The call came at midnight.
Frederick was asleep when his phone rang with an unknown number. He answered it immediately, adrenaline flooding his system.
"Mr. Ashford," a female voice said. It was calm, professional, and vaguely familiar. "I believe you've been expecting this call."
"Who is this?" Frederick demanded.
"My name is Victoria Sterling," the woman said.
Frederick felt the world tilt beneath him. Sterling. The same last name as Ivy. But Frederick knew all of Ivy's family. He knew that she had no living relatives except for distant cousins who lived on the other side of the country.
"How do you know that name?" he asked.
"Because Ivy is my niece," Victoria said. "And I have something that belongs to you. Or rather, I have someone."
There was a commotion on the other end of t
