Chapter 5 - THE SECRET IN EMILY'S EMPLOYMENT FILE
Emily Hayes had never spoken much about her family.
Her mother, Margaret Hayes, had died three years earlier.
Her father had disappeared when Emily was a child.
She had raised Sophie almost alone.
But when Alexander reviewed her employment file, one detail caught his attention.
Margaret Hayes had once worked for Whitmore Development.
Not as a housekeeper.
As a senior financial auditor.
Alexander stared at the record.
He remembered the name.
Margaret Hayes had resigned abruptly eight years earlier.
At the time, Alexander had been expanding the company into commercial real estate.
He had barely noticed her departure.
Now he wondered why.
He asked Daniel to retrieve her old personnel records.
Several documents were missing.
Her resignation letter.
Her final audit report.
And the internal review she'd been assigned to complete.
Alexander leaned back.
“Who supervised her?”
Daniel checked the file.
Then looked up.
“Charles Sterling.”
Alexander went still.
The same man whose company had received millions in questionable payments.
The same man whose daughter had threatened Emily.
Alexander looked at Daniel.
“Find out what happened to Margaret Hayes.”
Daniel nodded.
“And Daniel?”
“Yes?”
“Don't involve Emily until we know what we're dealing with.”
May you like
Alexander looked toward the closed door.
For the first time, he wondered whether the woman he'd nearly married had been hurting Emily for reasons far more dangerous than simple cruelty.
