Annabelle sat at her desk long after midnight. The only light came from her laptop screen, washing her face in a pale glow.
Papers were scattered aHale the table—financial records, court transcripts, and old contracts. Her eyes burned from reading, but she couldn’t stop.
The name had caught her off guard—Victoria—buried deep in one of the old financial transfers from her father’s company. At first, it seemed like nothing. Just another name on a long list of investors. But when she followed the trail, her stomach had turned.
The money had moved from her father’s business to a company called V.M. Holdings, which led to another—Marclen Group—and then, finally, to a quiet account owned by Victoria herself.
Victoria. Carson’s mother.
Annabelle stared at the screen, her mind racing. She wh
