Chapter 5 - Unraveling Threads
Ethan stared at his phone, his blood running cold. He immediately called his chief head of security, Marcus Vance (no relation to Julian Vance), a former military intelligence officer.
"Marcus," Ethan commanded, walking down the hallway away from Maria and Sofia. "Run a deep-background check on Maria Alvarez. Specifically, look into an ex-husband or former partner named Hector Delgado. I want everything you can find within two hours."
"On it, boss," Marcus replied crisp.
Ethan stood near the window, watching the rain beat against the glass. Doubts began to creep back into his mind. Had he let his guard down too easily? Was he so desperate for connection after three years of grief that he had blinded himself to potential threats?
Two hours later, while Sofia was taking a nap in the guest room and Maria was preparing dinner, Marcus called back.
"I've got the file, Ethan," Marcus reported, his tone serious. "Hector Delgado. He served three years at Garner Correctional Institution for grand larceny and extortion. He was released on parole four days ago."
Ethan felt a knot tighten in his stomach. "What's his connection to Maria?"
"They were married six years ago," Marcus explained. "It was an abusive marriage. Maria filed for divorce and obtained a restraining order against him three years ago after he tried to steal her savings. Delgado has a long rap sheet—he’s tied to local criminal syndicates in New Haven."
"Does Maria know he's out?" Ethan asked.
"Hard to say. But here's the kicker, Ethan," Marcus added, his voice dropping. "Two days ago, Delgado was spotted meeting with a low-level associate of a corporate investigation firm hired by... Julian Vance's law office."
Ethan’s eyes narrowed into slits of pure ice. "Julian."
"It looks like Julian’s team dug into Maria’s past to find dirt on her, found Delgado, and might be trying to use him to engineer a scandal or security breach at your estate," Marcus said. "Delgado is desperate for money, and Julian has deep pockets."
Ethan took a deep breath, processing the intelligence. Maria wasn't a grifter; she was a victim being targeted by Julian to ruin Ethan's credibility and create a public disaster.
Ethan walked back into the kitchen where Maria was chopping vegetables. Seeing him enter, she smiled, but Ethan noticed the faint, dark circles under her eyes and the anxious way she kept looking at her phone.
"Maria," Ethan said calmly, sitting across from her.
She paused, looking up. "Yes, Mr. Cole?"
"Does the name Hector Delgado mean anything to you?"
Maria dropped her knife. Her face went completely drain of color, and her breath caught in her throat. She gripped the edge of the counter to steady herself.
"How... how do you know that name?" she whispered, horror filling her eyes.
"He was released from prison four days ago," Ethan said gently, trying not to alarm her further. "And someone in my corporate network has been contacting him."
Maria sank into a chair, burying her face in her hands. "Oh God... no. No, no, no." She looked up at Ethan, tears streaming down her face. "Mr. Cole, I swear to you, I haven't seen him in three years! He's a dangerous man. He used to take all my money... when I got pregnant with Sofia, he wanted me to get rid of her because he said she'd be a financial burden. That's why I left!"
"I know," Ethan said softly. "I know you're innocent, Maria. But people are trying to use him to attack me—and to take Sofia away from you."
Maria gasped, her hands shaking violently. "What do I do? Should I pack? I can leave Connecticut tonight—"
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"No," Ethan said, his voice dropping into an absolute command of total authority. "You and Sofia stay right here. You are under my protection now. No one touches my family."
He paused slightly at the word family, but he didn't correct himself.
