Chapter 5: The Woman Who Knew Too Much
The darkness lasted only a few seconds.
But those seconds were enough.
I heard a metal cabinet crash.
Someone cursed.
Then footsteps thundered toward the corridor.
"Don't move!"" Rebecca shouted.
A phone flashlight flickered on.
Arthur was standing beside the filing cabinet.
Camila was on the floor.
The silver flash drive was gone.
And Alejandro was nowhere to be seen.
"Where is he?"" I shouted.
Rebecca pointed toward the emergency exit.
"He went that way!""
Arthur started running.
I followed him.
We reached the parking lot just as a black SUV sped through the exit gate.
Its tires sprayed water across the pavement.
Alejandro was driving.
I stood beneath the rain, watching the vehicle disappear.
For eleven months, I had watched that man leave our house.
For three days, I had watched him celebrate our divorce.
Now he was running from evidence that could destroy him.
And somehow, I knew he would never stop until he had recovered whatever Grace had left behind.
Arthur returned, breathing heavily.
"Did you see the license plate?""
Rebecca nodded.
"I got most of it.""
Then she turned toward Camila.
"Where's the flash drive?""
Camila slowly stood.
"I don't have it.""
"Don't lie.""
"I'm not!""
Arthur approached her.
"Then who took it?""
Camila looked toward the emergency exit.
"I don't know. Someone came through the back.""
Rebecca narrowed her eyes.
"Someone you were expecting?""
Camila shook her head.
"I swear.""
I looked at her.
"Why should I believe you?""
She met my eyes.
"Because if I wanted Alejandro to win, I wouldn't have told you about your father.""
I wanted to hate her.
It would have been easier.
But there was something different about her now. The confident woman who had laughed at me in the restaurant had disappeared.
In her place stood someone terrified of the man she had chosen.
Arthur called the police again.
We waited beneath the awning while rain hammered the pavement.
After a few minutes, Camila spoke.
"Grace wasn't supposed to die.""
Arthur turned sharply.
"What did you say?""
Camila swallowed.
"She called me the night before the accident. She said she had found something in Alejandro's computer.""
"What?""
"A recording.""
Arthur stepped closer.
"Of what?""
"Your father.""
I felt my heart pound.
"Daniel?""
Camila nodded.
"Grace said he had proof that Alejandro's father had arranged the disappearance years earlier. She believed the same people were now trying to silence Daniel.""
Arthur shook his head.
"Why didn't you tell me?""
"Because Alejandro threatened me.""
"What did he threaten?""
Camila looked down.
"He showed me photographs of my younger brother leaving his apartment. He said if I talked, my brother would lose his job. Then he said something worse.""
I waited.
"He told me Grace's death wasn't an accident.""
Arthur's face drained of color.
"What exactly did he say?""
Camila wiped her eyes.
"He said, 'People who interfere with family business tend to disappear.''"
Nobody spoke.
A police vehicle pulled into the parking lot.
Two officers approached us.
Rebecca explained what had happened and showed them the photographs.
Camila was taken aside for questioning.
Before they separated us, she grabbed my hand.
"Valeria.""
I looked at her.
"Please don't trust Arthur completely.""
I frowned.
"What?""
She glanced at him.
"He knows more than he's telling you.""
Arthur heard her.
"That's enough.""
Camila released my hand.
But her warning stayed with me.
An hour later, Rebecca took us to her office.
It was a quiet building overlooking a busy avenue. The walls were lined with filing cabinets, and a large digital screen displayed transaction records.
Arthur sat at the conference table.
I stood by the window.
I couldn't stop thinking about the recording.
My father had proof.
Proof of what?
And why had Grace trusted Camila with it?
Rebecca placed three cups of coffee on the table.
"We managed to recover part of the storage facility's security footage.""
She turned on the screen.
The footage showed a figure entering unit 214 shortly before the lights went out.
The person wore a dark jacket and a baseball cap.
They walked directly to the filing cabinet.
Then they removed a small black box.
"What's that?"" I asked.
