Chapter 14: The Truth My Father Buried
The accusation stayed with me.
Not because I believed Margaret.
Because I didn’t know if I could completely dismiss it.
That was the most dangerous part.
A lie is easy to fight.
The truth mixed with lies is much harder.
For years, I believed my father was the victim.
The man betrayed by his closest people.
The man who built something great only to have others try to steal it.
But what if there was another side?
What if the person I worshiped had secrets too?
I returned to the hidden archive.
This time, I wasn’t searching for proof of betrayal.
I was searching for proof of innocence.
Or guilt.
Daniel joined me.
“You don’t trust anyone anymore.””
I looked at him.
“Should I?””
He didn’t answer.
Because he understood.
Trust was not something I could simply give anymore.
It had become something people had to earn.
We searched through every document.
Every contract.
Every record.
Then Daniel found something.
“Ethan.””
I walked over.
He held an old business agreement.
“This.””
I read it.
At first, nothing seemed unusual.
Then I noticed the date.
Before The Grand Regent existed.
Before my father became successful.
A partnership agreement.
Between my father and Alexander.
But there was something different.
The original ownership structure.
My father owned less than I thought.
Alexander owned more.
That didn’t make sense.
“Why would Alexander claim my father stole from him?””
Daniel looked at the document.
“Maybe because your father changed the agreement later.””
“Why?””
We kept searching.
Then we found another letter.
My father’s handwriting.
I cannot allow Alexander to control the company.
I continued reading.
His methods are dangerous. His ambition has no limit.
The letter revealed the truth.
My father did not steal the company.
He bought out Alexander after discovering illegal activities.
But the decision destroyed their friendship.
Alexander didn’t see it as justice.
He saw it as betrayal.
And that resentment lasted decades.
Margaret had built her entire revenge on a different version of history.
A version where she was correcting a wrong.
But the reality was more complicated.
Her father made mistakes.
My father made difficult choices.
And everyone afterward became trapped by old anger.
Except Claire.
Claire saw through it.
She didn’t care about winning.
She cared about truth.
That afternoon, Margaret requested one final meeting.
I almost refused.
But I wanted to understand.
She sat across from me quietly.
“You found out.””
“Yes.””
She nodded.
“My father made mistakes.””
“Yes.””
“And your father destroyed him.””
“No.””
Her eyes hardened.
“He took everything.””
“He stopped him.””
“You sound just like him.””
The bitterness in her voice was obvious.
“I spent my whole life watching people praise Ethan Vance’s family.””
She laughed softly.
“Everyone called your father a genius.””
“He was.””
“He was a man.””
I said nothing.
Because she was right about one thing.
My father was human.
Not a symbol.
Not a legend.
A person.
With flaws.
With mistakes.
But mistakes were not the same as cruelty.
“Why Claire?””
The question escaped before I could stop it.
Margaret looked confused.
“What?””
“Why did you target Claire?””
Her expression changed.
“I didn’t.””
“Her death.””
Margaret became serious.
“I had nothing to do with that.””
I studied her.
For the first time, she looked genuinely shocked.
“Ethan…”
She leaned forward.
“Claire’s death was never part of my plan.””
The room went cold.
“Then whose plan was it?””
Margaret looked at me.
And whispered:
“I don’t know.””
That scared me more than if she had admitted it.
Because it meant there was another player.
Someone above Margaret.
Someone who had manipulated everyone.
That night, I reviewed security footage from the hotel.
Something caught my attention.
A person entering the hidden archive months before I discovered it.
The date shocked me.
It was after Claire’s death.
Someone had been there recently.
Someone searching.
I enhanced the image.
The quality was poor.
But the person’s identity became clear.
I stopped breathing.
Because the person in the footage was someone who had no reason to be there.
Someone who claimed they knew nothing.
Someone who had helped me uncover the truth.
Someone I trusted.
Daniel.
I called him immediately.
No answer.
Again.
No answer.
Then a message appeared.
Unknown number.
*You finally see it.*
Another message.
*The people closest to you always know where the knives are hidden.*
I grabbed my coat.
I didn’t know what was true anymore.
But I knew one thing.
May you like
Someone had been playing all of us.
And the final move was about to happen.
