The Billionaire's Insignificant Wife novel Chapter 101

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Fractures In The Foundation

Daniel did not leave immediately after walking out of Aliana’s room. He stood outside Alina’s door for a full minute after it closed.

He could hear nothing from inside. No crying. No movement.

Just silence.

He turned and walked down the corridor, but instead of heading to the main staircase, he went to his study.

Closed the door.

Locked it.

Daniel sat down at his desk and opened his laptop.

The CCTV recording interface immediately appeared. He had already watched it three times since this morning, but something kept drawing him back to it.

Daniel navigated to the library camera. Date: the day Junior fell. He scrolled to 4:00 PM.

The timestamp showed clearly. 4:00:00 PM.

Then jumped.

6:03:47 PM.

Two hours and three minutes. Gone.

No gradual corruption. No pixelation or distortion leading up to it.

Just a clean skip from one moment to the next.

Daniel had asked the head of security about it, but the answer was not satisfactory.

“Sir, I’m showing… yes, there’s a gap. File corruption. System error.”

“What kind of system error deletes exactly two hours from exactly one camera?”

“I… I don’t know, Sir. It shouldn’t be possible. The system has redundancy built in. Multiple backups.”

“And the backups?”

“Also corrupted, Sir. All of them.”

Daniel had felt something cold settle in his chest.

“That’s not a system error. That’s deliberat deletion.”

“Sir,

I assure you that our security team has done their job properly.”

“I’m not accusing your team.” Daniel’s voice had been quiet. Controlled. “But someone accessed that system. Someone who knew what they were doing. I want a full audit. Who had access to the security room that day? Who logged in to the system? I want names and times.”

“Yes, Sir. I will prepare it right away this morning.”

The report had arrived at six AM.

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Seventeen people had access to the security room. Staff, senior household members, Daniel himself.

But only one login during the relevant timeframe.

System Administrator. Generic account used for maintenance.

Someone had planned this. Changed the password a few days earlier. Waited for the right moment.

Dead end.

Daniel closed the laptop now and rubbed his temples.

Too convenient. Too clean.

Someone had planned this. Had changed the password weeks in advance. Had waited for the right moment.

Had deleted the only evidence of what happened in that library between four and six PM.

His phone buzzed.

Mr. Harris. Text message.

‘Sir, Mrs. Helen attempted to access the CCTV room yesterday afternoon. Security stopped her. Thought you

should know.‘

Daniel stared at the message.

Mrs. Helen.

Of course she had.

He typed back: ‘Have her come to my study. Now.‘

***

Ten minutes later, there was a knock.

“Come in.”

Mrs. Helen entered, hands folded in front of her, eyes down. The posture of someone who knew they’d been caught doing something forbidden.

Daniel stood by the window, back to her, looking out over the grounds.

“Close the door.”

She did.

He turned. Gestured to the chair across from his desk.

“Sit.”

Mrs. Helen sat, ramrod straight, hands in her lap.

Daniel took his own chair, leaning back, studying her.

“How long have you worked for this family, Mrs. Helen?”

“Fifteen years, Sir.”

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“Fifteen years of loyal service. Never a complaint. Never a problem.” Daniel’s voice was measured. “Until recently.

Mrs. Helen said nothing.

“You told Mrs. Blackwood about Junior’s condition,” Daniel continued. “After I specifically instructed that no one was to inform her until I did.”

A single tear slid down Mrs. Helen’s cheek.

“I’m sorry, Sir.”

But her voice held no regret. Only sadness.

“Are you?” Daniel asked. “Because it seems to me you chose Mrs. Blackwood over my explicit instructions. That’s not loyalty. That’s betrayal.”

“Sir-”

“I’m not finished.” His voice hardened. “I also know you had one of the hospital staff reporting to you. Nurse’s aide named Maria. She was sending you updates on Junior’s condition. Updates that you then relayed to Alina.”

Mrs. Helen’s head dropped lower.

More tears now.

But still no denial.

Daniel clenched his hands into fists beneath the desk.

“Do you understand what you’ve done? You’ve undermined my authority in my own household. You’ve created channels of communication I specifically prohibited.”

“I’m sorry, Sir.” Mrs. Helen’s voice broke. “I’m so sorry. I never meant to betray your trust. I just… I just can’t stand by and watch everything that’s happening.”

Daniel watched her cry. This woman who had been part of his household longer than Alina. Who had changed Junior’s diapers. Who had run this house with quiet efficiency for over a decade.

Who was loyal to the Blackwood family.

Until loyalty to one family member conflicted with loyalty to another.

“I should fire you,” Daniel said quietly.

Mrs. Helen nodded. “Yes, Sir.”

“I should have you escorted off the property today. No references. No severance beyond what’s legally required.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“But I’m not going to.” Daniel leaned forward. “Because I know your loyalty to this family. I know you care about Junior. About all of us.”

He paused.

“But from now on, your loyalty is to me. Not to Mrs. Blackwood. Not to anyone else. To me. You take your instructions from me, and only me. Do you understand?”

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Mrs. Helen wiped her eyes with shaking hands.

“Yes, Sir. Thank you, Sir.”

But she didn’t promise. Didn’t say she would comply.

Just thanked him.

Daniel noticed.

“One more thing.” He opened his laptop, turned it so she could see the CCTV gap. “Yesterday you tried to access the security room. Why?”

For the first time, Mrs. Helen looked up. Met his eyes.

“I wanted to find the truth, Sir.”

“The truth about what?”

“About what happened to Mrs. Alina that afternoon.” Mrs. Helen’s voice grew stronger. “I’ve worked for this family fifteen years, Sir. I know Mrs. Alina. She’s not the type to rest when it concerns Young Master Junior. Even when she’s sick, she forces herself to greet him when he comes home from school. She plans his meals. She checks his homework.”

She paused.

“But that day, she was unconscious on the library sofa. I tried to wake her twice. The first time when I heard the noise from upstairs. The second time after the ambulance came. She didn’t respond either time. That’s not normal sleep, Sir. That’s not exhaustion.”

Daniel’s jaw tightened.

“So you thought the CCTV would show what?”

“Who gave her the tea, Sir. Who was in the library with her before she fell asleep. I just wanted to know the truth.”

Mrs. Helen met his gaze steadily.

“I hope justice can be served for Mrs. Alina so that she is not blamed for the incident that happened to Mr. Junior.”

The words hung in the air.

Justice.

As if something like that had never happened in this house.

“The file was already deleted when you tried to access it,” Daniel said. “Someone got there first.”

Something flickered in Mrs. Helen’s expression. Not surprise. Confirmation.

“Yes, I didn’t find anything in the CCTV footage.”

“You can go,” Daniel said.

Mrs. Helen stood, smoothing her apron.

But at the door, she paused.

“Sir?”