Chapter 8 — The Pact
Chapter 8 — The Pact
Grace did not answer.
That frightened Nathan more than anything Charles could have said.
She stood frozen behind the sofa, one arm wrapped around Lily, her face drained of color.
Charles watched her with the satisfaction of a man who had finally turned the right key in a lock.
Nathan looked from his father to Grace.
"Who is Lily's biological mother?"
Grace's lips parted.
No sound came.
Charles chuckled.
"You see, Nathan? This is why I always said you were too sentimental."
Nathan stepped toward him.
"Don't talk about her like she's a thing."
Charles's eyes hardened.
"Everything in this family is a thing until someone earns the right to call it theirs."
Nathan stopped.
"You're not taking Lily."
"I don't need to."
Charles lifted the folder.
"Not yet."
Daniel moved beside Nathan.
"Charles Cole, you are trespassing on private property."
Charles looked at him.
"Mr. Pierce. Still pretending you work for Nathan?"
"I do."
"Then you should start asking him questions."
Nathan's eyes remained on Grace.
"Tell me the truth."
Grace closed her eyes.
"I wanted to."
"When?"
"Every day."
"Then why didn't you?"
"Because I was afraid."
"Of my father?"
Grace shook her head.
"Of what the truth would do to Lily."
Charles smiled.
"Now we're getting somewhere."
Nathan turned sharply.
"Shut up."
Charles tapped the folder against his palm.
"You want answers?"
"Yes."
"Then we make a deal."
Nathan laughed bitterly.
"A deal?"
"You've spent your entire life negotiating with people who wanted something from you. You should have learned by now that truth is never free."
Nathan stepped closer.
"What do you want?"
Charles looked at Lily.
"Nothing she can't survive."
Grace's face changed.
"Don't."
Charles smiled.
"Still protective."
Nathan stood between them.
"What do you want?"
Charles answered calmly.
"Your controlling shares in Cole Industries."
Silence.
Nathan almost laughed.
"You came back from the dead for my company?"
"No."
Charles's eyes moved toward the sleeping child.
"I came back because you were about to take it away from me."
Nathan frowned.
"Your shares are gone."
"I know."
"My grandfather's trust froze your interests."
Charles's expression remained calm.
"Temporarily."
Nathan stared.
"What did you do?"
"I created a contingency."
Daniel's face tightened.
"Five years ago."
Charles nodded.
"Five years ago."
Nathan's stomach sank.
"The night Lily was born."
Charles smiled.
"Exactly."
Five years earlier.
Rain hammered against the windows of Briar Glen Maternity Pavilion.
Grace lay on the delivery bed, exhausted and terrified.
Her hands gripped the sheets.
"Nathan?"
Nathan stood beside her.
"I'm here."
"Don't leave."
"I won't."
The baby cried.
A nurse lifted the newborn.
"It's a boy."
Grace stared.
"A boy?"
The nurse smiled.
"Healthy."
Nathan laughed through tears.
"A son."
He kissed Grace's forehead.
"We did it."
But outside the room, Charles stood in the hallway.
Beside him was Elena Vale.
Charles handed her a folder.
"It's time."
Elena shook her head.
"No."
Charles looked at her.
"You agreed."
"I agreed to protect the mother."
"You agreed to protect the family."
"The family doesn't include you."
Charles's face hardened.
"Be careful."
Elena looked through the glass at Grace.
"She doesn't know."
"She doesn't need to."
"And Nathan?"
"He'll learn eventually."
"When?"
"When he's ready."
Elena whispered:
"You mean when you can control him."
Charles smiled.
"Now you're beginning to understand."
Back in the present, Nathan stared at his father.
"You were there."
Charles nodded.
"When Lily was born."
"Yes."
"You watched."
"Of course."
"Why?"
Charles's expression changed.
"Because that was the beginning."
"The beginning of what?"
"The pact."
Nathan felt cold.
"What pact?"
Charles looked at Grace.
"Ask her."
Grace lowered her eyes.
Nathan turned to her.
"Grace."
She whispered:
"I signed something."
"What?"
"A contract."
Nathan stared.
"With my father?"
She nodded.
"When?"
"After Lily was born."
"Why?"
"Because they took her."
Nathan's face changed.
"Who?"
"Charles."
Charles corrected her.
"We did."
Grace looked at him with hatred.
"You threatened my life."
"I gave you a choice."
"You threatened to kill my father."
Charles shrugged.
"Your father was already dying."
Grace's eyes filled with tears.
"You threatened to put him in prison."
"That was a legal possibility."
"You said Nathan would lose everything."
"Also true."
Grace turned toward Nathan.
"I was twenty-nine."
Her voice broke.
"I had a newborn baby."
Nathan felt his chest tighten.
"What did you sign?"
