Chapter 76 The Visitor
Ariella was feeding Elena mashed bananas when the doorbell rang.
She froze in fear, They weren’t expecting anyone. Marcus had left hours ago. Aiden had texted that he was driving upstate, and needed to clear his head.
The doorbell rang again, Insistent this time.
Through the peephole, she could see a woman in her fifties, with silver-streaked hair, and an expensive coat. She was familiar in a way that made Ariella’s stomach drop.
She’d seen this face before. In photographs, in newspaper articles from fifteen years ago.
Victoria Winters, James Winters’ ex-wife.
Ariella opened the door with the chain still on. “Mrs. Winters.”
“Ms. Hayes. Or is it Mrs. Frost now?” The woman’s smile was sharp. “May I come in? I promise I’m not here to cause trouble.”
“Your husband already did that with his letter.”
“Ex-husband.” she corrected, “ I divorced James twelve years ago, long before any of this started.” Victoria held up empty hands. “I’m unarmed, Unaffiliated, just a woman who needs to talk to you about what really happened.”
Ariella knew she shouldn’t let her in, should call Marcus, call security, call someone.
But instead, she opened the door.
Victoria stepped inside, eyes scanning the apartment with the trained assessment of someone who’d once lived in penthouses. “Cozy,” she said, not unkindly.
Elena banged her spoon, the banana flying. Victoria’s expression softened. “She looks like you.”
“What do you want?”
“To tell you that James is lying.” Victoria sat without invitation. “His letter…the one about Richard being his partner? It’s partially true. But the part about Richard being equally guilty? That’s the lie of a desperate man trying to reduce his sentence.”
“You read the letter?”
“James sent me a copy. He wanted my blessing before sending it to you, I told him not to.” Victoria pulled out her own envelope. “I brought proof. Real proof, not the manipulated evidence he sent you.”
Ariella’s hands shook while grabbing it. It contained more bank statements, more emails. Different from the others.
“Richard did work with James initially,” Victoria said. “Six years ago, when James convinced him that the embezzlement was a legitimate tax strategy. But three years ago, Richard figured out what was really happening. That James wasn’t hiding money from the IRS but he was stealing it. From everyone. Investors, employees, charities.”
“How do you know this?”
“Because I helped Richard build his case.” Victoria’s voice dropped. “James doesn’t know this. I let him think I was clueless, the naive wife. But I was helping Richard document everything. The real timeline, the real money trail.”
“Why?”
“Because James threatened my daughter.” Victoria’s composure cracked. “Our daughter, Sophia. When she was sixteen, she found some of his documents and figured out what he was doing. He told her that if she ever spoke about it, there would be consequences. I watched my baby girl become terrified of her own father.”
She pulled out a photo of a Teenage girl, maybe seventeen, with dark hair and a nervous smile.
“Sophia died two years ago,” Victoria said quietly. “Hit and run. They never found the driver.”
The room tilted.
“You think James…”
“I think James found out she’d been talking to Richard and helping him. I think my ex-husband killed our daughter to protect his secrets.” Victoria’s hands were shaking now. “So yes, I helped Richard, I gave him everything. Server access, passwords, and evidence that James thought was hidden. Because I wanted him destroyed for what he did to Sophia.”
Ariella sat down hard. “The letter Richard left Aiden. About the real story being buried. Was he talking about Sophia?”
“Partially. But also about Catherine.” Victoria leaned forward. “Richard’s wife didn’t die in a random accident. She was investigating James, and she got too close. James had her killed and made it look like a drunk driver.”
“That’s what the fifty-thousand-dollar payment was for?”
“Yes. But it wasn’t Richard who paid it. It was James, using one of their shared accounts. Making it look like Richard’s transaction.”
“How do you know?”
“Because I have the original transfer request. With James’ signature. With his IP address. With his phone records showing him calling the driver the day before Catherine died.” Victoria pulled out more documents. “This is what I brought. The evidence that proves James ordered Catherine’s death And likely Ethan’s, And definitely Sophia’s.”
Ariella’s vision blurred. “Why didn’t you give this to the FBI?”
“I did, but they said it wasn’t enough. Circumstantial. James had good lawyers. But I kept it. Because I knew someday it would matter.”
“Why bring it to me now?”
“Because James is trying to get his sentence reduced. Using you and Aiden’s guilt against you. Making you think Richard was equally culpable so you’ll advocate for his release.” Victoria’s voice hardened. “I won’t let him manipulate you the way he manipulated everyone else. My daughter died trying to stop him. I won’t let her death be for nothing.”
Elena dropped her spoon and started crying. Ariella picked her up automatically, mind spinning.
“Take the documents,” Victoria said, standing. “Have them verified. You’ll find they’re real, more real than anything James sent you.”
“What do you want in return?”
“Nothing. Just…” Victoria’s voice broke. “Don’t let him out. Don’t let him hurt anyone else’s daughter.”
She walked to the door, paused. “One more thing. James has a partner, Someone still on the outside, still working for him. Someone who leaked your contract marriage to the press last year. Someone who’s been feeding him information from inside Frost Industries this whole time.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know. But they’re close to you. Close enough to know things they shouldn’t.” Victoria met her eyes. “Watch your back, Mrs. Frost. James doesn’t forgive, especially not people who sent him to prison. And he’s very, very patient.”
The door closed.
Ariella stood there in shock, holding her daughter and Victoria’s evidence, holding the terrifying possibility that they weren’t done fighting.
Not even close.