Chapter 6: The Secret Inside the Safe
Elena returned the next morning.
She brought a small metal box.
Rust covered the outside.
The lock was broken.
But inside were handwritten notes, photographs, and documents.
My father’s handwriting was everywhere.
Seeing it almost stopped me.
There were moments when grief hit unexpectedly.
Not at funerals.
Not at anniversaries.
Sometimes it happened when you saw someone’s handwriting on a piece of paper.
A reminder that they had once held a pen.
That they had once sat somewhere breathing.
That they had once been here.
I carefully opened the first page.
My father wrote:
*Someone inside my company is feeding information to Victor Laurent.*
My hands tightened.
The next pages were worse.
Dates.
Meetings.
Names.
Payments.
My father had been building a case quietly.
He suspected someone close.
Someone with access.
Someone trusted.
Rebecca read beside me.
“This changes everything.””
“How?””
“Because Victor didn’t need to destroy your father from the outside.””
She pointed at the pages.
“He had help.””
I looked at Elena.
“Your father knew this?””
She nodded.
“He was trying to prove it.””
I flipped through more pages.
Then I found something that made me stop.
A photograph.
My father.
Victor Laurent.
And another person standing between them.
I recognized him immediately.
My hands went cold.
“No.””
Rebecca looked at me.
“What?””
I handed her the picture.
She froze.
“Marcus?””
My uncle.
My father’s younger brother.
My family.
The man who stood beside me at my engagement party.
The man who comforted me after my father died.
The man who helped run King Holdings.
I couldn’t speak.
“No,” I repeated.
Rebecca studied the photo.
“Damon, we don’t know what this means.””
“It means he was with Victor.””
“It means they were in the same room.””
I looked at her.
“You know my uncle.””
“Yes.””
“He loved my father.””
Rebecca didn’t answer.
Because love and betrayal had never been strangers.
Sometimes the people closest to you were the ones who knew exactly where to hurt you.
I left the office and walked outside.
I needed air.
I needed space.
I found Major near the shelter entrance.
He looked at me.
Animals always knew when something was wrong.
“You know what the worst part is?”” I said quietly.
Major tilted his head.
“I spent years thinking losing my father was the hardest thing I’d ever experience.””
I sat beside him.
“But finding out he might have been betrayed by family?””
My voice lowered.
“That’s different.””
Major placed his head on my knee.
And somehow that small gesture kept me from breaking.
That evening, I confronted Marcus.
I didn’t call first.
I didn’t warn him.
I went straight to his office.
He looked surprised when I entered.
“Damon.””
I closed the door.
“We need to talk.””
He smiled.
“About what?””
I placed the photograph on his desk.
The smile disappeared.
For several seconds, neither of us moved.
Then Marcus leaned back.
“Where did you get that?””
“Answer my question.””
He looked at the picture again.
“You think I betrayed your father?””
“I asked you a question.””
His eyes became tired.
“Damon.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“You don’t get to say my name like everything is normal.””
Silence.
Then Marcus sighed.
“You don’t understand what happened.””
“Then explain.””
He looked away.
“That picture was taken years ago.””
“With Victor.””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
His jaw tightened.
“Because your father asked me to meet him.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Your father knew I was suspicious of Victor.””
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
“Because your father told me not to.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
Marcus looked at me.
“Because he believed someone was listening.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Someone?””
Marcus nodded.
“Your father didn’t know who he could trust.””
The room went silent.
Even Marcus.
Even me.
Because suddenly the picture meant something different.
Maybe it wasn’t proof of betrayal.
Maybe it was proof of a secret meeting.
But one question remained.
Why had my father hidden this from me?
And why had someone gone so far to destroy the evidence?
Before I left, Marcus grabbed my arm.
“Damon.””
I looked at him.
“Your father loved you more than anything.””
I pulled away.
“Then he should have trusted me.””
Marcus looked down.
“No.””
His voice was quiet.
“He was afraid if you knew the truth, you would become exactly what you’re becoming now.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“A man willing to burn everything down to find justice.””
I walked out.
But his words followed me.
Because maybe my father wasn’t only fighting an enemy.
Maybe he was fighting a cycle.
And now I had to decide something.
Was I going to let betrayal turn me into someone consumed by revenge?
Or was I going to finish what my father started without losing myself along the way?
Behind me, Major barked once.
I turned.
The old dog stood at the shelter entrance.
Waiting.
Like he had been waiting all along.
May you like
Not just for my father.
For me.