Grace pointed toward the folder.
"Everything."
Daniel took the folder from Charles.
He opened it.
Page after page.
Legal agreements.
Medical waivers.
Custody provisions.
Confidentiality clauses.
Nathan scanned the first page.
Then another.
Then another.
His expression became increasingly horrified.
"This isn't a custody agreement."
"No," Charles said.
"It's a transfer."
Charles nodded.
"Temporary guardianship."
"With permanent conditions."
"Yes."
Nathan looked at Grace.
"You gave up custody?"
"I didn't have a choice."
"You always had a choice."
Grace flinched.
Charles smiled.
"That is what I told her."
Nathan turned toward him.
"You threatened her."
"I negotiated."
"You stole my daughter."
"I protected an asset."
Nathan's voice became dangerously quiet.
"She's not an asset."
Charles's eyes hardened.
"To you, perhaps."
Nathan continued reading.
One clause caught his attention.
He read it twice.
Then a third time.
"What's this?"
Charles said nothing.
Nathan looked up.
"The agreement says Grace could regain full custody when Lily turned five."
Grace stared.
"What?"
Nathan handed her the document.
Her hands shook as she read.
"I never saw this."
"Of course not," Charles said.
Nathan's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Because the copy you received was incomplete."
Daniel flipped through the pages.
"The original contains additional provisions."
Nathan read the next section.
Custody shall remain suspended if the father marries Victoria Hale.
He froze.
"What?"
Grace looked at him.
Nathan continued.
Upon marriage, all parental rights shall transfer to the appointed family guardian.
Nathan's face went pale.
"Victoria."
Charles nodded.
"She was the guardian."
"Why?"
"Because she was loyal."
Nathan laughed bitterly.
"To you?"
"To the family."
Grace shook her head.
"She hated Lily."
Charles looked at her.
"Victoria hated competition."
Nathan felt something click.
"That's why she attacked Grace."
Charles didn't respond.
"She wanted Lily removed."
Still nothing.
Nathan's voice hardened.
"You knew."
Charles looked at him.
"Of course."
Nathan stepped closer.
"Did you order Victoria to kill Grace?"
Charles smiled.
"No."
"Did you know she was going to?"
"I suspected."
"That's not an answer."
"I don't control every action of every person."
Nathan stared at him.
"But you created the conditions."
Charles said nothing.
That was answer enough.
Grace sat down.
Nathan knelt beside her.
"Why didn't you tell me about the pact?"
"I tried."
"When?"
"The night you came to see me."
Nathan remembered.
Five years earlier.
He had gone to a small apartment after receiving a mysterious message.
Grace had opened the door.
She was holding Lily.
Nathan had asked:
"Is she mine?"
Grace had cried.
But before she could answer, two men appeared behind Nathan.
They had taken his phone.
Threatened his father.
Threatened Grace.
Then Nathan had been told Grace was unstable.
He had believed them.
Or perhaps he had wanted to believe them.
Because believing the lie had been easier than admitting he had failed her.
Grace whispered:
"I watched you leave."
Nathan's eyes filled.
"I thought you didn't want me."
"I wanted you more than anything."
"Then why?"
"Because your father told me that if I contacted you again, Lily would disappear."
Nathan closed his eyes.
"He won."
Grace shook her head.
"No."
She touched his face.
"Not anymore."
Charles checked his watch.
"This reunion is touching."
Nathan stood.
"You're leaving."
"No."
"Then I'll call the police."
Charles laughed.
"On what charge?"
"Kidnapping."
"Where is the child?"
"Here."
"Her mother?"
"Here."
"Any proof I took her?"
Nathan stared.
Charles smiled.
"That's the problem with truth, Nathan."
He held up the folder.
"People believe documents."
Daniel stepped forward.
"Not all documents survive forensic examination."
Charles looked at him.
"Then examine them."
Nathan's eyes narrowed.
Charles seemed almost eager.
That was when Nathan realized something.
His father wanted him to see the documents.
He wanted them to investigate.
He wanted them to follow the trail.
Because somewhere along that trail was something Nathan had not yet discovered.
Something Charles believed would destroy him.
After Charles left, Nathan remained silent.
Grace sat beside Lily.
Daniel spread the documents across the table.
"There's something wrong."
Nathan looked at him.
"What?"
"Charles didn't come here to take Lily."
"Then why?"
"He wanted you to see this."
Nathan nodded.
"Exactly."
Daniel pointed at the agreement.
"Look at the signature."
Nathan leaned closer.
Grace's signature was at the bottom.
But something was strange.
The ink was different.
"This was signed years apart."
Daniel nodded.
"Exactly."
Nathan stared.
"Someone added pages later."
"Yes."
"Can we prove it?"
"Probably."
Grace whispered:
"Charles kept the original."
