The Wife You Buried Is Back from Hell novel Chapter 846

"When he was six months old," Alexander replied.

Danielle paused. "That early?"

Alistair's dying wish had been for him to take care of Millie. He had agreed, of course. But after he discovered the truth, he had wanted to send the child to a group home. By then, however, Danielle had already grown attached and couldn't bear the thought of it.

Then, about a year later, the situation around them grew precarious. Certain things fell into place with a grim sort of convenience. Millie's ambition made her the perfect shield for Danielle and Niki.

He wasn't a selfless man. His world revolved around keeping Danielle and Niki safe, and nothing else.

Danielle could see the years of struggle and hidden burdens in his eyes. She let her gaze fall, deciding not to ask any more questions. He wouldn't tell her if he wasn't ready, and pressing him would be pointless. She decided to let it be. The truth would come out eventually.

***

The next morning, before the sun was up, Alexander's phone rang shrilly. It was Jake Davidson.

"Have you seen the news? Look at it right now!" Jake's furious voice boomed through the phone the moment he answered. "It's a complete firestorm online! Are you trying to make the entire Davidson family a laughingstock? I've already had calls from the board! You need to handle this, immediately!"

Alexander knew exactly what this was about. He calmly opened a news app.

The hashtag #DavidsonFamilyAbandonsChild was the top trending topic, accompanied by photos of Raffy's tantrum in the restaurant. The article was a masterpiece of sensationalism.

He knew his father all too well. To Jake, the family name was paramount. Everything—love, duty, even his own grandchildren—was expendable in service of that reputation. When Raffy was first taken in, Jake had wanted nothing to do with him because of the lack of a blood tie. Now that it had become a public relations nightmare, he wanted Alexander to put on a show to save face. It was as pathetic as it was predictable.

After ending the call, Alexander leaned back on the sofa, his fingers tapping a slow rhythm on the table. He knew this media storm wasn't a coincidence. Someone was pulling the strings. Raffy's appearance at the restaurant yesterday, followed by this tidal wave of news today—the timing was too perfect. And the most likely culprit was Nathan.

This was his brother's play: tarnish his reputation, weaken his standing in The Davidson Group, and maybe even jeopardize the partnership with the Aerospace Institute.

***

Meanwhile, Danielle saw the news, too. She had just returned from dropping Niki at kindergarten when she opened her phone and was met with the inflammatory headlines and photos.