Chapter 7: The Enemy Inside
The message stayed on my screen for almost a minute.
Neither Daniel nor I spoke.
Because we both understood the same thing.
Vanessa wasn’t running away.
She was fighting back.
Daniel took my phone.
“Mom, this is a threat.””
“Yes.””
“We need to call the police.””
I looked at the message again.
“Not yet.””
He stared at me.
“Why?””
“Because whoever sent this wants us afraid.””
Daniel shook his head.
“They already hurt you.””
I looked at my son.
“No. They embarrassed me.””
I took the phone back.
“But now they made a mistake.””
“What mistake?””
I smiled slightly.
“They reminded me who I am.””
The next morning, we called an emergency board meeting.
Every member of the foundation arrived except Richard.
That was enough.
When someone disappears during a crisis, they usually have a reason.
I stood at the front of the room.
“My trust agreement has been stolen.””
The room erupted.
“What?””
“Who could do that?””
“Was anything else taken?””
I raised my hand.
“Only one person needed that document.””
Daniel stood beside me.
“Vanessa.””
The room went quiet.
Some looked shocked.
Others looked uncomfortable.
That discomfort told me something.
Not everyone was surprised.
I turned toward the board member who avoided my eyes.
“Margaret.””
She looked up.
“Yes?””
“When was the last time you spoke with Vanessa?””
Her face changed.
“Excuse me?””
“You heard me.””
She swallowed.
“I don’t know what you’re implying.””
“I’m not implying anything.””
I placed a printed email on the table.
“I’m asking why your assistant forwarded private foundation information to Vanessa three months ago.””
The room went silent.
Margaret’s face turned pale.
“I didn’t know what she intended.””
Daniel looked angry.
“But you gave her information.””
Margaret lowered her head.
“I thought she was joining the family.””
I closed my eyes.
That was exactly Vanessa’s strategy.
She made people believe she belonged.
Then she used their trust against them.
After the meeting, Daniel and I stayed behind.
“You think Margaret was the only one?””
I looked through the window.
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because Vanessa wasn’t smart enough to build this alone.””
That evening, we followed the money.
The foundation’s finance team discovered several small transfers made over months.
Nothing obvious.
Nothing large enough to trigger suspicion.
But together, they revealed a pattern.
Someone had been preparing.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Daniel stared at the spreadsheet.
“She planned this before she met me.””
I didn’t answer.
Because I knew.
And that was the part that hurt him most.
The relationship he thought was real had been a business strategy.
A knock came from the front door.
We both froze.
Nobody visited at that hour.
Daniel walked toward the entrance.
I followed.
When he opened the door, Vanessa was standing there.
She looked different.
No designer dress.
No perfect makeup.
Just a woman who looked desperate.
“Daniel.””
His face hardened.
“What are you doing here?””
She looked past him.
“Eleanor, please.””
I stepped forward.
“You lost the right to ask me for anything.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I made mistakes.””
Daniel laughed bitterly.
“Mistakes?””
She looked at him.
“I was scared.””
“Scared of what?””
She hesitated.
Then whispered:
“Of losing everything.””
I watched her carefully.
“Everything?””
Vanessa looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw something real.
Fear.
“I didn’t know how deep it went.””
Daniel frowned.
“What does that mean?””
Vanessa looked behind her.
As if she was afraid someone was watching.
Then she said:
“Richard wasn’t helping me.””
A chill moved through me.
“What?””
“He was using me.””
Daniel stepped closer.
“Explain.””
Vanessa opened her mouth.
But before she could speak, headlights appeared outside.
Her face changed.
“They found me.””
The front door suddenly shook.
Someone was knocking.
Hard.
May you like
Vanessa whispered:
“You need to hide me.””
