Chapter 7 — The Mistress Who Refused to Leave
Chapter 7 — The Mistress Who Refused to Leave
By sunrise, the story had already changed.
Julian was no longer the powerful owner of Cross Hospitality.
I was no longer the abandoned wife.
And Sabrina Vale—
the woman who had been thrown out of my penthouse—
had decided she wasn't leaving the war.
She was going to fight for her place in the empire.
Even if it meant standing directly against me.
6:12 A.M.
Sabrina sat alone in a cheap hotel room three miles from Cross Riviera.
Her suitcase was on the floor.
Her makeup was smeared.
The emerald pendant was gone.
Her designer clothes were packed into two bags.
Her phone had been ringing all night.
She ignored most of the calls.
But one name kept appearing.
Julian.
She finally answered.
"What?"
His voice was low.
"Where are you?"
"Why?"
"Because I need you."
Sabrina laughed bitterly.
"Now you need me?"
"Listen to me."
"No."
"Sabrina—"
"You told me the penthouse was mine."
Silence.
"You told me Elena was finished."
Silence.
"You told me everything would belong to us."
"Sabrina."
"You lied."
"I didn't know."
She closed her eyes.
"That's your favorite excuse."
Julian said nothing.
Then Sabrina asked:
"Did you ever love me?"
Another silence.
"I don't know."
She laughed.
The answer hurt more than a lie.
"Then you deserve what happens next."
She hung up.
But she didn't turn her phone off.
Because five minutes later, another message appeared.
If you want to survive, meet me at noon.
No name.
No number.
Just an address.
Sabrina stared at it.
She knew she should ignore it.
She didn't.
7:00 A.M.
At Hartwell Tower, I hadn't slept.
The previous night's attack had changed everything.
Security had doubled.
Every entrance was being monitored.
The Evergreen ledger was locked inside a secure vault.
And the board had ordered a complete freeze on all nonessential transactions.
But one problem remained.
Sabrina.
Marcus entered the conference room.
"We found her."
"Where?"
"Hotel near the marina."
"Bring her in."
He hesitated.
"She won't come voluntarily."
"Then ask."
"And if she refuses?"
I looked at him.
"Don't force her."
Marcus raised an eyebrow.
"You want to speak with her?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because she knows something."
"About Julian?"
"About all of it."
Marcus nodded.
"I'll arrange it."
9:15 A.M.
Sabrina arrived at Hartwell Tower wearing yesterday's clothes.
She walked through the lobby without makeup.
Without jewelry.
Without the confidence she had carried into the resort two days earlier.
The receptionist recognized her.
No one stopped her.
She was escorted upstairs.
When she entered the conference room, she looked at me.
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then she said:
"I almost didn't come."
"I know."
She sat down.
"Are you going to destroy me?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"Because you're not the person I'm after."
Sabrina smiled bitterly.
"That's funny."
"What?"
"I spent four years trying to become the woman you were."
I said nothing.
She looked down at her hands.
"I thought if I took your clothes, your jewelry, your home..."
Her voice cracked.
"I'd become you."
"You didn't."
"I know."
She looked up.
"You became stronger."
I didn't answer.
Then Sabrina reached into her bag.
She pulled out a folded piece of paper.
"I found this in Julian's office."
She placed it on the table.
I didn't touch it.
"What is it?"
"A schedule."
"For what?"
"Meetings."
I opened it.
The dates stretched back three years.
Every month.
Same location.
Same time.
A private club outside the city.
The attendees were listed only by initials.
J.C.
M.C.
R.H.
And one name appeared repeatedly.
S.H.
I frowned.
"Who is S.H.?"
Sabrina shook her head.
"I don't know."
"Then why bring it to me?"
"Because I know where they met."
I looked at her.
"Where?"
She whispered:
"Your mother's old house."
10:02 A.M.
I couldn't breathe.
"My mother didn't have a house."
Sabrina shook her head.
"She did."
"Where?"
"North Bay."
I looked at Marcus.
He immediately began searching.
Within seconds, a property appeared.
Hartwell Family Estate — North Bay.
I stared at the screen.
"I've never heard of it."
Sabrina nodded.
"Neither had I."
"How did you find it?"
"Julian."
