<b>Chapter </b><b>132 </b>
Gloria
Five hours earlier.
I’m seated in front of Mr. Harry in his office. A few files are scattered all over the table between us, and he is pointing to one as he speaks. He picks up a picture and hands it to me. It was a picture he had gotten that finally pointed to the person I suspect the most.
Victoria.
“Are you sure?” I asked, staring at a picture of Victoria wearing a gown and a mask, but it was obviously her. Behind her was my sister, Irene. “What if you are mistaken? For all I know, this may have been a coincidence.” I stated, not taking my eyes off the picture.
“I am. Irene worked for Victoria 21 years ago, she began before Zoe was born.” I inhaled slowly, trying to shove down the emotions that crawled up my throat. Once Victoria is involved, it never ends well.
“But a picture doesn’t prove much, especially this picture; we can’t decide that based on this picture alone.” It is not that I think Victoria can’t do it; it’s just that I want to be sure that if I want to put up a fight against her, then there shouldn’t be any doubt.
“I knew you were going to say this.” Mr. Harry said and stood up, “That’s why I got something else<i>.</i><i>” </i>He walked to his table and pulled out a drawer before bringing out a brown envelope. “This may cost you a few dors,” he said with a small smile ying on his lips.
“Money isn’t the issue<i>.</i><i>” </i>As long as I got what I wanted, I was ready to give him whatever he wanted, no matter the amount.
“This will prove to you that she did work for Victoria,” he said, as he took his seat and leaned forward, opening the envelope. He brought out pictures and a few documents.
“What are these?” I asked<i>, </i>collecting the pictures from him. “See for yourself.” He replied.
They were proof that my sister did work for Victoria. She was there with her shopping, entering the house, and another picture where she served at a party that was held in the Woods’s Mansion.
Aside from all the pictures that expressly point to the fact that they worked together, there was also a contract. I scanned my eyes through the lines, an agreement between Victoria and my sister. She began working for her when she was
pregnant.
I felt my chest tighten as I picked up a picture of my sister and trailed her face with my fingers. I had to control myself, I don’t want to cry here, not in front of Mr/Harry.
“So, where is she? You should know now. She worked for Victoria, so she should still be there, or at least we can easily get where she went next now<i>.</i><i>” </i>I said, my eyes were brimming with hope. I have finally found her,
I felt like driving down to meet Victoria and enquire about my sister. My heart beat faster as I held Mr. Harry’s eyes, but unlike mine, he didn’t look away, “What? You’ve not traced her?”
He cleared his throat, returning his gaze to mine, but this time, they looked sad. “That’s where there’s a problem, we can’t trace her.” I squinted my hope crashing down.
“What problem?” He looked down at the table and rubbed the bridge of his nose, reluctant to speak.
“Speak.” Imanded, and he began, “No one knows where she is or what happened after she worked for Victoria. There is no police report. She disappearedpletely.”
“What do you mean she disappeared?” My entire body was beginning to tremble, but I tried to hide it by being stern. “We couldn’t find anything about her, so we came to this conclusion: either she hid her tracks after leaving the mansion, or she
never left.”
I leaned on thetter. If she never left, then she was still with Victoria, and it would have been easier to find her. “But she is
not in the Wood’s mansion.” “Are you sure?” I inquired, and he nodded.
“Then where could she be?”
“I don’t think she ever left. I know this may be hard for you to ept, but we may be looking at a case of murder, not just a missing person report.” My heart dropped, and I swallowed hard.
“No!” I yelled, unable to keep it all in for another second. “She left, if she didn’t, she’d be there,” I screamed, running my hand through my hair.
“I’m sorry.” Mr. Harry said.
Iwould not ept that apology, when I do it means I have epted the fact that my sister is dead, and I can’t do that. I grabbed my purse and stood, “I don’t want to believe she is dead. She is missing, and I’ll find her until I see proof that supports your im. Until then, don’t say a word concerning murder ever again.” I said, and with that, I walked away.
My hands wrapped around my steering wheel trembled as I drove, holding it until my knuckles became white. Pulling the car to the side of the road, I ced my head on the steering wheel and closed my eyes.
I have been searching for her for 14 years, and even when it felt like there were no leads, I forged on. It wasn’t fair that the only lead I got had to point to her death. I shook my head, holding back my tears. Tears meant eptance, that I had epted that Irene was no more, and I can’t do that to her or myself.
I have to see Victoria. She lived in the Woods’s mansion, so there should be no signs of anything to suggest that she was still there or had left. Anything!
I picked up my phone, wondering if there was a person I could call to help do what I wanted, but there was no one. No one I can trust to search the house, plus I’m not even sure how much help searching the house would bring.
That moment, my phone rang while I was going through my contact list. There was someone who could at least help me get into the house. Mrs. Everett.
“How have you been?” I asked after saying a greeting to her.
“Not so good, Julia isn’t handling the breakup so well.” She said in a strained voice, and I was sure she had been crying. “This isn’t just about her, it’s about me and my family too, and it doesn’t seem to matter to them.” By them she meant the Woods.
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“I’m so sorry to hear that. It truly is heartbreaking. How about we meet today like we always do? It will help cheer you up.” I suggested, and just like I expected, she jumped on it.
“That’s a good idea, let’s meet.”
“Alright, I’ll send a text to Mrs. Woods.” She was silent for a while, clear that she wasn’t pleased with this part. Mason and Julia just broke up; of course, she wouldn’t want to meet with Victoria. Aside from being her friend, she was, after all,
Mason’s mother.
“I heard she has been in her house for days. I don’t think it’s a good idea to invite her, she may not even show up.”
“That’s even better. We’ll go to her house. Maybe there’s a chance that she can change Mason’s mind. I’d want to see Julia
happy, too, and I know her happiness lies with Mason.” I said, trying to sound convincing, and she agreed.
Victoria didn’t want to see us, and that was evident in the way she kept ending Mrs. Everett’s call. But I couldn’t let our trip
there go to waste, so I suggested we get inside.
The shock on Victoria’s face when she saw us was insane. Initially, she couldn’t hide the fact that she didn’t want us here.
I had no interest in whatever n they had to bring back Mason and Julia together, and the reasons were simple. First, I
came over to find whatever I could about Irene. Second, Mason will never go back to Julia, that was clear as the day.
“I’d like to use the restroom,” I said after some time, and immediately I was shown to one by the same maid who opened
the door and weed us in. She looked young and timid, after she left, I stepped out of the restroom and walked down
the hallway.
I am not sure what I was looking for, but there has to be something, anything to point to Irene or where she could be. I
took a turn, and soon I wandered far from the restroom.
Taking another turn, I entered a hallway. This ce was eerie; there was just one room in the hallway, which made it even weirder. I stepped closer to the door and stopped in front of it.
There was a do not enter sign on the front of it. This looked suspicious, so I squinted as I raised my hand, ready to push
open the door.
Heavy footsteps resounded behind me, and I turned to see Victoria walking towards me with an unreasonable expression on her face. “Mrs. Gloria.” She called in a stiff voice, “This isn’t the restroom.”