Chapter 7: The Woman Behind the Voice
My mother’s voice.
Coming from my father’s phone.
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Nobody moved.
Even Selena looked confused.
The room that had already been filled with impossible truths suddenly contained one more.
A truth I couldn’t understand.
My father was alive.
My mother was somehow connected to him.
And the two people I spent my entire life believing had been separated by tragedy were apparently still communicating.
I looked at my mother.
She looked terrified.
Not surprised.
Terrified.
“Mom.””
She didn’t answer.
“Why is your voice on his phone?””
Her lips parted.
Nothing came out.
That was the moment something inside me broke.
Not because she had secrets.
I could understand secrets.
People hid things because they were scared.
Because they wanted to protect someone.
Because they made mistakes.
But this?
This was my whole life.
My mother had known my father was alive.
She had seen him.
She had spoken to him.
And every day for twelve years, she watched me believe I had lost him forever.
“Tell me the truth.””
My voice was quiet.
But everyone heard it.
“Now.””
My mother slowly sat down.
The strength disappeared from her face.
“I spoke to your father three years ago.””
I closed my eyes.
Three years.
Three years of birthdays.
Three years of holidays.
Three years of me visiting her, thinking we were both carrying the same loss.
And she had been carrying a completely different reality.
“Why?””
She looked at me.
“Because he needed my help.””
“With what?””
She hesitated.
“With surviving.””
I stared at her.
“Surviving?””
“Yes.””
“Dad was hiding?””
She nodded.
“From people who wanted him gone.””
I pointed toward Selena.
“Like her father?””
Selena shook her head.
“You still don’t understand.””
I ignored her.
I looked at my mother.
“Then explain everything.””
My mother took a deep breath.
“After the accident…”
“Don’t call it that.””
She stopped.
I swallowed.
“After he disappeared.””
She nodded.
“After Thomas disappeared, I spent months trying to find answers. I knew the official story didn’t make sense.””
She looked at Marcus.
“Marcus helped me.””
Marcus looked away.
“I tracked every person connected to the company. Every account. Every suspicious transaction.””
“And?””
My mother’s voice became softer.
“We found out your father had discovered a hidden network.””
“A network?””
“People inside major companies. Investors. Executives. Even government contractors.””
My eyebrows tightened.
“Doing what?””
“Controlling businesses from the inside.””
Selena crossed her arms.
“And your father wanted to expose them.””
I looked at her.
“Why do you know?””
Her expression changed.
“Because my father was one of them.””
The confession stunned everyone.
Marcus looked at her.
“You knew?””
Selena laughed.
“You think I joined this because I wanted money?””
Nobody answered.
She looked at me.
“My father spent years destroying people who got in his way. When I found out what he had done to Thomas Vale, I wanted proof.””
“You wanted revenge.””
“Yes.””
Her honesty surprised me.
She didn’t try to pretend she was innocent.
She had hurt my mother.
She had threatened my family.
But behind all of that was something else.
A person chasing a truth.
A dangerous person.
But not the person I thought she was.
My mother continued.
“Three years ago, Thomas contacted me.””
“Why?””
“Because he found out someone had discovered he was alive.””
“Who?””
She looked at Selena.
“Victor Hart.””
Selena’s face changed.
“My father?””
“Yes.””
Selena took a step back.
“That’s impossible.””
My mother shook her head.
“Victor knew Thomas survived.””
“Then why didn’t he kill him?””
Nobody answered.
Because we all knew.
The answer was worse.
“He wanted something.””
Marcus nodded.
“The account.””
I looked between them.
“What is in this account?””
Marcus took a slow breath.
“Proof.””
“Proof of what?””
“Everything.””
He walked toward the table.
“Payments. Names. Conversations. Plans.””
He looked at me.
“Your father spent years collecting evidence.””
“And he disappeared before releasing it.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Marcus’s face hardened.
“Because he found out someone close to him was involved.””
I looked at my mother.
But she shook her head immediately.
“No.””
Marcus continued.
“He didn’t know who.””
My anger shifted.
“Then why did everyone keep accusing my mother?””
“Because someone wanted you to.””
Selena stepped forward.
“Exactly.””
She looked at me.
“The easiest way to destroy a family is to make them distrust each other.””
I looked at her.
“And you helped.””
Her eyes lowered.
“Yes.””
The admission was quiet.
For some reason, that honesty hurt more than another lie.
“You came into my life because of my father.””
She nodded.
“At first.””
“At first?””
She looked away.
“Then I started seeing who you really were.””
I almost laughed.
“You expect me to believe that?””
“No.””
She looked directly at me.
“I don’t expect forgiveness.””
The room became silent.
For the first time since this nightmare began, Selena didn’t look like a villain.
She looked like someone who knew she had crossed a line.
Then my phone buzzed.
Everyone looked at it.
Another unknown message.
I opened it.
*You are looking in the wrong direction.*
A second message arrived.
*Your mother didn’t betray your father. She saved him.*
I looked up.
My mother’s face changed.
“How did they know?””
Before anyone answered, another message appeared.
A photograph.
I opened it.
My stomach dropped.
It showed my mother three years ago.
Standing outside a hospital.
Beside my father.
But this time, there was someone else in the picture.
Someone standing behind them.
Someone watching.
Someone I recognized.
I slowly turned the phone around.
Nobody spoke.
Marcus looked at the picture.
Then his face went pale.
“No.””
I stared at him.
“You know him?””
Marcus didn’t answer.
“Who is he?””
My mother covered her mouth.
Because she recognized him too.
Selena stepped closer.
“Who?””
Marcus whispered:
“That’s impossible.””
I looked at the photograph again.
The man was older.
His hair was gray.
But the face was clear.
A face I had seen in my company’s board meetings.
A face that had been beside me during every major decision.
The man who had advised me after my father disappeared.
The man who helped me rebuild the empire.
My father’s closest friend.
Daniel Cross.
The man everyone believed had vanished the same night as my father.
Except he hadn’t vanished.
He had been right beside us.
For twelve years.
My phone rang.
This time, there was no hidden number.
No unknown caller.
The name appeared clearly on the screen.
Daniel Cross.
Everyone stared.
Nobody breathed.
I answered.
“Daniel?””
Silence.
Then a calm voice replied.
“Adrian.””
My hand tightened around the phone.
“Where are you?””
A pause.
Then:
“Somewhere your father can’t reach me.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?””
The voice lowered.
“It means you finally know enough to become a target.””
I looked at my mother.
“What did you do to my father?””
Another pause.
Then Daniel said something that froze my blood.
“Your father is not hiding from me.””
I waited.
“He’s hiding from you.””
The call ended.
I stood there, unable to move.
Then my phone received one final message.
A video file.
No title.
No explanation.
I pressed play.
The screen showed a room.
A dark room.
A chair.
A man sitting in it.
My father.
Alive.
But not alone.
Behind him stood someone holding a gun.
And when the camera moved closer, I saw the person’s face.
The person controlling everything.
The person my father had trusted more than anyone.
The person my mother had protected.
The person I had called family my entire life.
The video froze on their face.
May you like
And I whispered the name.
“Marcus.””
