Ethan took the locket from the drawer and placed it carefully on the desk.
All color drained from her face.
“Where did you get that?” she whispered.
“It was in your bag,” he replied evenly. “Tell me who they are.”
Laura sat down slowly, as if her legs could no longer hold her. Tears welled in her eyes before she spoke.
“The man… that’s my grandfather,” she said. “And the woman beside him is my mother.”
Ethan felt his heart begin to race.
“My father,” Laura continued, voice trembling, “worked on a construction project your company was overseeing more than thirty years ago. There was an accident. Equipment failure. He didn’t survive.”
Ethan closed his eyes.
He knew exactly which accident she meant.
“No one took responsibility,” Laura said softly. “My mother was left alone with a child. My grandfather helped us survive. He worked until his hands were ruined.”
She took a shaky breath.
“One day, my mother saw you on television. She recognized your last name. She knew who your father was. She knew he signed the documents.”
Ethan swallowed hard.
“And why did you come here?” he asked quietly.
Laura met his gaze, her eyes clear despite the tears.