Chapter 7: The Brother My Father Could Not Trust
For two days, I avoided Marcus.
Not because I believed he was guilty.
That would have been easier.
The truth was much harder.
I didn’t know what to believe.
And uncertainty can be more painful than betrayal because betrayal has an ending.
Uncertainty keeps you awake.
It makes you replay conversations.
It makes you question every smile, every handshake, every moment you thought was real.
That was where I found myself.
Sitting in my father’s old office at midnight.
The same room where he used to sit behind his desk, drinking black coffee and reading reports while pretending he wasn’t tired.
I ran my fingers across the wooden desk.
Three years ago, I thought this room represented success.
Now it felt like a crime scene.
My father had hidden things here.
Not because he didn’t love us.
Because he was afraid.
That realization bothered me more than anything.
My father was the strongest man I ever knew.
But even he had reached a point where he couldn’t trust the people around him.
A knock interrupted my thoughts.
I looked up.
Jasmine stood at the door.
“You’re still awake.””
I smiled slightly.
“So are you.””
She walked inside.
“I brought food.””
“I’m not hungry.””
She placed the container on the desk.
“That’s what people say when they’re stressed.””
I looked at her.
“You always do that.””
“Do what?””
“Act like you know everything.””
She smiled.
“No.””
She sat down.
“I act like I’ve been watching you ignore your feelings for twenty years.””
That made me laugh.
A real laugh.
The first one I’d had in days.
Then her expression softened.
“Marcus?””
I looked away.
“How did you know?””
“Because when a man is angry at someone, he walks differently.””
I raised an eyebrow.
“Walks differently?””
“Yes.””
She nodded.
“You walk like you’re carrying a suitcase full of bricks.””
I shook my head.
“Only you would say something like that.””
“And only you would understand exactly what I mean.””
I was quiet.
Then I finally said the words I had been avoiding.
“I don’t know if my uncle betrayed my father.””
Jasmine didn’t immediately answer.
She thought about it.
That was another thing I respected about her.
She never rushed to fill silence.
Sometimes silence was where the truth lived.
“Do you believe he did?””
I looked at the photograph on my desk.
“No.””
The answer came quickly.
Too quickly.
“But I don’t know if that’s because I believe him or because I need him to be innocent.””
Jasmine nodded.
“That’s an honest answer.””
I looked at her.
“You’re not surprised?””
“No.””
“Why?””
“Because your father was complicated.””
I frowned.
“My father?””
“Yes.””
She leaned forward.
“Malcolm King was a good man. One of the best I’ve ever known.””
She paused.
“But good people can still make mistakes.””
I thought about that.
My entire life, I had placed my father on a pedestal.
Not as a man.
As a symbol.
A protector.
A legend.
But maybe legends weren’t people who never struggled.
Maybe they were people who struggled and still chose to do right.
The next morning, Rebecca called me with urgent news.
“We found something about Marcus.””
My heart dropped.
“What?””
“Not evidence against him.””
I relaxed slightly.
“Then what?””
“Evidence that your father trusted him.””
I sat up.
“Explain.””
“Your father created a secondary account for sensitive information.””
“Another one?””
“Yes.””
Rebecca paused.
“And Marcus was the only person with access.””
I closed my eyes.
“So Marcus was helping him.””
“Possibly.””
“Where is the account?””
“That’s the problem.””
“What problem?””
“It was emptied the day after your father died.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“By who?””
“We’re trying to find out.””
That afternoon, Marcus came to the estate.
I almost didn’t let him in.
But something told me I needed to hear him.
He stood in my father’s office looking older than I remembered.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like he had been carrying something heavy for years.
“You know,” he said quietly, “your father hated keeping secrets from you.””
I didn’t answer.
“He wanted to tell you everything.””
“Then why didn’t he?””
Marcus looked around the room.
“Because he was trying to keep you alive.””
I stared at him.
“You’re saying Victor would have hurt me?””
“I’m saying Victor had already hurt people.””
A silence followed.
“Tell me the truth.””
Marcus nodded.
“I’ll tell you what I know.””
He sat down.
“Your father discovered Victor was trying to gain control of King Holdings. But he also discovered someone inside our company was helping him.””
“Who?””
Marcus looked at me.
“He didn’t know.””
I believed him.
For the first time in days, I believed him.
“What happened the night my father died?””
Marcus looked down.
“That night, your father called me.””
My chest tightened.
“What did he say?””
“He told me to take care of you and Maya.””
I swallowed.
“Why?””
“Because he knew something was coming.””
Marcus’s eyes filled slightly.
“He said if anything happened to him, I had to protect the family.””
The room became quiet.
“He knew.””
Marcus nodded.
“He knew someone wanted him gone.””
I looked at the floor.
All this time, I thought my father’s death was a sudden tragedy.
But he had walked into that night knowing danger was near.
And still, he went.
Because that was who he was.
Marcus stood.
“There’s one more thing.””
“What?””
“Your father left something for you.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“He told me only to give it to you if you discovered the truth.””
My heart started racing.
“Where is it?””
Marcus reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a small envelope.
My father’s handwriting was on the front.
*For Damon.*
My hands shook.
I opened it.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
One sentence.
*The person who betrayed me is not the one you think. Look where the family began.*
I stared at the words.
“What does that mean?””
Marcus shook his head.
“I don’t know.””
But I did.
Or at least I had an idea.
The family began where everything started.
The old house.
The original King property.
The place where my grandfather built the first business.
The place nobody visited anymore.
May you like
Because if my father hid another secret there…
That was where we would find it.
