Chapter 10: The Target He Never Expected
The room went silent when I saw my name.
Not Elena's.
Not Miriam's.
Mine.
Daniel Carter.
Written on a list created by a man who had entered our family pretending to be someone he wasn't.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
I stared at the paper.
Then I looked at Rebecca.
"Why me?""
She didn't answer immediately.
And that scared me more than if she had.
"Rebecca.""
She folded her hands together.
"Because Lucas didn't choose people randomly.""
Elena looked at her.
"What does that mean?""
"It means he looks for opportunities.""
Rebecca pointed toward the list.
"He studies families. Relationships. Weak points.""
I frowned.
"Families?""
She nodded.
"He doesn't just look for money. He looks for emotional situations where people are willing to trust.""
My eyes moved toward Elena.
And I understood.
She wasn't just a source of money.
She was an opportunity.
A daughter desperate to be chosen.
A father trying to reconnect.
A wedding that brought everyone together.
Lucas didn't see a family.
He saw a perfect setup.
"I don't understand," Elena whispered.
Rebecca looked at her sadly.
"Because you're thinking like someone who loves people.""
The sentence hurt because it was true.
"We assume people are honest because we are.""
Nobody responded.
Because nobody in that room was innocent anymore.
Not because we had done something wrong.
Because we had ignored things we didn't want to see.
I looked at the list again.
"How was I his target?""
Rebecca opened another folder.
"Because of your company.""
I froze.
"My company?""
She nodded.
"Lucas knew about your business.""
"I never discussed my finances with him.""
"You didn't have to.""
She placed a document on the table.
A financial profile.
My name.
My company information.
Estimated assets.
My stomach tightened.
"Where did he get this?""
Rebecca looked at Lucas's records.
"He researched you before he got close to Elena.""
Miriam grabbed the paper.
"That means he planned this from the beginning.""
Rebecca nodded.
"Probably.""
Elena looked devastated.
"How long?""
"How long what?""
"How long was he pretending?""
Nobody answered.
Because the truth was impossible to measure.
Was the first date fake?
The proposal?
The moments where he laughed with her?
The times he told her she was beautiful?
That was the cruelest part of deception.
You didn't just lose the person.
You lost your memories.
You started questioning moments that once made you happy.
Elena walked outside.
I followed.
She stood near the church steps staring into the empty parking lot.
"Do you hate me?""
I stopped.
The question was becoming a pattern.
"No.""
"But you should.""
I shook my head.
"No.""
"I almost married him.""
"Yes.""
"I ignored you.""
"Yes.""
"I chose him over you.""
I looked at her.
"Yes.""
She closed her eyes.
"I keep waiting for you to tell me how terrible I was.""
I sighed.
"Would that make you feel better?""
She looked confused.
"What?""
"If I yelled. If I blamed you. If I made you feel guilty.""
She didn't answer.
"Would that fix anything?""
"No.""
"Then why would I do it?""
Her face broke.
"Because I hurt you.""
I nodded.
"You did.""
She looked down.
"But hurt doesn't have to become hate.""
A tear fell.
"I don't know how to forgive myself.""
I stood beside her.
"Neither do I.""
She looked surprised.
"You don't?""
I shook my head.
"No.""
The honesty seemed to shock her.
"I spent twenty years believing I was your father without question.""
I looked away.
"Then one sentence made me question everything.""
She whispered:
"I'm sorry.""
"I know.""
"But does that mean we're okay?""
I looked at her.
"No.""
Her face fell.
"But it means we're trying.""
That was the truth.
Some wounds didn't disappear because someone apologized.
Some trust had to be rebuilt.
Brick by brick.
Day by day.
A car pulled into the parking lot.
A detective stepped out.
He walked toward us.
"Daniel Carter?""
"Yes.""
"We need to speak with you.""
My stomach tightened.
"About Lucas?""
He nodded.
"There's something else you need to know.""
We followed him inside.
He placed a file on the table.
"We reviewed Lucas's activities.""
"And?""
"He wasn't just targeting your family.""
The detective opened the file.
"He was preparing something bigger.""
Rebecca looked worried.
"What?""
The detective looked at me.
"He was planning to disappear.""
I frowned.
"After the wedding?""
"Yes.""
"With what?""
The detective hesitated.
Then:
"Your company.""
Everyone froze.
I looked at Elena.
And suddenly everything made sense.
Lucas wasn't trying to marry Elena because of her money.
He wanted access to mine.
The wedding wasn't his goal.
It was his doorway.
The detective continued.
"He planned to use his marriage to Elena as a way to gain credibility with your business partners.""
I felt sick.
"He wanted me to trust him.""
"Exactly.""
The detective closed the file.
"And according to his notes, he believed you would.""
I stared at the pages.
Then I saw one sentence.
Written in Lucas's handwriting.
"The father will be easier than the daughter.""
My hands tightened.
Because Lucas had underestimated one thing.
He thought I was easy to manipulate.
He thought love made me weak.
But he had forgotten something.
Love also gave people a reason to fight.
May you like
And I wasn't fighting for money.
I was fighting for my family.
