Chapter 9 - The Person Sofia Trusted Most
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The message on Richard’s phone remained glowing in the darkness of the nursery.
A simple sentence.
A terrifying meaning.
You failed to stop her. Now finish what she started.
I had read thousands of threats throughout my life.
Against my company.
Against my reputation.
Against me.
But this one was different.
Because it wasn't written by someone who hated me.
It was written by someone who knew me.
Someone who knew Sofia.
Someone who understood exactly what words would break me.
I looked at Elise.
"Someone Sofia trusted."
My voice was quiet.
"Who?"
Elise didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes moved toward my daughters.
Toward Maisie and Rosie.
Like she was trying to decide whether telling me the truth would protect them...
Or put them in more danger.
That hesitation made my stomach tighten.
"Elise."
She looked at me.
"I need you to understand something."
I almost laughed.
Another warning.
Another person deciding I needed preparation before the truth.
But this time, I didn't interrupt.
Because I had learned something.
Not every hesitation came from betrayal.
Sometimes it came from fear.
Real fear.
"Sofia didn't trust many people," Elise said softly.
I nodded.
That was true.
My wife was kind.
She loved deeply.
But she wasn't careless.
She knew the difference between being friendly and being vulnerable.
"After she became suspicious, she started making a list."
"A list?"
Elise nodded.
"People she believed could be involved."
Richard stepped closer.
"You never told me that."
"Because Sofia destroyed it."
Richard frowned.
"Why?"
"Because she said anyone who found it could use it against her."
I looked at Elise.
"What was on the list?"
She took a breath.
"Everyone."
The answer surprised me.
"Everyone?"
"Everyone who had access to the company."
She looked at Richard.
"Everyone who knew about her concerns."
Then she looked back at me.
"And everyone close to your family."
The room became silent.
Because that meant something.
Sofia didn't have one suspect.
She had a fear.
A fear that the danger was everywhere.
I walked toward the window.
The city outside was still moving.
Cars passing.
People living ordinary lives.
While my entire world had become a puzzle built from secrets.
"Who was the last person she spoke to?"
I asked.
Richard looked uncomfortable.
"Victor..."
"Who?"
He looked at Elise.
Then answered.
"Her father."
That stopped me.
"Sofia's father?"
Richard nodded.
I frowned.
Her father had passed away years ago.
So that made no sense.
Then I realized.
He meant someone else.
Someone she considered family.
Someone older.
Someone who had been there before me.
My expression changed.
"Her aunt."
Elise looked surprised.
"How did you know?"
Because Sofia had mentioned her once.
Only once.
Years ago.
She told me about the woman who raised her after her parents died.
The woman she loved.
The woman she trusted.
The woman who taught her how to survive.
"What was her name?"
Elise hesitated.
Then said:
"Marianne."
The name felt unfamiliar.
But something about the way Elise said it made me uneasy.
"Where is she?"
Richard answered.
"She disappeared after Sofia's funeral."
My eyes narrowed.
"Disappeared?"
"She said she needed time."
I laughed quietly.
"Everyone needs time."
I turned around.
"Everyone disappears."
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone in my life seemed to have a reason for keeping secrets.
And every secret led back to the same thing.
Sofia.
The woman who knew she might be leaving.
The woman who prepared everyone except me.
I looked at Elise.
"Why didn't Sofia tell me about Marianne?"
Elise looked down.
"Because she wasn't sure what to believe."
That answer bothered me.
"My wife didn't trust her own family?"
"Not anymore."
A cold silence filled the room.
"Why?"
Elise walked toward the chair and sat down.
"I don't know everything."
"Tell me what you know."
She looked at me.
"Sofia found something in her aunt's belongings."
"What?"
"A photograph."
I waited.
"A photograph of your company documents."
My expression changed.
"What?"
Elise nodded.
"Sofia didn't understand why Marianne had them."
Richard immediately reacted.
"She had company documents?"
"Yes."
"What kind?"
Elise looked at me.
"The same kind Daniel was accused of stealing."
The room went quiet.
A connection formed.
Daniel.
The missing money.
The fake evidence.
Marianne.
All connected somehow.
But there was one thing I couldn't understand.
"Why would Sofia trust Elise if she suspected everyone?"
Elise looked at me.
And for the first time, I saw sadness instead of fear.
"Because Sofia trusted my mother."
I froze.
"Your mother?"
She nodded.
"My mother worked for Sofia's family years ago."
I stared at her.
"What?"
"Sofia knew my family before she knew me."
Suddenly, everything shifted.
Elise wasn't just a random nanny.
She wasn't someone who appeared after tragedy.
She had a history with Sofia.
A connection deeper than I knew.
"My mother helped raise Sofia when she was young."
Elise continued.
"She was the person Sofia went to when she needed advice."
I looked at her.
"And you never thought this was important?"
Elise looked hurt.
"I thought it was exactly why you would never trust me."
I didn't answer.
Because maybe she was right.
I had spent years judging people by what they wanted from me.
Money.
Power.
Access.
But Elise had never wanted anything.
She wanted to protect my daughters.
The same way Sofia asked her to.
"Your mother..."
I paused.
"What happened to her?"
Elise looked away.
"She died."
"When?"
"Two years ago."
I nodded slowly.
"And after that?"
"Sofia helped me."
My eyes moved to her.
"How?"
"She paid for my education."
That surprised me.
"Why?"
"Because she believed people deserved opportunities."
A small smile appeared.
"She always said she couldn't save the whole world."
A pause.
"But she could change one person's world."
That sounded exactly like Sofia.
The woman who always found a way to help people without expecting anything back.
I looked at my daughters.
And suddenly, I understood.
Elise wasn't in our home by accident.
Sofia chose her.
Sofia knew exactly who she was.
The question was...
Why did Sofia need her here now?
My phone vibrated.
Everyone looked.
Unknown number.
My instincts immediately reacted.
I answered.
No one spoke.
Only silence.
Then a voice.
A woman's voice.
Older.
Calm.
Familiar somehow.
"Victor."
My entire body froze.
Because even though I had never heard that voice before...
I knew who it belonged to.
"Who is this?"
A pause.
Then:
"The person your wife was trying to protect you from."
My grip tightened around the phone.
"Marianne?"
Silence.
Then a quiet laugh.
"She told you my name."
The room became colder.
Richard stepped forward.
Elise covered her mouth.
The voice continued.
"Sofia always did believe in honesty."
My anger rose.
"Where are you?"
Another pause.
"That doesn't matter."
"Then what does?"
The answer came softly.
"Whether you still have time to save your daughters."
Everything stopped.
My eyes moved toward Maisie and Rosie.
"Don't you dare threaten my children."
"I'm not threatening them."
The voice became sad.
"I'm warning you."
"About what?"
A long silence.
Then:
"Your wife didn't die because she discovered a crime."
My heart stopped.
"She died because she discovered who was behind it."
I couldn't breathe.
"Who?"
The woman answered:
"The person you trust most."
The call ended.
I lowered the phone slowly.
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone understood the same thing.
The truth wasn't hidden anymore.
It was coming.
May you like
And whoever had destroyed Sofia's life...
Was closer to us than we ever imagined.