"What about him?"
"He took me there once."
"When?"
"Last year."
"Why?"
She looked away.
"He said it was a family property."
"Was anyone there?"
"Yes."
"Who?"
Sabrina hesitated.
"Margaret."
My stomach tightened.
"What were they doing?"
"I don't know."
"Tell me."
Sabrina looked at me.
"They were arguing."
"About?"
"The Emerald."
Again.
The same word.
The same necklace.
The same secret.
11:30 A.M.
I went to North Bay.
Marcus insisted on accompanying me.
My father came too.
Sabrina followed.
I didn't ask her to.
She simply refused to stay behind.
"You can't come," Marcus told her.
"I know."
"Then why are you here?"
She looked at me.
"Because I want answers too."
I nodded.
"Let her come."
The property was hidden behind a long stone wall.
The gate opened automatically when we approached.
I stepped out of the vehicle.
I had never seen the house before.
Yet something about it felt familiar.
The garden.
The fountain.
The white stone columns.
Then I saw the front door.
My mother had once shown me a photograph of it.
I had forgotten.
The Room Upstairs
The house had been abandoned for years.
Dust covered everything.
But the study was different.
Someone had been there recently.
Books had been moved.
A drawer was open.
Documents were missing.
Sabrina walked toward the desk.
"This is where they met."
"Who?"
"Julian and Margaret."
She pointed to a chair.
"They sat here."
I looked around.
"Where did your mother keep her documents?" my father asked.
"I don't know."
Then Sabrina whispered:
"Behind the painting."
I turned.
"What?"
She pointed to an old portrait.
"Julian showed me once."
Marcus removed it from the wall.
A small safe was hidden behind it.
My father stared.
"Do you know the code?"
Sabrina nodded.
"Julian used your birthday."
I looked at her.
"My birthday?"
"Yes."
Marcus entered the numbers.
The safe opened.
Inside was a stack of documents.
A passport.
A photograph.
And a handwritten journal.
I picked up the photograph.
My mother.
Margaret.
And another woman.
I recognized her.
Sabrina didn't.
"Who is that?"
I stared.
"My mother's sister."
My father went pale.
"My aunt disappeared when I was a child."
Sabrina looked confused.
"Why?"
My father didn't answer.
I opened the journal.
The first page contained only one sentence.
If Julian ever marries Elena, watch Margaret.
I turned the page.
Then another.
Then another.
The journal described meetings.
Payments.
Threats.
And finally—
a name.
Victor Hale.
Marcus froze.
"That's impossible."
I looked at him.
"Who is Victor Hale?"
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he said:
"My father's older brother."
The Man Behind the Curtain
Sabrina stared at Marcus.
"Your family?"
Marcus nodded.
"Victor disappeared twenty-five years ago."
"Why?"
"Fraud."
My father looked at the journal.
"He wasn't just involved in fraud."
He pointed to a page.
"Look."
I read the sentence.
Victor was the architect behind Evergreen.
The room went silent.
Suddenly the voice from last night returned to my mind.
You think Julian is the enemy.
He isn't.
I'm the man who has been protecting him.
Victor.
The name felt like a shadow.
Marcus looked at me.
"If Victor is alive..."
"He is."
"How do you know?"
Sabrina pulled out her phone.
"I saw him."
We all turned toward her.
"When?"
"Two months ago."
"Where?"
"At the private club."
"You're sure?"
She nodded.
"He spoke to Julian."
"What did he say?"
Sabrina swallowed.
"He told Julian that Elena could never know the truth."
My blood ran cold.
"What truth?"
"I don't know."
"Try."
She closed her eyes.
"He said..."
She struggled to remember.
"Your marriage wasn't supposed to happen."
I stared at her.
"Why?"
"I don't know."
Then she whispered:
"But Julian asked him one question."
"What?"
Sabrina looked directly at me.
"He asked Victor whether you were really his sister."
The room went silent.
The Question That Changed Everything
I couldn't speak.
My father looked at me.
Sabrina's eyes widened.
"Elena?"
I shook my head.
"No."
"Your father knows something."
I turned toward my father.
"Is that true?"
He said nothing.
"Did Julian ever ask you whether we were related?"
My father's face became pale.