Daniel shook his head.
"No."
He pointed to the bottom corner.
"Not the original."
"What?"
"The original was filed with a court."
Nathan frowned.
"Which court?"
Daniel read the seal.
"Franklin County."
Nathan immediately reached for his phone.
"Get the file."
Daniel did.
Thirty minutes later, the court records arrived.
The agreement existed.
But it was different.
The custody clause was there.
The Victoria clause wasn't.
Nathan stared.
"Someone inserted it."
Daniel nodded.
"And there's more."
He turned the page.
The date had been changed.
"Five years ago, Grace was supposed to regain custody when Lily turned five."
Nathan looked at the date.
"That was three weeks ago."
Grace's face went pale.
"Then why didn't anyone contact me?"
Nathan slowly understood.
"Because they needed me to marry Victoria before the deadline."
Daniel nodded.
"And your wedding is in eleven days."
Nathan looked toward Grace.
The entire engagement suddenly made sense.
Victoria wasn't simply trying to marry Nathan.
She was racing the clock.
If the marriage occurred before the legal deadline was properly recognized, she could challenge Grace's custody.
But there was something else.
Nathan remembered the trust.
The inheritance.
The shares.
The DNA.
The nursery.
Every piece connected to one date.
Lily's fifth birthday.
The day the original custody agreement expired.
The day the grandfather's trust could activate.
The day Victoria needed Nathan married.
It wasn't coincidence.
It was a countdown.
That evening, Nathan found Victoria waiting outside the courthouse.
She wore a black coat.
Her expression was calm.
"You've been busy."
Nathan stopped.
"You knew."
"About what?"
"The pact."
Victoria smiled.
"Of course."
"You knew my father threatened Grace."
"I knew."
"You knew Lily was supposed to return to her mother."
"I knew."
"You knew the marriage would prevent it."
Victoria's smile disappeared.
"Yes."
Nathan stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because your father promised me something."
"What?"
"Control."
"Of what?"
"Everything."
Nathan's voice became cold.
"And what did you promise him?"
Victoria looked directly at him.
"I promised to make you believe I loved you."
Nathan felt the words like a physical blow.
"Did you ever?"
Victoria's expression softened.
For one second, she almost looked human.
"At first."
Nathan swallowed.
"And then?"
"I learned what your family was worth."
He stared at her.
"You never loved me."
"I loved the man I thought you could become."
"And Lily?"
Victoria looked away.
"I never wanted to hurt her."
"Then why?"
"Because she was the one thing that could take everything from me."
Nathan shook his head.
"You did that yourself."
Victoria smiled sadly.
"Maybe."
She stepped closer.
"But you still don't know the worst part."
Nathan waited.
Victoria whispered:
"Charles isn't the one who created the pact."
Nathan's blood ran cold.
"Who did?"
Victoria looked behind him.
At Grace.
Then back at Nathan.
"Your grandfather."
Nathan froze.
"No."
"He started it."
"Why?"
"Because he knew Charles would destroy the family."
Victoria turned to leave.
Nathan grabbed her arm.
"Wait."
She pulled free.
"What did my grandfather want?"
Victoria looked at him.
"To protect you."
Nathan stared.
"From what?"
Victoria smiled.
"From your father."
She walked away.
Nathan remained standing.
Then his phone vibrated.
A message.
No number.
Only one sentence:
ASK GRACE WHAT HAPPENED THE NIGHT SHE SIGNED THE PACT.
Nathan looked toward the courthouse.
Then toward Grace.
Something in Grace's face told him she already knew what was coming.
He approached her slowly.
"Grace."
She looked up.
"Yes?"
Nathan swallowed.
"On the night you signed the agreement..."
Her face went pale.
"What about it?"
"Who else was in the room?"
Grace didn't answer.
Nathan's voice softened.
"Please."
She closed her eyes.
Then whispered:
"Your mother."
Nathan froze.
"My mother was there?"
Grace nodded.
"And she wasn't alone."
"Who was with her?"
Grace opened her eyes.
Fear filled them.
"Elena."
Nathan stared.
"Why?"
Grace's voice broke.
"Because they weren't there to make me sign the pact."
Nathan felt the world tilt.
"Then why?"
Grace looked at Lily.
"To make sure she survived."
A long silence followed.
Then Grace said the words that would change everything.
"Your mother and Elena were the ones who created the pact."
Nathan couldn't breathe.
"The pact was never meant to protect your father's empire."
Grace wiped away a tear.
"It was designed to destroy it."
And somewhere in the city, a man who had been presumed dead for five years opened a locked drawer.
Inside was the original pact.
The first page bore three signatures.
Evelyn Cole.
Elena Vale.
Grace Bennett.
The fourth signature had been burned away.
May you like
But beneath the ashes, one letter remained.
N.
