CHAPTER 2: THE FILE REBECCA BURIED
CHAPTER 2: THE FILE REBECCA BURIED
Julian stared at the name.
Sarah Miller.
The letters seemed to pull him backward through time.
Two years earlier, Rebecca had walked into his office carrying a thick HR folder and a tight smile.
"Just sign the settlement agreement," she had said.
"A housekeeping issue."
Julian had barely looked at it.
At the time, Del Valle Hospitality owned twenty-three luxury hotels across the Southwest. Employee disputes happened constantly.
He trusted his wife.
So he signed.
Now, as Mateo's monitor continued its strange, uneven rhythm, Julian grabbed the staffing sheet and stormed into the hallway.
"Where is Sarah Miller?"
The nurse hesitated.
"Basement level. Night sanitation crew."
"Bring her here."
Twenty minutes later, a woman in a janitor's uniform stepped off the elevator.
She looked exhausted.
Her cleaning cart remained outside.
The moment she saw Emma sitting beside Mateo's bed, her face filled with panic.
"Emma!"
She rushed forward.
"I'm so sorry, Mr. Del Valle."
Julian wasn't listening.
He was looking at her eyes.
Because he had seen them before.
Not in person.
In photographs.
Attached to that settlement file.
"What happened two years ago?" he asked.
Sarah froze.
The room became silent.
Then tears appeared.
"Your wife destroyed us."
Julian felt his stomach tighten.
Sarah sat down heavily.
"My husband worked for your company. Maintenance supervisor."
She swallowed hard.
"He discovered financial fraud."
Julian frowned.
"What fraud?"
Sarah laughed bitterly.
"The kind committed by powerful people."
She looked directly at him.
"The kind your wife ordered."
The room seemed to tilt.
Rebecca had secretly shifted millions from employee pension accounts into shell companies connected to a luxury resort project.
Sarah's husband had uncovered everything.
Before he could report it, he was fired.
Blacklisted.
Accused of theft.
Three months later, under crushing debt and public humiliation, he suffered a fatal heart attack.
Sarah lost everything.
Her home.
Her savings.
Her future.
And Emma lost her father.
Julian sat frozen.
"No."
Sarah's eyes filled with tears.
"Yes."
Then she looked toward Mateo.
"The strange thing is... after my husband died, Emma started doing things nobody could explain."
Julian followed her gaze.
May you like
The little girl was still holding Mateo's hand.
And the monitor was still improving.
