“And to ensure you would never question it,” I added, remembering the despair that had broken us apart.

“There is more, Alexander,” Margaret’s voice broke through the silence.

“Tell me,” he said.

“I found three other payments to a different entity called ‘Northern Legal Services’ during the custody dispute three years later,” Margaret said.

I felt a chill run down my spine. “The custody evaluator.”

“Yes, Emma,” Margaret said. “The court-appointed evaluator who recommended that the boys remain in Victoria’s sphere of influence.”

“How much?” Alexander asked.

“One hundred and fifty thousand dollars,” Margaret said. “Authorized by the same VS-099 executive key.”

“She bought the court,” I said, my voice shaking with rage. “She bought the doctor, she bought the court, and she used your company to do it.”

“She used *my* company,” Alexander said, his voice dropping to a low growl. “The company my father built. The company I have run for ten years.”

He looked down at the documents, his fingers gripping the edges of the desk so hard his knuckles turned white.

“This is exactly what we need,” he said.