Chapter 4: The Enemy Wearing a Friendly Face
For the first time in months, Ethan Walker woke up without an alarm.
No construction site schedules.
No emergency calls from Montreal.
No freezing mornings walking through unfinished buildings while carrying a cup of coffee that always turned cold before he finished it.
But peace did not come easily.
When Ethan opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Claire sleeping beside him.
Her face was calm.
Almost peaceful.
And that hurt.
Because he realized something painful.
While he had been away chasing a better future, Claire had been fighting a war he never knew existed.
Alone.
Ethan carefully got out of bed.
He walked into Noah's room.
His son was sleeping with one arm wrapped around a stuffed dinosaur.
The same dinosaur Claire had bought him after he was afraid of the dark.
Ethan smiled faintly.
Then his expression changed.
Because suddenly he understood what Margaret had almost taken from him.
Not just his marriage.
Not just his wife.
His memories.
His family moments.
The small pieces of life that could never be replaced.
He closed Noah's door quietly.
When he entered the kitchen, Claire was already there.
She was making coffee.
"You should be sleeping," Ethan said.
She smiled slightly.
"You should too."
They looked at each other.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then Ethan walked over and hugged her.
Not a quick hug.
Not the kind they gave each other before work.
A hug that carried six months of distance.
Six months of missing each other.
Six months of things left unsaid.
"I'm sorry," Ethan whispered.
Claire rested her head against him.
"I know."
"I should have noticed."
"Ethan."
"No. I need to say this."
He pulled back.
"I kept telling myself my mother loved you. That she was just difficult. That eventually she would accept you."
Claire looked down.
"I didn't want you to lose your mother."
"But you almost lost me because I refused to see the truth."
Claire looked at him.
"You're seeing it now."
Before Ethan could answer, his phone rang.
Unknown number.
He frowned.
Normally, he ignored calls like this.
But something made him answer.
"Hello?"
A man's voice responded.
"Mr. Walker?"
"Yes?"
"My name is Daniel Brooks. I work with Walker Construction's legal department."
Ethan immediately became serious.
"What's wrong?"
There was a pause.
Then Daniel said:
"You need to come to the office today."
"Why?"
"Because someone accessed your father's trust documents last night."
Ethan looked at Claire.
His expression changed.
"Who?"
Daniel lowered his voice.
"We don't know yet."
A cold feeling moved through Ethan.
"But we know one thing."
"What?"
"The person who accessed them had authorization."
The call ended.
For several seconds, Ethan remained still.
Claire noticed.
"What happened?"
Ethan explained.
When he finished, Claire immediately understood.
"Your mother."
Ethan shook his head.
"Maybe."
But something bothered him.
Margaret had hidden the documents.
She had manipulated things.
But would she break into company records?
Would she risk legal consequences?
Ethan wasn't sure.
And that uncertainty frightened him.
Because it meant there were more pieces missing.
At Walker Construction headquarters, Ethan walked through the glass doors he had not entered in nearly a year.
Employees immediately recognized him.
Some smiled.
Some looked surprised.
Everyone knew Robert Walker's son.
The young man who had chosen construction sites over corporate offices.
The man who wanted to earn his position instead of simply inheriting it.
Daniel Brooks met him near the elevator.
He was a tall man in his fifties with silver hair and a serious expression.
"Ethan."
"Daniel."
They shook hands.
"I wish we were meeting under better circumstances."
"So do I."
They entered the conference room.
A laptop was open on the table.
Several documents were displayed.
Daniel pointed.
"Someone accessed your father's trust file at 2:13 a.m."
Ethan looked at the screen.
"How?"
"Using an old authorization code."
"Whose code?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Your mother's."
Ethan closed his eyes.
For a second, disappointment returned.
Not anger.
Not surprise.
Just disappointment.
"She did it."
Daniel nodded.
"But that's not the worst part."
Ethan looked up.
"What could be worse?"
Daniel clicked another file.
A list appeared.
Names.
Companies.
Financial transfers.
Ethan read the first few lines.
Then froze.
"Patricia Cole."
Daniel nodded.
"She has been negotiating with investors connected to Walker Construction."
Ethan stared at the screen.
"Without my approval?"
"Correct."
"Can she do that?"
"Not according to your father's trust agreement."
Ethan leaned back.
"So my mother was trying to control the company."
Daniel nodded.
"And Patricia Cole was trying to benefit from it."
The pieces finally connected.
Margaret wanted Vanessa.
Patricia wanted the Walker name.
Together, they could control both marriage and business.
A perfect arrangement.
Except they forgot one thing.
Ethan was no longer a child.
"What happens now?" Ethan asked.
Daniel looked at him.
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you want to fight."
Ethan looked through the conference room window.
Below him, hundreds of employees worked.
People who depended on the company.
People his father had built it for.
"I don't want a fight."
Daniel raised an eyebrow.
"Then what do you want?"
Ethan answered without hesitation.
"The truth."
That evening, Ethan returned home later than expected.
Claire was sitting on the couch.
Noah was asleep upstairs.
She immediately knew something had happened.
"What did you find?"
Ethan sat beside her.
"My mother and Patricia Cole have been working together."
Claire's face fell.
"Together?"
"They were trying to connect our marriage with the company."
Claire looked away.
"So I wasn't just a problem to your mother."
"No."
Ethan took her hand.
"You were an obstacle."
Claire was quiet.
Then she asked:
"What about Vanessa?"
Ethan sighed.
"I don't know."
A knock came at the door.
Both of them froze.
It was almost 10 p.m.
Nobody visited this late.
Ethan stood.
He walked to the door.
When he opened it, he found someone unexpected.
Vanessa Cole.
She looked exhausted.
And afraid.
"Ethan."
He stared.
"What are you doing here?"
Vanessa looked past him.
At Claire.
Then back at him.
"I need to tell you the truth."
Ethan did not move.
"About what?"
Vanessa swallowed.
"About my mother."
A long silence.
Then she said the words that changed everything.
"She never wanted me to marry you."
Ethan frowned.
"What?"
Vanessa looked down.
"She wanted your company."
Claire stood behind Ethan.
"Then why did she pretend otherwise?"
Vanessa's eyes filled with regret.
"Because she knew Margaret Walker would do anything to get what she wanted."
Ethan stared.
"What are you saying?"
Vanessa whispered:
"Your mother wasn't the one controlling this plan."
A pause.
"She was being used."
The hallway went silent.
Claire stepped closer.
"Used by who?"
Vanessa looked directly at Ethan.
"My mother."
Ethan felt a chill.
Because suddenly everything changed.
Margaret was guilty.
But maybe she was not the mastermind.
Vanessa handed Ethan a small flash drive.
"I copied this before my mother found out."
"What is it?"
"Proof."
"Proof of what?"
Vanessa looked terrified.
"That Patricia has been planning this for years."
Ethan looked at the flash drive.
Then at Vanessa.
Then at Claire.
A storm had already entered his family.
Now he realized something worse.
The storm had been waiting long before he noticed the clouds.
And somewhere in the darkness...
Patricia Cole knew Vanessa had betrayed her.
The moment the flash drive was handed over.
The game changed.
May you like
Because Patricia had spent years building her plan.
And she was not the type of person who accepted losing.
