Chapter 7: The Secret About Noah
The man’s words stayed in the air.
You were the last one he had to protect.
I looked at my father.
He didn’t look angry.
He looked defeated.
Like a person who had spent years running from something and finally realized there was nowhere left to hide.
My mother stepped in front of me.
“Who are you?””
The man smiled.
“My name is Victor.””
Daniel’s face changed the moment he heard the name.
“No.””
Victor looked at him.
“Still alive, Daniel?””
The room became silent.
Maya looked between them.
“You know him.””
Daniel didn’t answer.
That was enough.
My father moved closer.
“Victor, this ends now.””
Victor laughed softly.
“Does it?””
He looked around the room.
“After all these years?””
Then his eyes moved toward the dining table.
Toward the place where Amir had first stood outside the glass.
“Interesting.””
He smiled.
“Lena’s son is here.””
Amir stepped backward.
My mother immediately noticed.
She moved beside him.
“You don’t go near him.””
Victor raised his hands.
“Relax.””
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
“I’m not here for the children.””
Daniel stared at him.
“Then why are you here?””
Victor looked at the flash drive in Daniel’s hand.
“You know why.””
Everyone followed his eyes.
The evidence.
The thing everyone had been fighting over.
Victor smiled.
“Give it to me.””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
Victor sighed.
“You always were stubborn.””
My father stepped forward.
“This is my house.””
Victor looked at him.
“And you’re still pretending you’re in control.””
The words hurt because they were true.
My father had always been the strongest person I knew.
But that night, he looked small.
Like Victor knew a version of him that none of us had ever seen.
My mother looked at Marcus.
“What is he talking about?””
My father didn’t answer.
“Marcus.””
He looked at her.
“I was trying to fix it.””
Her expression changed.
“Fix what?””
Victor smiled.
“Tell her.””
My father looked away.
“Tell her how you came to me.””
Victor laughed.
“Came to you?””
He shook his head.
“You came to me.””
The room froze.
My mother stared at Marcus.
“No.””
My father closed his eyes.
“I was desperate.””
“For what?””
He didn’t answer.
Victor did.
“For money.””
My mother looked like she had been slapped.
My father immediately said:
“It wasn’t like that.””
Victor walked slowly into the room.
“It was exactly like that.””
My father’s voice became louder.
“I made one mistake.””
“One?””
Victor smiled.
“You made several.””
I looked at my father.
A question formed in my mind.
One I didn’t want to ask.
“Dad?””
Everyone looked at me.
My voice shook.
“What did you do?””
My father looked at me.
And that was when I saw it.
Fear.
Not fear of Victor.
Fear of me knowing.
He walked toward me slowly.
“Noah…”
I stepped back.
“Did you do something bad?””
The room went completely silent.
My father opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Then my mother whispered:
“Answer him.””
Marcus looked at all of us.
Finally, he said:
“Yes.””
The word broke something inside me.
I had spent my whole life believing my father was someone who protected people.
Someone who solved problems.
Someone who always knew what to do.
But he was just a person.
And people could make terrible choices.
My mother looked devastated.
“What did you do?””
Marcus looked at Victor.
“I trusted the wrong person.””
Victor smiled.
“No.””
He shook his head.
“You used the wrong person.””
My father’s face tightened.
“I thought you could make the problem disappear.””
Maya looked confused.
“What problem?””
My father looked at her.
Then Amir.
Then me.
“The investigation.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“You were afraid Lena would expose everything.””
My father nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
Maya’s eyes filled with anger.
“So you went to him.””
Marcus looked down.
“I wanted him to scare her.””
Everyone froze.
My mother whispered:
“Scare her?””
Marcus nodded.
“I never wanted her hurt.””
Victor laughed.
A cold, empty laugh.
“You always say that.””
My father looked at him.
“Because it’s true.””
“No.””
Victor stepped closer.
“It’s because you need to believe it.””
Maya stared at Marcus.
“My mother died because of you.””
My father looked destroyed.
“I know.””
The answer surprised everyone.
He didn’t deny it.
He didn’t defend himself.
He just said:
“I know.””
Amir looked away.
I wondered if he was thinking the same thing I was.
How could someone be sorry and still cause so much pain?
Daniel looked at Victor.
“You knew about Noah.””
Victor smiled.
Finally.
“Of course.””
My mother immediately turned.
“What does Noah have to do with this?””
Victor looked at me.
“Everything.””
My heart started beating faster.
My father stepped in front of me.
“No.””
Victor’s smile disappeared.
“You don’t get to play hero now.””
My father looked at him.
“Leave him out of this.””
Victor laughed.
“You still don’t understand.””
He looked at me.
“Your son is the reason Lena kept fighting.””
My mother frowned.
“What?””
Victor continued.
“She found something.””
My father went still.
“No.””
“Yes.””
Victor looked at me.
“She found out your father had been hiding another truth.””
Daniel’s expression changed.
“What truth?””
Victor smiled.
“The truth about Noah’s birth.””
The room went silent.
I looked at my mother.
Then my father.
“What does that mean?””
Nobody answered.
That scared me more than anything.
My mother shook her head.
“No.””
Victor looked at her.
“You didn’t know either?””
My mother’s face changed.
“What are you talking about?””
Marcus whispered:
“Stop.””
Victor ignored him.
“Lena discovered that Noah wasn’t just a child connected to this family.””
My father’s voice became desperate.
“Victor.””
“She discovered Noah was the key.””
I looked at my father.
“Key to what?””
My father didn’t answer.
My mother turned toward him.
“Marcus.””
He looked broken.
“I was going to tell you.””
“When?””
He said nothing.
“When was the right time?””
Still nothing.
Victor stepped closer.
“Your husband built his empire on a lie.””
My mother looked at Marcus.
“What lie?””
My father finally spoke.
His voice barely above a whisper.
“When Noah was born…”
He stopped.
I waited.
Everyone waited.
“When Noah was born, there was a legal battle over the company.””
My mother looked confused.
“What does that have to do with him?””
My father looked at me.
“Because the ownership papers were transferred.””
“To who?””
My father swallowed.
“To Noah.””
My mother froze.
“What?””
Victor smiled.
“The company wasn’t legally yours.””
He looked at Marcus.
“It belonged to his son.””
I didn’t understand.
I was eight.
I didn’t know anything about companies.
But I understood one thing.
My father had hidden something about me.
My entire life.
My mother stepped closer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?””
My father looked at her.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
He looked at Victor.
“Of people finding out.””
Victor smiled.
“And now they have.””
Suddenly, Daniel’s phone buzzed.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“What?””
Maya asked.
Daniel didn’t answer.
He showed the message to my father.
My father read it.
Then he dropped the phone.
“What does it say?”” my mother asked.
Daniel looked at all of us.
“The original recording has been found.””
Everyone froze.
“Where?””
Daniel looked toward me.
And my stomach dropped.
“Inside this house.””
My father whispered:
“No.””
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
A pause.
Then he said:
“And whoever hid it…”
May you like
He looked at Victor.
“…wanted Noah to be the one who discovered it.””
