then she knew my name long before the engagement.”
Maria nodded slowly.
“And she knew about our family.”
Alexander's expression darkened.
“She knew Maria's mother was connected to the trust.”
Thomas looked toward him.
“And perhaps that's why she insisted on marrying you.”
Alexander's jaw tightened.
He remembered Victoria's arrogance.
Her contempt for the staff.
The way she had watched Maria with barely concealed disgust.
Maybe Victoria hadn't simply been offended by a maid who dared to challenge her.
Maybe she had recognized Maria's name.
Maybe she had understood the danger Maria represented.
Suddenly, Marcus's phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“What do you mean she's gone?”
Alexander turned.
“Who?”
Marcus listened.
Then lowered the phone.
“Victoria Sterling.”
Maria felt cold.
“What about her?”
Marcus swallowed.
“She was being transferred for questioning.”
Alexander stared.
“And?”
“The transport was stopped after a reported medical emergency. When officers checked the vehicle, Victoria was missing.”
Thomas closed his eyes.
Grace whispered, “Richard.”
But Marcus shook his head.
“There's more.”
Alexander's voice became sharp.
“What?”
“A message was left inside the transport.”
Marcus turned his phone toward them.
A photograph appeared.
It showed a young man standing beside Victoria Sterling.
He had dark hair.
Gray eyes.
And a small scar near his chin.
Grace gasped.
“That's him.”
Maria stared.
“Gabriel?”
Thomas went perfectly still.
Beneath the photograph was a message.
MARIA SANTOS, IF YOU WANT TO MEET YOUR BROTHER, COME TO THE STERLING ESTATE. BRING THE PENDANT.
Alexander's expression hardened.
Then another message arrived.
This one was a short video.
Victoria appeared on the screen.
She smiled coldly.
“Hello, Maria.”
Maria felt her stomach tighten.
Victoria continued.
“You slapped me because you thought I was the villain.”
Her smile widened.
“But before you come looking for your brother, there's something you should know.”
She stepped aside.
The young man moved into view.
He looked directly into the camera.
Then spoke.
“MARIA, DON'T TRUST THOMAS VANCE.”
Maria stopped breathing.
The young man's eyes filled with tears.
“HE'S THE REASON OUR MOTHER NEVER CAME HOME.”
TO BE CONTINUED…
