Chapter 4: The Woman Behind the King’s Last Secret
The photograph stayed on Trey Carter’s phone for almost a full minute.
He did not blink.
He did not move.
He simply stared at the image, hoping his eyes were lying to him.
But they were not.
There was his father.
Malik Carter.
Standing outside a dark building late at night.
And beside him…
Was his mother.
Monique.
The woman who had spent the entire funeral standing quietly behind the family.
The woman who had acted like she was discovering the truth at the same time as everyone else.
The woman who had said Malik trusted almost nobody.
Now Trey was looking at proof that she had been with Malik during the exact time period before his death.
His hand tightened around the phone.
A thousand questions rushed through his mind.
Why didn’t she tell me?
What was she doing with him?
What was Dad hiding?
And the question that hurt the most…
Was my mother involved?
Trey had spent his entire life believing his family was the one thing in Black Crown that could not be destroyed.
But his father’s death had already taken that away.
Now it was threatening to take his mother too.
The warehouse was empty.
The old lights above him flickered.
For the first time that night, Trey felt completely alone.
Then he heard footsteps.
He immediately locked his phone.
A figure appeared near the entrance.
It was Darius.
Trey’s body tensed.
“You’re still here.””
Darius looked around the room.
“So are you.””
Neither man spoke.
The silence between them was different now.
Before, Trey had seen Darius as a possible suspect.
Now he saw him as someone who might know more than he admitted.
Darius noticed the expression on Trey’s face.
“What happened?””
“Nothing.””
Darius studied him.
Trey knew immediately that answer would not work.
Darius had spent years reading people for Malik.
He could recognize a lie before someone finished saying it.
“You’re a terrible liar.””
Trey looked away.
“That’s something my dad used to say.””
Darius’s expression softened slightly.
“Your father was right about many things.””
Trey looked at him.
“Was he right about you?””
The question hit harder than Trey expected.
Darius did not react immediately.
He just stood there.
Then he asked:
“Do you believe I killed him?””
Trey didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Darius nodded slowly.
“I understand.””
“Do you?””
“Yes.””
Darius walked toward the table.
“Because if I were in your position, I would question me too.””
Trey looked at him.
“Then why didn’t Dad tell me?””
“Tell you what?””
“That he didn’t trust you.””
Darius looked down.
For a moment, Trey saw something unexpected.
Pain.
Not anger.
Not pride.
Pain.
“Your father trusted me.””
Trey shook his head.
“He told Andre not to trust you.””
Darius looked toward the floor.
“No.””
His voice became quieter.
“He told Andre not to trust someone.””
Trey froze.
“What?””
Darius looked back at him.
“You’re assuming your father said my name.””
“He did.””
“Did he?””
Trey remembered the recording.
The damaged audio.
The static.
The sentence.
Don’t trust Darius.
But now that he thought about it…
Something felt wrong.
The recording had been short.
Too short.
Only seventeen seconds.
Darius continued.
“Your father knew people could manipulate information.””
Trey stared.
“You think the recording was changed?””
“I think your father was smarter than everyone in that room.””
The answer made Trey uncomfortable.
Because part of him wanted to believe Darius.
Another part remembered the photograph.
His mother.
The secret meeting.
The lies.
Darius looked at him.
“What did you see?””
Trey’s eyes narrowed.
“How do you know I saw something?””
“Because you looked at me like you were trying to decide if you hated me.””
The statement was so accurate Trey almost stepped back.
Slowly, he unlocked his phone.
He showed him the picture.
Darius stared.
And for the first time all night…
Darius looked genuinely shocked.
“Where did you get this?””
“Someone sent it.””
“Who?””
“I don’t know.””
Darius zoomed in on the image.
His face became serious.
“Your mother?””
Trey nodded.
“Yes.””
Darius remained silent.
That scared Trey more than any reaction.
“You know something.””
Darius looked at him.
“I know Malik didn’t trust many people.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“No.””
Darius placed the phone down.
“It’s a warning.””
Trey waited.
Darius took a breath.
“Your mother was the only person Malik never allowed me to investigate.””
Trey felt his stomach drop.
“What does that mean?””
“It means every time I questioned something involving her, Malik stopped me.””
“Why?””
Darius looked at the picture again.
“Because he loved her.””
Trey shook his head.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
“It does.””
Darius looked at him.
“The most dangerous weakness a powerful person can have is the person they love.””
The words stayed in the air.
Trey looked at the picture again.
“Are you saying my mother betrayed him?””
Darius did not answer.
And that was the answer Trey feared.
The next morning, Black Crown gathered again.
But this time, the atmosphere was different.
The funeral was over.
The emotions had cooled.
Now came the investigation.
The room contained financial records, computers, documents, and years of information Malik had collected.
Darius stood at the center.
