The Officer's Runaway Wife & Secret Son novel Chapter 557

After a while, seeing that Rhys's emotions had leveled out and he had closed his eyes to rest, Clara quietly joined the others in the waiting room. That was when she realized Mia had vanished.

Recalling the unhinged rage in Veronica's eyes when she stormed out, Clara felt a gnawing sense of unease.

Veronica's ego was massive; taking a slap to the face in front of an audience would have undoubtedly pushed her to the absolute breaking point.

Mia was always so composed and proper, and she had followed her out alone. If Veronica lashed out, Mia wouldn't stand a chance.

Clara turned to Simon. "Keep an eye on things here. I'll be right back."

Simon nodded, not asking any questions.

She hurried down the corridor. Just as she passed the emergency stairwell, she heard hushed voices bleeding through the heavy metal door.

Clara slowed her pace, pressing herself against the partially open fire door. Peering through the crack, she had a clear view of the landing.

Veronica stood with her back to the door, meticulously adjusting her designer shawl.

The slap had been incredibly humiliating, but she flatly refused to throw a hysterical tantrum and sacrifice her high-society facade.

She looked at Mia, who was standing a few feet away. "What are you doing here? Did you bring cash?"

It had been days since she had called begging for money. Mia had rejected her then, but she had always been terribly sentimental.

They had been family for years. The loose change falling from the Huntingtons' pockets would be more than enough to cover Margot's astronomical ICU bills.

Mia had stayed completely silent in the hospital room, so sneaking out after her meant she probably wanted to discreetly hand over some money away from Clara's family.

Clara held her breath, pressing closer to the door.

She hadn't just walked away with the pension, inheritance, and shares. No wonder a cutthroat opportunist like Eric had treated her like royalty all these years.

But why had the Huntingtons stayed silent for so long?

"...What did you just say?"

Veronica's composed facade violently shattered. "That's impossible! Your father swore to me that he destroyed all the records!"

"My father burned a set of fake ledgers. He did it because Rhys was so young, and he couldn't bear the thought of the boy enduring the vicious gossip of having a mother in prison. He was also protecting our family's reputation."

Mia's eyes turned to ice. "But I kept the real copies. I knew that a greedy, profoundly selfish woman like you would eventually turn around and bite the hand that fed you. Those ledgers were our insurance policy against you."

"Decades-old crimes involving millions of dollars, combined with the ongoing federal investigation into Eric's corruption..." Mia took a slow, menacing step forward. "Veronica, how many days do you think you have left as a free woman? You might have played dumb and escaped the bribery charges, but with this massive embezzlement scheme coming to light, you'll be spending the rest of your miserable life rotting in a cell right next to Eric. The perfect, loving couple."