“Rebecca, I do not know what lies those people are feeding you in that house, but do not get involved in matters you cannot possibly comprehend,” the message read.
I stared at the glowing screen in sheer disbelief. I had never disclosed my new employment location to him or Florence, nor had Garrett ever mentioned my name to the department managers.
Before I could process the breach, a second text arrived: “Listen to me for once in your life. Stay away from Garrett Corbin before this whole situation collateralizes and destroys you too.”
Looking toward the hallway leading to Garrett’s wing, I realized a terrifying truth. Christopher was not afraid of what I currently knew; he was terrified of what I was bound to discover. And we still needed to figure out who had secretly informed him of my presence in the Corbin household.
The following morning, I completely ignored Christopher’s messages, and Garrett never pressured me to address them either.
“Your personal past with him belongs entirely to you,” Garrett reassured me during his morning exercise routine. “My corporation is my sole responsibility, and I have no interest in using your history to attack anyone.”
His restraint made me trust his integrity even more. After spending twelve years with people who constantly rationalized trampling over my boundaries under the guise of family duty, working for someone who respected my autonomy felt remarkably refreshing.
Attorney Vance continued his quiet investigation and soon discovered that multiple electronic signatures had been authorized using Garrett’s high-level credentials during months when he was physically incapable of holding a lengthy conversation. While this digital trail did not immediately prove who had stolen the credentials, it provided undeniable grounds for a complete forensic audit covering nearly eight million dollars in questionable transfers.
“An anomaly is not an automatic criminal conviction,” Attorney Vance reminded us cautiously. “First we document every trace, and only then do we assign formal liability.”
Two days later, Florence unexpectedly appeared right outside the security gate of the estate. I found her standing by the iron bars holding a leather handbag, looking visibly weathered and anxious.
“Rebecca, please, I urgently need to speak with you,” Florence pleaded as I walked down the driveway.
I stepped through the pedestrian gate, but I made sure not to invite her inside the property.
“Christopher is completely falling apart,” Florence began, her voice trembling slightly.
“You should really discuss his emotional state directly with him,” I replied neutrally.
“He told me that you are living inside the home of his chief executive,” she continued, wringing her hands nervously. “He is terrified that this audit will ruin his hard-earned career.”
“If Christopher did not engage in any illegal acts, a standard corporate audit should not frighten him,” I stated plainly.
Florence pressed her lips into a thin, bitter line. “You know my son better than anyone, Rebecca. He is not a common criminal.”
“I also foolishly believed I knew him as a faithful husband,” I countered evenly.
Florence then begged me to talk to Garrett on Christopher’s behalf, asking me to claim that her son was merely following orders from superiors and to remember the twelve years we had shared together. Then she uttered a statement that stung deeper than I anticipated.
“After everything our family did to take care of you for all those years,” she added sourly.
I stared at her in total disbelief. For years, I had cooked her meals, driven her to clinics, maintained her living space, and put my entire life on hold because everyone treated my self-sacrifice as a baseline expectation. Yet in her warped memory, they had generously sheltered me, and I somehow owed them a lifelong debt.
“Florence, a few months ago you told me that leaving your home would teach me how much it costs to survive in the real world,” I said, looking her dead in the eye. “I have indeed learned what it costs, and I have also discovered exactly how much my labor is worth when someone actually respects it.”
