CHAPTER 6 – THE WOMAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN
CHAPTER 6 – THE WOMAN BEHIND THE CURTAIN
The next morning, Cameron was reviewing security reports when Jennifer rushed into his office.
"We have a problem."
He looked up.
"Worse than yesterday?"
"Much worse."
She handed him a sealed envelope.
"There are photographs."
Inside were high-resolution images.
Simone entering the hospital.
Gabrielle leaving the parking garage.
Grandma Pearl sitting beside the hospital window.
Every photo had been taken from a distance.
Someone had been watching.
For days.
Cameron's jaw tightened.
"This isn't paparazzi."
"No."
Jennifer agreed.
"This is surveillance."
He picked up his phone.
"I want private security at the hospital."
"Twenty-four hours."
"No exceptions."
Across the city...
Simone finally felt strong enough to walk through the hospital garden.
She held the railing carefully while enjoying the fresh air.
A young nurse smiled.
"Beautiful morning."
"It is."
For the first time in weeks...
Simone smiled back.
Then she noticed something strange.
A woman stood across the street wearing oversized sunglasses.
Watching her.
The woman didn't move.
Didn't check her phone.
Didn't pretend to be waiting for someone.
She simply watched.
When Simone looked again...
The woman was gone.
A chill ran down her spine.
Meanwhile...
Derek couldn't ignore his guilt any longer.
He walked into the hospital carrying flowers.
The receptionist immediately recognized him.
"I'm sorry."
"Mrs. Rivers still refuses visitors."
"I just want five minutes."
"She said no."
He nodded sadly.
Instead of arguing...
He left the flowers.
Attached was a handwritten note.
I failed you.
I failed our daughter.
If forgiveness is impossible, I understand.
But I will spend the rest of my life becoming someone she can be proud of.
The nurse quietly delivered the note.
Simone read every word.
Then folded it.
Placed it inside the drawer.
She wasn't ready to forgive.
But for the first time...
Derek had stopped making excuses.
That afternoon, Lisa Martinez arrived at Cameron's office carrying another flash drive.
"I found something."
"What is it?"
"The cabin cameras recorded more than the passengers."
She connected the drive.
Another angle appeared.
This camera faced the front galley.
A woman wearing sunglasses boarded the private jet before takeoff.
She never sat down.
She whispered something into Tiffany's ear.
Then quietly left the aircraft before departure.
Jennifer paused the frame.
"Who is she?"
Lisa shook her head.
"I don't know."
"But Tiffany wasn't acting alone."
Cameron stared at the frozen image.
"Find her."
Three hours later...
The answer arrived.
Jennifer entered with a thick investigative file.
"The woman has a name."
She placed the folder on Cameron's desk.
VICTORIA ASHFORD.
Age: Fifty-eight.
Widow.
Former socialite.
Major shareholder in several luxury investment firms.
Jennifer took a slow breath.
"She also happens to be..."
Cameron looked up.
"...Tiffany Blake's mother."
He frowned.
"There's more."
Jennifer opened another page.
"Victoria lost nearly two hundred million dollars five years ago."
"To whom?"
She met his eyes.
"Rivers Industries."
The room fell silent.
Everything suddenly made sense.
This had never been about jealousy alone.
This had never been only about Derek's affair.
Someone had been waiting for years...
Looking for the perfect opportunity to destroy the Rivers family from the inside.
And Tiffany...
Had been the weapon.
Far across the city, Victoria Ashford stood inside her lakeside mansion, watching the evening news with a satisfied smile.
She lifted a crystal glass of red wine.
"Phase one..."
She whispered.
"...is complete."
Then her smile slowly faded as another headline appeared on the screen.
CAMERON RIVERS ANNOUNCES PERSONAL INVESTIGATION INTO ATTACK ON PREGNANT WIFE.
Victoria's eyes narrowed.
"So..."
"You finally noticed me."
She reached for her phone.
"Prepare the next move."
"This time..."
"We're not missing."
Outside her mansion, hidden beneath the shadow of a maple tree, one of Cameron's security agents quietly photographed every visitor entering the estate.
May you like
The hunter...
Had just become the hunted.
