Chapter 9 - I INVITED THE DEVIL HOME
Blackthorn Manor reopened that evening under federal surveillance.
Most of the agents stayed hidden.
Vale Dominion technicians restored selected cameras while deliberately leaving others dark.
We wanted Nathan to believe the estate remained vulnerable.
At 8:14 p.m., I sent him one message.
COME HOME.
He replied three minutes later.
WHY?
I typed slowly.
I WANT TO TALK BEFORE MY FATHER DESTROYS EVERYTHING.
The answer came immediately.
MIDNIGHT.
Of course.
Nathan loved drama.
He also loved believing every decision belonged to him.
By eleven thirty, I sat alone in the grand hall.
The chandelier had been dimmed.
The white leather chair where Celeste had watched me remained beside the fireplace.
I wanted it there.
Some memories should not be hidden.
At exactly midnight, the front door opened.
Nathan entered without knocking.
No suit.
No tie.
Dark coat.
Exhausted eyes.
He looked less like a billionaire executive and more like a man who had not slept since his world began collapsing.
“You look terrible,” he said.
I almost smiled.
“So do you.”
He glanced around.
“Where’s your father?”
“Gone.”
Nathan studied me.
“You sent him away?”
“I told him this was between us.”
A flicker of satisfaction appeared.
He believed me.
That was the terrifying thing about narcissistic men.
They interpreted every lie according to what they desperately wanted to be true.
“You finally understand,” he said.
“Maybe.”
He walked toward the bar.
“Your father will burn everything to punish me.”
“He wants you in prison.”
“And you?”
I looked down.
“I want my life back.”
Nathan poured himself whiskey.
“I can give it to you.”
There it was.
Not apology.
Not remorse.
A transaction.
“What do you want?”
“Celeste’s drive.”
I looked toward him.
“What’s on it?”
“Insurance.”
“Against whom?”
He smiled.
“Everyone.”
I stood carefully.
“Nathan, did you ever love me?”
The question surprised him.
Maybe it surprised me too.
He looked into his glass.
“In my way.”
“That isn’t an answer.”
“I married you.”
“You married what you thought I was.”
His eyes narrowed.
“And what exactly are you?”
I took one step closer.
“The woman who owns this house.”
His jaw tightened.
“The woman who recorded you.”
Another step.
“The woman whose father froze your accounts.”
He slammed the glass onto the bar.
“You called me here to insult me?”
“No.”
I lowered my voice.
“I called you here because Celeste lied to you.”
That worked.
Nathan became still.
“What did she say?”
“She told investigators everything.”
His face darkened.
“And she gave them the drive.”
For the first time, real panic appeared.
“When?”
“Last night.”
Nathan pulled out his phone.
He typed something.
A message.
Then waited.
Thirty seconds later, the phone vibrated.
Nathan looked at the screen.
His face changed completely.
He whispered.
“Victor.”
Hidden behind the walls, federal technicians began tracing the signal.
Nathan looked toward me.
“What have you done?”
May you like
I smiled.
“Exactly what my father instructed.”
