Chapter 6 - The Enemy Inside
Elliot Voss arrived at the mansion the next morning with a bottle of expensive whiskey and the confidence of a man who believed he was untouchable.
He was silver-haired, charming, and always perfectly dressed. For years, he had been Grant’s right hand—the man beside him in boardrooms, political fundraisers, and photographs.
He walked into the library smiling.
Then he saw the documents spread across the table.
His smile disappeared.
Grant stood by the fireplace.
Miles stood near the door.
I was there only because Lily and Noah were upstairs with their tutor, and Grant had asked me to stay where he could see me.
“Tell me about Halcyon Development,” Grant said.
Elliot loosened his tie. “It’s a stalled project. Nothing important.”
“Then why did my wife authorize payments to it?”
Elliot’s face changed by degrees.
Confusion.
Calculation.
Then anger.
“You’re letting Vivian take the fall for this?”
Grant’s eyes went cold. “You’re admitting she’s involved.”
Elliot realized his mistake.
Too late.
He tried to leave.
Miles stepped in front of the door.
Elliot looked at Grant. “You have no idea what you’re doing.”
“No,” Grant said. “But I’m learning.”
The truth came apart slowly.
Vivian and Elliot had been working together for over a year. They wanted Grant to approve the South Side redevelopment deal. It would make them millions through hidden companies and political kickbacks.
When Grant refused, Vivian began pressuring him at home.
Creating stress.
Creating chaos.
Keeping him distracted.
Using the children as leverage.
And when Nora stepped between Vivian and Lily, the plan started unraveling.
“You were supposed to be away,” Elliot said to Grant. “Vivian said you were flying to Boston.”
“I changed my flight.”
Elliot looked toward me.
“And then she made the mistake of hitting someone who wouldn’t stay quiet.”
He said it like an insult.
I took it as a compliment.
Elliot was arrested that afternoon.
Vivian disappeared before police could reach her.
Her phone was off. Her car was abandoned near O’Hare Airport. Her attorney claimed she had “gone away to recover from emotional distress.”
But I knew better.
Vivian did not run because she was afraid.
She ran because she was planning her next move.
That evening, Grant found Lily in the hallway holding a small overnight bag.
“What are you doing?” he asked.
Lily looked ashamed.
“Packing.”
“Why?”
“Because Vivian said when people are bad, they get sent away.”
Grant dropped to his knees.
His face crumpled.
Not dramatically.
Not loudly.
But enough that I turned away to give him privacy.
He pulled Lily into his arms.
“You are not bad,” he told her. “You are not going anywhere. This is your home. I am your father. And I should have been here.”
Lily clung to him.
“I’m sorry, Daddy.”
Grant closed his eyes.
“No, sweetheart. I’m sorry.”
The next morning, Vivian sent a message.
Not to Grant.
To me.
A burner phone appeared in the mailbox outside the gate.
When I turned it on, there was one video.
Lily and Noah at the school art show.
Then a text appeared.
You saved them once. Can you save them every time?
I stared at the screen.
A second message followed.
Meet me alone tonight, or I tell the world what really happened to your father.
My hands went numb.
May you like
Because Vivian had found the one secret I had spent my whole life trying to bury.
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