Chapter 11: The Dead Man at the Penthouse
I asked Vanessa to lock herself inside the apartment.
"Don't open the door for anyone," I told her.
"I'm scared, Emily.""
"I know. Just stay inside.""
"Daniel told me his father died eight years ago.""
I looked at Mr. Collins.
He had heard every word.
"Did Victor say why he wanted to see you?""
"He said he wanted to discuss the baby.""
My stomach tightened.
"Did he threaten you?""
"No. But he knew things about my pregnancy. Things I hadn't told Daniel.""
I closed my eyes.
"Call the police. We're coming.""
When we arrived at the penthouse, two uniformed officers were already standing outside.
Vanessa opened the door only after recognizing my voice.
She looked terrible.
Her makeup was smudged, her hair was loose, and her hands trembled as she held a glass of water.
"He's gone," she said.
"Where?""
"I don't know. He left before the officers arrived.""
I stepped inside.
The apartment was exactly as I remembered.
The enormous windows overlooked the city. White marble floors reflected the afternoon light. Expensive paintings covered the walls.
My furniture.
My grandmother's antique clock.
The velvet sofa I had chosen before Daniel decided I no longer belonged in my own home.
I stopped beside the fireplace.
A photograph of Daniel and Vanessa stood on the mantel.
They were smiling at a beach resort.
Behind them was a framed picture of their ultrasound.
I looked away.
"Did Victor leave anything?"" I asked.
Vanessa nodded.
She led me toward the kitchen.
On the counter sat a brown envelope.
My name was written across it.
I frowned.
"Why would he leave something for me?""
"I don't know. He told me to make sure you received it.""
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed my father standing outside a restaurant with Victor Harrington.
The date was printed beneath the image.
The evening before his death.
On the back was a handwritten message.
Your father knew what happened to the money. He also knew who was responsible.
I turned the photograph over again.
There was a second paper folded inside.
A bank statement.
It showed a transfer of $2 million from the family trust into an account registered under the name of Catherine Bennett.
The date was three months after my father died.
I looked at Vanessa.
"Did Victor explain this?""
She shook her head.
"He said your mother had stolen the money.""
I stared at the statement.
"That's impossible.""
Vanessa looked uncertain.
"Why?""
"Because the account number belongs to a trust beneficiary account. It wasn't a personal account.""
Mr. Collins examined the document.
"Emily, we need the original statement. This may be useful.""
Vanessa nodded.
"There's something else.""
She opened a drawer and removed Daniel's old laptop.
"I found it in the bedroom after he was arrested.""
She placed it on the table.
"I think he forgot to clear something.""
Mr. Collins instructed her not to access anything further until the investigators arrived.
But then Vanessa opened a folder she had already photographed.
Inside were several scanned documents.
One was titled:
*PROJECT CATHERINE.*
Another was titled:
*EMILY — FINAL CONTINGENCY.*
I stared at the second file.
My name.
Again.
The document contained a series of notes.
If Emily regains control of the company, initiate transfer of remaining intellectual property.
If she contacts Catherine, prevent direct communication.
If necessary, use the medical assessment to challenge her legal capacity.
At the bottom was a sentence that made my blood run cold.
The accident was intended to create an opportunity, not a fatal outcome.
I read it again.
The accident.
My accident.
Daniel had planned to use my injuries to take control of my company.
I felt Vanessa watching me.
"Emily?""
I couldn't speak.
Mr. Collins photographed the screen.
"This is important evidence. We need to preserve the device.""
Vanessa sat down.
"Was Daniel trying to kill you?""
I looked at the document.
"I don't know.""
But I did know one thing.
He had been willing to risk my life for money.
And that was enough.
Two hours later, the police confirmed that Victor Harrington had been seen leaving the building in a dark sedan.
His fingerprints were on the envelope.
The investigation into his supposed death was reopened.
Mr. Collins arranged for additional security around the penthouse and contacted the attorney responsible for my father's trust.
Before leaving, Vanessa stopped me near the elevator.
"Emily?""
I turned.
She looked down at her stomach.
"I know you have every reason to hate me.""
I didn't answer.
"I didn't know he was still married to you. I didn't know he had stolen your company. I didn't know what happened to your father.""
She wiped her cheeks.
"But I knew he was lying about something. I just didn't want to look closely enough to find out.""
I studied her.
"Why are you telling me this?""
"Because I need you to understand something.""
She took a breath.
"Daniel isn't the only person who can hurt me now. My baby is going to grow up with his name. And I don't know what kind of man his father really is.""
For a moment, I saw myself in her.
The younger woman who had believed love could fix dishonesty.
The woman who had mistaken expensive gifts for devotion.
I touched her arm.
"Then don't make the mistake I made.""
She looked up.
"Which one?""
"Don't spend your life trying to convince someone to become the person they promised they were.""
Vanessa began crying.
I stepped into the elevator.
As the doors closed, my phone vibrated.
An email from the law firm listed in my father's letter.
The subject line read:
*URGENT — VERIFICATION OF THE BENNETT FAMILY TRUST.*
I opened it.
The attorney, Margaret Ellis, confirmed that the original trust certificate had been located.
She also confirmed that my mother, Catherine Bennett, was the current custodian of the original document.
But there was an additional attachment.
A scanned letter dated three days before my father's death.
It was addressed to my mother.
I opened it.
Cat,
I have made arrangements for Emily. The trust is safe, but the company is not.
Victor has found a way to access the accounts through Thomas. Daniel is helping him.
If they come after me, you must disappear.
There is something else you need to know.
Emily's birth certificate does not tell the complete story.
I stopped breathing.
My birth certificate?
I read the final paragraph.
I am not asking you to forgive me for keeping this secret. I am asking you to protect our daughter until she is old enough to understand why.
I stared at the screen.
Then I noticed the signature.
It wasn't my father's.
It was my mother's.
But the date was three days before his death.
And the final line read:
Emily must never discover that Victor Harrington is her biological father.
I felt the phone slip in my hand.
The elevator doors opened.
Mr. Collins was standing outside.
He saw my expression.
"What's wrong?""
I handed him the phone.
He read the letter.
Then slowly raised his eyes.
"Emily...""
I shook my head.
"No.""
But the truth was already written in front of us.
Daniel hadn't simply married the daughter of a woman his father once knew.
He had married the daughter of the man who had destroyed his family.
And if that letter was genuine, my entire identity had been built around a secret nobody had dared to tell me.
At 11:43 that night, Margaret Ellis called.
Her voice was unusually tense.
"Emily, I have just spoken with Catherine.""
I sat upright.
"Is she safe?""
"Yes. But she wants to see you immediately.""
"Where?""
"Portland.""
I looked at the letter again.
"Does she know about Victor?""
"She knows everything.""
I swallowed.
"Then ask her one question for me.""
"Which question?""
I stared at the city lights beyond the window.
"Ask her whether Victor Harrington is really my father.""
Margaret went quiet.
Then she answered:
"Your mother says there's something much worse you need to know.""
"What?""
"Victor has been searching for you because he believes you inherited something that belongs to his family.""
I closed my eyes.
"What did I inherit?""
May you like
Margaret's answer came softly.
"Not just money, Emily. A controlling interest in a company worth more than half a billion dollars.""
