Alexander dialed a number.
"Dr. Morgan. It's Alexander Bennett. I need an ambulance at my daughter's house immediately. She's seven months pregnant, she's fallen, and she's in pain."
He listened briefly.
Then he gave the address.
After ending the call, he dialed another number.
This time, his voice was cold.
"Daniel, I need you to begin an immediate review of every financial transaction involving Richard Whitmore and Bennett Holdings."
Richard went pale.
Alexander continued.
"Preserve all records. Contact our legal counsel. Nobody is to delete or alter anything."
He paused.
"And Daniel?"
"Yes, sir?"
"If there's evidence of fraud, I want it handled through the proper authorities."
Richard stepped forward.
"Alexander, please. You're making a terrible mistake."
Alexander slowly rose.
He was older than Richard, but his presence filled the room.
"No, Richard."
His voice was almost a whisper.
"My mistake was trusting you with my daughter."
Chapter Six: The Hospital Corridor
The ambulance arrived within minutes.
Isabella was taken to St. Catherine's Medical Center, where doctors immediately examined her and monitored her unborn son's heartbeat.
Alexander stood outside the emergency department, staring through the small glass window.
He had negotiated business deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
He had survived financial crises, lawsuits, and corporate battles that had destroyed other men.
But nothing had prepared him for the helplessness of watching his daughter suffer.
He would have surrendered every property he owned to know that Isabella and her baby were safe.
A doctor eventually approached.
"Mr. Bennett?"
Alexander stood.
"How is she?"
"Your daughter is stable. The baby has a reassuring heartbeat, but we're keeping her under observation because of the pain and the fall."
Alexander closed his eyes.
For the first time that evening, he allowed himself to breathe.
"Thank you, Doctor."
"She has also been under considerable stress. She needs rest, emotional support, and a safe environment."
Alexander nodded.
"A safe environment," he repeated softly.
He thought of the mansion.
The beautiful rooms.
The expensive furniture.
The glittering chandelier.
Everything he had once admired when visiting his daughter.
He had mistaken luxury for happiness.
He had seen a large house and assumed Isabella had a good home.
He had seen her elegant clothes and assumed she was being cared for.
He had seen her smile at family dinners and failed to notice how quickly that smile disappeared whenever Richard entered the room.
Now he understood something painful.
Sometimes the people who seem to have everything are the ones who have learned to hide their suffering most carefully.
When Alexander entered Isabella's hospital room, she was awake.
Her eyes were red from crying.
He sat beside her.
"How are you feeling?"
"Better."
He nodded.
For a while, neither spoke.
Then Isabella whispered, "I'm sorry."
Alexander frowned.
"For what?"
"For not listening to you."
"Sweetheart..."
"You warned me about him. You saw something I didn't."
Alexander took her hand.
"No."
She looked at him.
"Choosing to love someone is not a crime, Isabella."
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
"But I was so foolish."
"You trusted your husband. He was responsible for honoring that trust."
She lowered her eyes.
"I thought if I loved him enough, he would become the person he promised to be."
Alexander swallowed.
"Love can help people grow, sweetheart. But love cannot force someone to have a conscience."
Isabella began crying again.
This time, her father did not try to stop her tears.
He simply held her hand.
And for the first time in a very long time, she felt that she did not have to pretend to be strong.
Chapter Seven: The Secret Behind the Fortune
While Isabella remained in the hospital, Alexander's legal and financial teams began examining the documents she had photographed.
The initial findings were disturbing.
Several companies connected to Richard had received suspicious payments.
Certain authorization forms appeared to contain falsified signatures.
Millions of dollars had moved through transactions that required further investigation.
But one discovery was even more troubling.
Richard had apparently been working with someone inside Bennett Holdings.
Someone who understood the company's financial systems.
Someone who knew when Alexander would be traveling.
Someone who had access to sensitive documents.
When Daniel, Alexander's attorney, explained the situation, Alexander stared at the evidence for several minutes.
"Do we know who helped him?" he asked.
"Not yet."
"Then we keep investigating."
Daniel hesitated.
"There's something else."
Alexander looked up.
"What?"
"The transactions appear to have started much earlier than we first believed."
"How much earlier?"
Daniel placed another document on the desk.
"Before the wedding."
Alexander felt the blood drain from his face.
Before the wedding.
Before Isabella had promised Richard her life.