Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN WHO CONTROLLED THE DEAD
“MY MOTHER DIED IN FRONT OF ME! DON'T YOU DARE TURN HER INTO ANOTHER MONSTER!”
Alexandre struck the conference table with his palm.
Richard Beaumont flinched.
Isabelle had never seen Alexandre lose control so completely.
He had remained composed when his family's ownership was challenged.
He had stood firm when Valérie's lies were exposed.
He had even managed to remain calm after hearing his dead father's voice.
But the mention of his mother had shattered that restraint.
Eleanor Vasseur had died when Alexandre was nineteen.
He remembered the final weeks of her illness.
The hospital room.
The flowers.
The sound of the machines beside her bed.
He remembered holding her hand as she struggled to speak.
And he remembered her final words.
Don't let them turn you into your father.
At the time, he had assumed she meant that he should be kinder, more patient, and less obsessed with business.
Now he wasn't sure.
Beaumont remained seated.
“Alexandre, I'm not accusing your mother of murder.”
“Then what are you accusing her of?”
“Writing that instruction.”
Alexandre looked away.
Isabelle placed a hand on his arm.
“Let him explain.”
Beaumont opened his briefcase.
“Eleanor knew about the stolen shares.”
Alexandre closed his eyes.
“Of course she did.”
“But she also knew that Henri was using the company to conceal illegal financial transactions.”
“What kind?”
“Fraudulent loans. Hidden ownership structures. Payments to officials. Funds diverted from charitable programs.”
Carter leaned forward.
“Do you have documents supporting that?”
“Some. Eleanor gave me copies before she died.”
Beaumont removed a sealed envelope.
Inside was a letter.
Alexandre recognized his mother's handwriting immediately.
Richard,
If anything happens to me, protect the children.
Henri believes the Moreau girl is the key to recovering the records Étienne hid. He intends to use Alexandre to reach her.
They must not meet until they are old enough to understand the truth.
If Henri gains control of both inheritances, no one will ever be able to expose what he has done.
Alexandre read the letter twice.
Then a third time.
Finally, he lowered it.
“She was trying to protect us.”
Beaumont nodded.
“I believe so.”
Isabelle studied the handwritten instruction from Building Seventeen.
Keep them apart until the final transfer.
The words were similar to Eleanor's warning.
But not identical.
“Could someone have copied her handwriting?” Isabelle asked.
Carter nodded.
“We'll have the original examined.”
Beaumont sighed.
“There's another possibility. The instruction may have been written by Eleanor, but taken out of context.”
Alexandre looked at the letter again.
For the first time, he felt something other than grief when thinking about his mother.
Pride.
She had known something was wrong.
She had tried to protect people.
Perhaps she had been fighting the same battle Isabelle's father had fought.
But there was one question he couldn't escape.
“Why didn't she tell me?”
Beaumont's expression softened.
“Because she knew what Henri was capable of.”
That afternoon, Carter received a call from the hospital.
Gabriel Moreau had survived surgery.
He was in critical but stable condition.
Isabelle insisted on seeing him.
Carter agreed to a supervised visit once his doctors allowed it.
When Isabelle entered his room, Gabriel looked much older than he had at the party.
His face was pale.
His breathing was assisted by oxygen.
But his eyes opened when she approached.
“Isabelle.”
She remained near the door.
“I don't know what to call you anymore.”
Gabriel looked away.
“I deserve that.”
“Did you help kill my father?”
His eyes filled with tears.
“No.”
“Did you betray him?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know someone was going to hurt him?”
Gabriel hesitated.
Isabelle's voice hardened.
“Tell me.”
“I knew they were threatening him.”
“And you did nothing?”
“I thought I could protect him by giving Henri what he wanted.”
“What did Henri want?”
Gabriel closed his eyes.
“The ledger.”
Isabelle stepped closer.
“What ledger?”
“Your father kept a record of every illegal payment made through the Vasseur network. Not just the amounts. The people. The dates. The reasons.”
“Where is it?”
“I don't know.”
She stared at him.
“You expect me to believe that?”
Gabriel began coughing.
A nurse moved toward him, but he raised a hand.
“Étienne hid it before he died.”
“Where?”
“He told me only one thing.”
Isabelle leaned closer.
Gabriel whispered:
“Where the innocent were taught to lie.”
She frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“I never understood.”
He looked toward the door.
“Isabelle, you need to find Claire.”
“My mother?”
Gabriel nodded.
“She knows where the ledger is.”
“Then why has she been hiding for twenty years?”
Gabriel's expression darkened.
“Because she believes she killed your father.”
Isabelle felt cold.
“Did she?”
“No.”
“Then why would she believe that?”
Gabriel swallowed.
“Henri made her sign the hospital authorization.”
“What authorization?”
“The order to discontinue Étienne's treatment.”
Isabelle stared at him.
“My father was in a coma?”
Gabriel nodded.
“He was recovering from an attack. The doctors believed he might wake up.”
“And my mother signed an order to stop treating him?”
“She believed he had no chance of recovery. Henri controlled the medical reports she was given.”
Isabelle covered her mouth.
Her mother had spent two decades believing she had ended her husband's life.
A lie carefully constructed to keep her silent.
Gabriel began crying.
“I should have told her.”
“Yes,” Isabelle whispered. “You should have.”
He looked at her.
“Can you forgive me?”
Isabelle remained silent.
She wanted to say yes.
She wanted to believe that forgiveness could erase the years of loneliness.
But forgiveness was not something she could offer simply because he was suffering.
“I don't know,” she answered.
Gabriel nodded.
“That's fair.”
As Isabelle turned to leave, he spoke again.
“One more thing.”
She stopped.
“The man who shot me wasn't trying to kill me.”
Isabelle looked back.
“What?”
“He was trying to keep me from speaking.”
“Who?”
Gabriel's face tightened.
“Daniel Mercer.”
Isabelle froze.
“The security chief?”
Gabriel nodded.
“He was in the ballroom.”
“Where is he now?”
“I don't know.”
Gabriel grabbed her wrist.
“But listen carefully. Mercer doesn't work for Henri anymore.”
“Then who does he work for?”
Gabriel looked toward the window.
“Someone who wants the empire destroyed.”
Isabelle frowned.
“Who?”
Gabriel's voice became a whisper.
May you like
“THE PERSON WHO SENT ALEXANDRE THOSE MESSAGES.”
End of Chapter 5.