Not as the new leader.
Not yet.
As the person trying to find the truth.
Andre watched him from across the room.
Still suspicious.
Still angry.
But quieter.
The older members noticed the change.
Everyone knew something had shifted.
Because if Darius truly wanted power, he would not be searching for the person who betrayed Malik.
He would be protecting himself.
Victor Kane’s absence remained the biggest problem.
The accountant had disappeared.
And every financial record pointed toward him.
But Malik had always taught them something.
Follow the money.
Not the person.
The numbers never lied.
Darius opened the first file.
“For the past eighteen months, money has been disappearing from three different accounts.””
Andre crossed his arms.
“How much?””
“Almost two million dollars.””
The room erupted.
Two million was not an accident.
Not a mistake.
Not a bookkeeping problem.
It was organized.
Ghost looked at the documents.
“Who had access?””
Darius turned the page.
“Victor.””
Everyone expected that.
Then Darius continued.
“And someone else.””
The room went silent.
“Who?””
Darius looked at the paper.
“A second approval was required for every transfer.””
Andre stepped forward.
“Whose approval?””
Darius hesitated.
That hesitation made everyone nervous.
Finally, he answered.
“Monique Carter.””
Nobody spoke.
The room became completely still.
Trey felt like the floor had disappeared.
“No.””
The word came out before he could stop it.
Darius looked at him.
“I’m sorry.””
Andre immediately exploded.
“You knew?””
He pointed at Darius.
“You knew my sister-in-law was involved?””
“No.””
“Then why are you looking at her name like that?””
“Because I just found it.””
Andre stared at the documents.
Then at Trey.
Then away.
For the first time, Andre looked uncertain.
Because this was not what he wanted.
He wanted Darius to be guilty.
He wanted a simple enemy.
Not a situation where the people closest to Malik were all carrying secrets.
Trey left the room.
Nobody stopped him.
He needed air.
He needed space.
But most importantly…
He needed answers from the one person he trusted.
His mother.
Monique was sitting alone inside Malik’s office.
The room still smelled like him.
The leather chair.
The wooden desk.
The photographs.
Everything remained untouched.
She held a glass of water in her hands but never drank.
She knew Trey would come.
She had been expecting it.
When the door opened, she didn’t turn around.
“You saw the picture.””
Trey stopped.
His heart sank.
“You knew?””
Monique closed her eyes.
“Yes.””
The honesty hurt more than a lie.
“You knew someone would send it?””
“Yes.””
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
Monique finally looked at him.
“Because your father asked me not to.””
Trey laughed softly.
“Dad asked everyone not to tell me anything.””
“That was because he was protecting you.””
“Or because he didn’t trust me.””
Monique stood.
“Never say that.””
Her voice was firm.
“Your father trusted you more than anyone.””
“Then why did he leave me secrets instead of answers?””
Monique looked away.
Because she knew.
She knew the truth would destroy him.
“What happened that night?””
Trey asked.
“The night Dad died.””
Silence.
Monique walked toward the desk.
“He came here.””
“Here?””
“Yes.””
“What did you talk about?””
She touched Malik’s chair.
“He told me everything was falling apart.””
Trey waited.
“He knew about the money.””
His heart tightened.
“He knew about Victor?””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn’t he expose him?””
“Because Victor was not working alone.””
The room became colder.
Trey stepped closer.
“Who was with him?””
Monique looked at her son.
And for the first time, Trey saw fear in her eyes.
Not sadness.
Not guilt.
Fear.
“Your father believed someone inside the family was involved.””
Trey froze.
“Family?””
Monique nodded.
“Yes.””
“Who?””
She looked down.
“I don’t know.””
Trey stared at her.
“You’re lying.””
Monique said nothing.
And that silence told him everything.
Before Trey could ask again, the office phone rang.
Both of them froze.
Because that phone had been disconnected.
Nobody used it anymore.
Slowly, Monique walked toward it.
The old black phone continued ringing.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Then she picked up.
“Hello?””
Nobody spoke.
Only breathing.
Monique’s face changed.
“Trey.””
Her voice became a whisper.
“Leave.””
Trey frowned.
“What?””
She covered the phone.
“Leave now.””
But it was too late.
A voice came through the receiver.
A voice Trey recognized.
A voice that should have been impossible.
Because that person was supposed to be dead.
The voice said:
“Monique…”
A pause.
Then:
“You should have burned the envelope.””
Trey stared at his mother.
Because she looked terrified.
And for the first time since Malik died…
He realized something.
The person hunting Black Crown was not trying to hide.
They wanted them to know they were coming.
The call ended.
Monique slowly lowered the phone.
Trey whispered:
“Who was that?””
She looked at him.
Her face had lost all control.
May you like
And she answered:
“Your father.””
