Chapter 9: The Man Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
The room stopped breathing.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because the face on the screen belonged to a man who should have been nothing more than a memory.
Thomas Vale.
The businessman who disappeared twenty-five years ago.
The man whose company became the foundation of Sterling Holdings.
The man everyone believed was dead.
Charles stared at the screen.
His mind searched for an explanation.
A mistake.
A recording.
A fake.
Anything.
But then Ella moved on the screen.
The little girl looked toward the camera.
Her eyes were red from crying.
And Charles knew.
This was real.
“Ella.””
His voice broke.
Amelia immediately stepped forward.
“Where is she?””
The man on the screen smiled.
A calm, almost gentle smile.
“Still asking the wrong questions, Amelia.””
Her expression changed.
“You took my daughter.””
Thomas tilted his head.
“I protected her.””
Charles felt anger explode.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
His voice filled the room.
“Everyone who destroys this family says they are protecting someone.””
Thomas looked directly at the camera.
“Charles Sterling.””
A pause.
“You sound exactly like your father.””
Charles froze.
Thomas continued.
“Always convinced you were the victim.””
Edward’s expression darkened.
“Thomas.””
The man smiled.
“Edward.””
For the first time, Charles saw fear in his father’s eyes.
Not guilt.
Fear.
And that scared him more.
Charles stepped closer to the screen.
“What do you want?””
Thomas leaned back.
“I want the truth.””
Charles almost laughed.
“The truth?””
“Yes.””
“The man who kidnapped my granddaughter wants truth?””
Thomas ignored the accusation.
“Your family spent twenty-five years hiding mine.””
Charles frowned.
“What are you talking about?””
Thomas looked at Edward.
“Tell him.””
Nobody answered.
Thomas smiled.
“That’s what I thought.””
Charles turned.
“Father.””
Edward looked away.
Charles’s voice became colder.
“Tell me.””
Edward remained silent.
“Now.””
Finally, the old man spoke.
“Thomas Vale was my business partner.””
Charles nodded.
“I know.””
“No.””
Edward shook his head.
“You don’t.””
The room became quiet.
“Thomas and I built the company together.””
Charles looked confused.
“But the records said—”
“The records were changed.””
By who?
The question was obvious.
But nobody wanted to say it.
Edward continued.
“When the company grew, Thomas discovered something.””
“What?””
Edward looked at Thomas on the screen.
“He discovered that I had made a deal with investors he considered dangerous.””
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“Dangerous?””
His voice came through the speakers.
“You sold everything we built to criminals.””
Edward’s jaw tightened.
“I was trying to save the company.””
“No.””
Thomas’s voice became sharp.
“You were trying to save yourself.””
Charles looked between them.
“So this is what this is about?””
Thomas looked at him.
“You still don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
Thomas leaned closer to the camera.
“Your family destroyed mine.””
Charles shook his head.
“By stealing your company?””
“By stealing my life.””
Silence.
Thomas continued.
“Twenty-five years ago, I confronted Edward.””
Edward looked down.
“He disappeared afterward.””
Charles looked at his father.
“What happened?””
Edward didn’t answer.
Thomas did.
“He tried to erase me.””
Amelia looked at Charles.
“Dad…”
Charles felt sick.
Because suddenly the pattern became clear.
Every person in his family had been hiding something.
Every person had their own version of the truth.
And somehow, everyone had caused pain.
Thomas continued.
“When Amelia discovered the documents, she found the connection.””
Charles looked at his daughter.
“She found out about you?””
Amelia nodded slowly.
“I found records about Thomas.””
Thomas smiled.
“She found the one thing Edward never wanted anyone to see.””
“What?””
“That I survived.””
The room went silent.
Charles looked at the screen.
“You were alive all this time?””
“Yes.””
“Then why didn’t you come forward?””
Thomas’s smile disappeared.
“Because your father made sure nobody would believe me.””
Edward looked angry.
“You were unstable.””
Thomas laughed.
“There it is.””
Charles looked at Edward.
“What did you do?””
Edward didn’t answer.
And Charles realized something.
His father had spent years teaching him how to control a company.
How to negotiate.
How to win.
But he had never taught him about the darkest parts of their history.
Because he wanted those parts buried.
A sound came from the speakers.
Ella moved.
Thomas looked toward her.
The anger on his face softened.
Charles noticed.
“You know she’s innocent.””
Thomas looked back at the camera.
“Yes.””
“Then let her go.””
“I will.””
Everyone looked surprised.
Thomas continued.
“When the truth is revealed.””
Charles stared.
“You kidnapped a child to force a confession?””
