Chapter 4 - WHEN THE THREATS CAME HOMECaroline felt the blood drain from her face.
She quickly turned her phone away from Daniel.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Daniel frowned.
"Caroline."
She forced herself to breathe.
"Go find Blessing. Tell her we're leaving soon."
He studied her expression.
Then he nodded.
"Okay."
The moment he walked away, Caroline went to Vincent.
He was standing near the garden doors, speaking with Mama Grace.
"Vincent, I need to show you something."
Her voice was shaking.
Vincent immediately stopped talking.
"What happened?"
She handed him her phone.
He read the message.
His expression changed.
"Where are Daniel and Blessing?"
"Inside."
"Mama, please stay with them."
Mama Grace took one look at Caroline and nodded.
"Of course."
Vincent guided Caroline into his study.
He called Priya and showed her the photograph through a secure message.
Priya instructed them to preserve the original message and contact the police.
Caroline sat down.
Her hands were trembling.
"They know where my family goes to school."
Vincent crouched beside her chair, keeping a respectful distance.
"Caroline, listen to me. We're going to take this seriously."
She looked at him.
"I should have stayed away from those records."
"No."
"If I hadn't noticed the payments—"
"Someone was already stealing from the company before you arrived. You didn't create this problem."
Caroline covered her mouth.
"What if they hurt Daniel or Blessing?"
Vincent could not promise that nothing bad would happen.
Instead, he said, "We'll tell the police everything we know, and we'll make a safety plan with the school."
Caroline nodded.
"I don't want the children frightened."
"Then we'll explain only what they need to know."
By evening, an officer had taken Caroline's statement.
The police agreed to document the threat and review available evidence.
Vincent arranged for a licensed security company to assess the immediate risks, while Caroline contacted the children's school.
She insisted on being involved in every decision.
Vincent respected that.
Later, Mama Grace found Caroline sitting alone in the garden.
The older woman sat beside her.
"You've been carrying a heavy load for a long time, my dear."
Caroline looked down.
"I don't mind carrying it."
Mama Grace smiled sadly.
"That's not the same as saying it isn't heavy."
Caroline swallowed.
"I keep thinking about my parents."
Mama Grace waited.
"When they died, everyone told me I had to be strong."
Caroline stared at the flowers.
"I was twelve. Daniel was little, and Blessing was still a baby. I didn't even know how to take care of myself."
Her voice broke.
"For a while, neighbors helped us. An aunt stayed whenever she could. But eventually, everyone had their own lives."
Mama Grace reached for her hand.
"And you became the person everyone depended on."
Caroline nodded.
"I promised myself that Daniel and Blessing would never feel abandoned."
Tears filled her eyes.
"I can't break that promise."
Mama Grace squeezed her hand.
"Being strong doesn't mean doing everything alone."
Caroline wiped her cheeks.
"I know."
"No, child. You understand the words. But you haven't learned to believe them yet."
Caroline gave a small, tearful laugh.
"Maybe you're right."
Mama Grace smiled.
"Now, there's something I want to offer."
Caroline immediately looked cautious.
Mama Grace noticed.
"Before you refuse, hear me out."
"Okay."
"You and the children can stay here temporarily while the police look into these threats."
Caroline opened her mouth.
Mama Grace lifted one finger.
"No arguments yet."
Caroline closed her mouth.
"This house is large. We have plenty of rooms. The children can continue attending their school, and you can continue working."
"But—"
"And you'll remain free to come and go, make your own decisions, and return home whenever you choose."
Caroline hesitated.
"I don't want to become a burden."
Mama Grace smiled.
"You wouldn't be."
"I don't want Vincent feeling responsible for us."
"Vincent is responsible for how he treats people, not for controlling their lives."
Caroline looked toward the house.
Through the window, she could see Blessing laughing with Daniel.
They looked happy.
Safe.
For the first time that day, Caroline allowed herself to imagine sleeping without worrying about someone watching their front door.
"I'll think about it."
Mama Grace nodded.
"That's all I ask."
The decision became easier the next morning.
At 5:40 a.m., Caroline woke to the sound of a vehicle outside.
She looked through the bedroom curtain.
A dark pickup truck was parked across the street.
Its headlights were off.
The driver remained inside.
Caroline watched for several minutes.
Then the truck slowly drove away.
She wrote down what she could remember about it and called the officer handling her complaint.
Later that morning, she found something pushed beneath her front gate.
A torn photograph.
It showed Caroline standing beside Vincent at the construction site several weeks earlier.
Across the picture, someone had written:
HE CAN'T PROTECT YOU FOREVER.
Caroline stood motionless.
Then she went inside and locked the door.
She called Vincent.
"I've made a decision."
"Tell me."
"The children and I will accept Mama Grace's invitation."
Vincent sounded relieved.
"All right."
"But I have conditions."
"Of course."
"We're not moving in permanently. I'll continue paying my own expenses wherever I can. And I don't want special treatment at work."
"Agreed."
"One more thing."
"Anything."
Caroline took a breath.
"Please don't make decisions about Daniel and Blessing without speaking to me first."
Vincent answered without hesitation.
"I won't."
That evening, they packed a few suitcases.
Daniel helped Blessing fold her clothes.
Caroline carefully locked their small home.
As she turned the key, she felt a strange sadness.
This house had been difficult to maintain.
The roof leaked during heavy rain.
The kitchen was too small.
The furniture was old.
But every corner contained a memory.
She had raised Daniel and Blessing there.
They had celebrated birthdays with homemade cakes.
They had studied by candlelight during power outages.
They had laughed, cried, argued, and grown together.
Vincent stood a few steps away.
"You don't have to give this up," he said quietly.
Caroline looked at him.
"I know."
And she realized that he understood something important.
The house was not merely a place where she had struggled.
It was proof of everything she had survived.
They arrived at the mansion shortly after sunset.
Mama Grace welcomed the children warmly.
Blessing chose a bedroom overlooking the garden.
Daniel immediately asked whether he could use the library.
Caroline was shown to a comfortable guest room.
She stood by the window for several minutes.
Then her phone rang.
It was Nora.
Her voice sounded terrified.
"Caroline, are you alone?"
"Yes."
"Listen carefully. I found something in the old finance records."
"What?"
A long silence followed.
Then Nora whispered, "The payments didn't begin at Riverside."
Caroline's heart quickened.
"Where did they begin?"
"At the senior housing project three years ago."
Caroline sat on the bed.
"Why is that important?"
"Because a worker complained about unsafe materials."
"What happened to him?"
Nora began crying.
"He was fired."
"Who was he?"
Nora lowered her voice.
"His name was Luis Vega. And Caroline, the same person who dismissed his warning is still approving those suppliers."
"Who?"
Before Nora could answer, Caroline heard a man's voice in the background.
"Nora, who are you talking to?"
The line went dead.
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A second later, Caroline received a message from Nora's phone.
FORGET WHAT YOU HEARD.
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