The Mafia Boss’s Fiancée Humiliated the Pregnant Maid in Front of Forty Guests—Then Discovered Who Her Baby’s Father Really Was

Chapter 4: The Ledger Beneath the Floorboards

The echo of the gunshots still hung in the air long after the black SUV disappeared beyond the iron gates.

Broken glass covered the library floor like scattered ice.

Daniel knelt beside Hannah.

"Are you hurt?"

She slowly shook her head, unable to speak.

Martin helped her stand, carefully checking her arms and shoulders.

"The baby?" Daniel asked.

Hannah placed both hands over her stomach.

The baby kicked.

A tiny movement.

A reassuring one.

Tears welled in her eyes.

"I think... we're okay."

Daniel released a quiet breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

Across the room, the head of security rushed inside.

"Mr. Carver, we've secured the estate."

Daniel stood.

"Find the shooter."

"We're reviewing the security footage now."

"And the gates?"

"The vehicle used stolen license plates."

Daniel's jaw tightened.

"They planned this."

The security chief nodded.

"It wasn't random."

Daniel looked back at Hannah.

"Starting today, you don't leave my protection."

Hannah immediately objected.

"I can't hide forever."

"I'm not asking."

"I'm telling you."

She took a step toward him.

"I came here to find answers."

"And someone just tried to kill me."

Her eyes hardened.

"That means I'm finally close."

Daniel recognized that look.

It was the same determination he had once seen in Aaron Brooks.

The realization unsettled him.

Across town, Richard Whitlock calmly poured himself a cup of coffee as one of his men entered the study.

"It failed."

Richard didn't look surprised.

"The shooter missed."

"The target survived."

Richard stirred his coffee.

"What went wrong?"

"Daniel was standing too close."

The room became silent.

Richard finally set down his cup.

"I specifically said no witnesses."

"There weren't."

"Then why is Hannah alive?"

The man lowered his head.

"She moved at the last second."

Richard walked to the window overlooking the harbor.

"One woman."

"One unborn child."

"And somehow neither of you could finish the job."

He turned slowly.

"I dislike incompetence."

The man's face turned pale.

Richard pressed a small button beneath his desk.

Two armed guards entered.

"Take him."

The man froze.

"Mr. Whitlock..."

"I've served you for twelve years."

Richard never blinked.

"And this morning was your last."

The guards dragged the terrified man from the room.

Seconds later, a single muffled gunshot echoed through the hallway.

Richard calmly picked up his coffee again.

"Find someone who doesn't miss."

Back at the Carver mansion, Daniel escorted Hannah to the greenhouse behind the west garden.

It was beautiful.

Sunlight filtered through old glass panels.

Rows of roses climbed weathered iron frames.

The scent of lavender filled the warm air.

"I used to come here as a boy," Daniel said.

"My mother loved this place."

Hannah looked around.

"It's peaceful."

"That's why almost no one knows it still exists."

She sat carefully on a wooden bench.

For the first time in weeks, she felt safe.

Daniel reached into his pocket.

"I've decided something."

She looked up.

"I'm reopening Aaron Brooks's investigation."

"You already investigated."

"Not enough."

"What changed?"

Daniel looked directly into her eyes.

"Someone just tried to murder a pregnant woman."

His voice remained calm.

"I don't tolerate unfinished business."

Before Hannah could answer, Martin hurried into the greenhouse carrying an old envelope.

"Sir."

Daniel accepted it.

"What is it?"

"I was cleaning the east attic."

"I found this hidden beneath loose floorboards."

The envelope was dusty.

Yellowed with age.

Across the front, written in faded ink, were two words.

For Daniel

Daniel frowned.

"I've never seen this."

He carefully opened the envelope.

Inside was a handwritten letter.

The signature at the bottom made his heart stop.

Elizabeth Carver.

His mother.

She had died fifteen years earlier.

Daniel unfolded the paper with trembling hands.

Daniel,
If you're reading this, then I was right to fear that someone inside our own circle could never be trusted.
There is a ledger.
It contains every payment made under the Carver name without your father's knowledge.
We never owned those accounts.
Someone used our family to hide crimes that would destroy everything we built.
If anything happens to me, never stop looking for the ledger.
And never trust the Whitlocks.

Daniel read the final line twice.

Then a third time.

His mother had written that letter years before Aaron died.

Years before Caleb disappeared.

Years before Hannah entered the mansion.

Hannah watched his expression change.

"What is it?"

Daniel slowly handed her the letter.

She read every word.

When she reached the final sentence, her hands began to shake.

"The Whitlocks..."

Daniel nodded.

"My mother suspected them long before any of this happened."

Martin looked confused.

"But why hide the letter?"

Daniel stared toward the ceiling.

"Because she believed someone inside this house was watching her."

Silence settled over the greenhouse.

Finally Hannah spoke.

"My brother mentioned hidden accounts."

Daniel looked at her.

"My mother mentioned a ledger."

"The same ledger."

"If Caleb found it..."

Her voice broke.

"...that's why he disappeared."

Daniel finished the thought.

"And if Aaron helped him..."

"...that's why Aaron was murdered."

For the first time, Hannah and Daniel were no longer chasing separate mysteries.

They were chasing the same one.

A single ledger.

A single conspiracy.

One that had already claimed three lives.

Outside the greenhouse, hidden behind a row of tall hedges, Evelyn Pierce lowered her phone after secretly photographing the letter through the window.

She immediately sent the images to Richard Whitlock.

Less than thirty seconds later, his reply appeared on her screen.

Burn the greenhouse. Tonight.

Evelyn stared at the message.

Then she slowly slipped the phone back into her pocket.

By sunrise...