Thomas’s expression hardened.
“No.””
He looked at Edward.
“I kidnapped a child because your family has spent twenty-five years protecting one secret.””
Charles clenched his fists.
“What secret?””
Thomas looked directly at him.
“The night Amelia disappeared.””
Amelia went still.
Charles looked at her.
“What?””
Thomas continued.
“You all believe Richard caused the accident.””
Richard looked away.
“You believe I was the reason.””
Thomas shook his head.
“But you’re wrong.””
Charles felt a chill.
“What happened?””
Thomas’s voice lowered.
“Amelia wasn’t supposed to die.””
Charles looked at his daughter.
“I know.””
“No.””
Thomas’s eyes narrowed.
“She wasn’t even supposed to disappear.””
The room went silent.
Amelia whispered:
“What?””
Thomas looked at her.
“Your father was supposed to disappear.””
Charles felt the world shift.
“What?””
Thomas continued.
“Richard planned the accident.””
Richard looked down.
“Yes.””
Charles stared at him.
“But you said—”
“I said I arranged it.””
Richard’s voice was quiet.
“I never said who it was for.””
Charles looked horrified.
“What does that mean?””
Richard closed his eyes.
“The accident was designed to destroy you.””
Charles stepped back.
“Me?””
“Yes.””
Richard looked at him.
“Amelia found the evidence.””
A pause.
“She was going to bring it to you.””
Thomas continued:
“And someone realized that if Charles learned the truth, the entire Sterling empire would collapse.””
Charles looked around.
“Who?””
Nobody answered.
Then Victoria spoke.
Her voice was shaking.
“Charles…”
He turned.
“What?””
She looked at him.
“The person behind the accident wasn’t trying to kill Amelia.””
Charles waited.
“They were trying to kill you.””
A cold silence filled the room.
Charles felt every memory rearrange itself.
The crash.
The fake reports.
Amelia disappearing.
Richard’s lies.
Victoria’s silence.
Everything had been built around one thing.
Him.
Thomas’s voice returned.
“And the person who ordered it…”
The screen flickered.
A document appeared.
A signature.
Charles stared.
Because he recognized it.
His own company authorization code.
Used by only one person.
Someone with access.
Someone who had been close.
Thomas spoke.
“The person who wanted Charles Sterling gone…”
A pause.
“Was Charles Sterling.””
Everyone turned.
Charles went pale.
“What?””
Thomas continued.
“The order was approved under your name.””
“No.””
Charles shook his head.
“I never signed anything.””
Edward looked at him.
And that was when Charles understood.
His father already knew.
“Father?””
Edward looked away.
Charles stepped closer.
“You knew.””
Edward’s silence answered.
Charles’s voice broke.
“You knew my name was used.””
“Yes.””
“And you said nothing?””
Edward closed his eyes.
“I was trying to protect you.””
Charles laughed bitterly.
“Another person protecting me.””
Edward looked at him.
“The document was forged.””
“By who?””
Nobody spoke.
Then Amelia looked toward Richard.
Richard’s face changed.
Because she understood.
“Richard.””
He looked at her.
“No.””
“You used Dad’s identity.””
Richard didn’t answer.
“You made it look like he ordered it.””
Charles stared.
“Why?””
Richard’s eyes filled with years of anger.
“Because I needed Thomas to believe Edward was the enemy.””
The room became silent.
Richard looked at Charles.
“I needed everyone fighting each other.””
Charles whispered:
“Why?””
Richard looked broken.
“Because while everyone was looking at each other…”
He looked at Thomas.
“…someone else was taking control.””
The screen suddenly flickered.
The video changed.
Ella disappeared.
A new message appeared.
Thomas’s voice became urgent.
“We’re out of time.””
Charles stepped forward.
“What happened to Ella?””
Thomas looked at the camera.
“She was never my hostage.””
Everyone froze.
“What?””
Thomas continued.
“She was taken by the person who has been controlling all of us.””
Charles’s blood ran cold.
“Who?””
Thomas looked toward the camera.
Then the screen showed a live feed.
Another room.
Another person.
Holding Ella.
Charles stopped breathing.
Because the person standing behind the child was not Richard.
Not Thomas.
Not Edward.
Not Victoria.
It was someone Charles trusted more than anyone.
Someone who had been helping him search for Amelia for twenty years.
Someone who had access to every secret.
Thomas whispered:
“The person who destroyed your family…”
The camera moved closer.
Revealing the face.
“…has been sitting beside you the entire time.””
Charles stared.
May you like
Because the person holding Ella was—
Marcus.