"Answer me."
"No."
I stepped closer.
"Did my mother have another child?"
He looked away.
"Father."
His silence was enough.
Sabrina whispered:
"What does this mean?"
I stared at my father.
"Tell me."
Finally, he spoke.
"Your mother had a son."
My heart stopped.
"Where is he?"
He closed his eyes.
"He died."
"When?"
"Before you were born."
I shook my head.
"Then why would Julian ask if he was my brother?"
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
My father looked at me.
"I'm protecting you."
"I don't need protection anymore."
I turned away.
"Not from my own family."
The Mistress Makes a Choice
Sabrina had been silent throughout the argument.
Then she stood.
"I want to help."
I looked at her.
"Why?"
She laughed bitterly.
"Because Julian used me."
She looked at the documents.
"Margaret used me."
She touched her empty neck.
"And I used you."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I don't expect forgiveness."
"You won't get it."
"I know."
She nodded.
"But I can still tell the truth."
I studied her.
"You understand that once you do, you lose everything."
"I already lost everything."
She took a breath.
"So there's nothing left to protect."
For the first time, I believed her.
4:40 P.M.
We returned to Hartwell Tower.
The board was waiting.
Marcus presented the evidence.
Evergreen.
Victor Hale.
Margaret.
The hidden property.
The secret meetings.
The missing assets.
Everything connected.
Then Marcus displayed one final document.
A bank transfer.
The recipient wasn't Julian.
It wasn't Margaret.
It wasn't Sabrina.
It was someone else.
I stared at the name.
VICTOR HALE.
My father stood.
"We need to find him."
Marcus nodded.
"We already started."
"Where is he?"
Marcus looked at me.
"According to the latest transaction..."
He paused.
"He's in the city."
My heart sank.
"Where?"
Marcus brought up the location.
A hotel.
Luxury suite.
Room 1704.
I recognized the name.
It was the hotel where Julian had first taken Sabrina.
The same hotel where I had been told Julian was attending a business conference.
The same hotel where he had supposedly met investors.
The same hotel that had appeared in the Evergreen schedule.
I looked at Sabrina.
She whispered:
"That's where I saw him."
5:15 P.M.
We arrived at the hotel.
Security surrounded the floor.
Room 1704 was empty.
The bed had been stripped.
The closets were empty.
But something was left on the desk.
An envelope.
My name was written on it.
ELENA HARTWELL
I opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
Me.
Julian.
Our wedding day.
On the back was a message.
You were never meant to marry him.
I turned the photograph over.
There was another sentence.
But your grandmother knew you would.
My blood ran cold.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice spoke.
"Hello, Elena."
"Victor?"
A soft laugh.
"You're getting close."
"Where are you?"
"Somewhere you can't reach."
"Why did you destroy my family?"
"I didn't."
"Then who did?"
Silence.
Then:
"Ask your father about the night your mother disappeared."
The line went dead.
I looked at my father.
He was standing behind me.
His face had lost all color.
"Father?"
He didn't answer.
Sabrina stepped closer.
"What happened that night?"
My father finally spoke.
"The night your mother disappeared..."
He looked at me.
"...she wasn't alone."
My heart stopped.
"Who was with her?"
My father's voice broke.
"Victor Hale."
And suddenly I understood.
The emerald wasn't just a key.
Evergreen wasn't just an empire.
And Julian wasn't just the husband who betrayed me.
He was connected to a secret my family had buried for decades.
A secret involving my mother.
A missing heir.
And a man who had just resurfaced from the shadows.
Sabrina touched my arm.
"Elena."
I looked at her.
"What?"
She pointed toward the hotel window.
Across the street, a black car was waiting.
Someone was sitting inside.
Watching us.
The car pulled away.
Marcus immediately ran downstairs.
But it was already gone.
I looked at the photograph in my hand.
My wedding smile stared back at me.
A smile from a woman who believed she knew the man standing beside her.
I didn't know him.
Not really.
And worse—
I was beginning to realize that I didn't know myself either.
Because the deeper I went into the Hartwell family's secrets...
May you like
the more one terrifying question refused to disappear.
Why had my grandmother designed an empire that required me to be betrayed before I could inherit the truth?