Rebecca enlarged the image.
"A portable recorder.""
Arthur leaned forward.
"Grace's recorder?""
"Possibly.""
I stared at the screen.
The figure turned toward the camera.
For one brief moment, their face became visible.
I recognized him immediately.
It was Daniel Bennett.
My father.
I grabbed the edge of the table.
"That's him.""
Arthur looked stunned.
"Daniel?""
Rebecca paused the footage.
"Do you know where he is?""
Arthur shook his head.
"Not since twenty years ago.""
I looked at the screen.
My father had been alive.
He had been in the storage unit.
And he had taken the recording.
"Why would he steal evidence that could clear my name?""
Arthur didn't answer.
Rebecca opened another file.
"There's something else. The flash drive Camila mentioned was registered to a device belonging to Grace.""
She typed a command.
A list of recovered files appeared.
Most were encrypted.
But one filename was readable.
*VALERIA_FINAL_MESSAGE.mp4*
My breath caught.
"Play it.""
Rebecca clicked.
The screen flickered.
Then Grace appeared.
She was sitting in what looked like a hotel room. Her hair was tied back, and her eyes were red.
She looked exhausted.
But she was speaking directly to the camera.
"Arthur, if you're watching this, it means I didn't get the chance to tell you everything.""
Arthur covered his mouth.
Grace continued.
"I found the original company ledger. Alejandro has been moving money through three shell companies. But the money isn't the biggest problem.""
She glanced toward the door.
"The real problem is Daniel.""
I stopped breathing.
Grace leaned closer to the camera.
"Daniel isn't just Valeria's father. He's the person who signed the original agreement that gave Alejandro access to the land trust.""
Arthur frowned.
"That can't be right.""
Grace continued.
"He claims he did it to protect Valeria. But I found another document. The land was never supposed to be hers alone.""
I felt cold.
"Who else owns it?"" I whispered.
The video continued.
"There's a second beneficiary. Someone whose identity was hidden when the trust was created.""
Grace looked directly into the camera.
"Valeria, if you're watching this, I need you to understand something.""
My hands trembled.
"Your grandmother didn't leave you that land because she wanted you to become rich.""
Grace paused.
"She left it because she knew what your father would do when he came back.""
The video suddenly distorted.
Then the screen went black.
Rebecca tried to restart it.
Nothing.
"That's all we recovered," she said.
I turned toward Arthur.
"What does she mean, a second beneficiary?""
Arthur looked genuinely confused.
"I don't know.""
"You're telling me you built this company with my grandfather, and you don't know who owns part of the land?""
"Your grandfather handled the trust personally.""
"Then where are the documents?""
Arthur stood.
"In the original company archive.""
Rebecca shook her head.
"That archive was sealed after Grace's death.""
"By whom?""
She checked the records.
"By the company's legal department.""
Arthur frowned.
"Who was the legal director?""
Rebecca hesitated.
Then she answered.
"Richard Bennett.""
Arthur's brother.
He slowly sat down.
"My brother died twelve years ago.""
Rebecca turned the screen toward him.
"According to the company's records, his office accessed the archive yesterday.""
Silence filled the room.
Arthur stared at the timestamp.
"That's impossible.""
"Apparently not.""
I walked back to the table.
"Who has access to his credentials?""
Arthur looked at me.
"Only one person.""
"Who?""
He didn't answer immediately.
Then he spoke.
"My nephew. Sebastian Bennett.""
We drove to Arthur's private residence that evening.
It was a large property surrounded by tall trees and iron gates.
The house was beautiful, but it felt strangely empty.
A housekeeper opened the door.
"Mr. Bennett, your nephew is waiting in the study.""
Arthur frowned.
"Sebastian is here?""
"Yes, sir. He arrived about twenty minutes ago.""
Arthur exchanged a glance with Rebecca.
Then we entered.
A man in his early thirties stood beside the fireplace.
He wore an expensive navy suit and held a glass of whiskey.
His face was familiar.
I had seen him in Grace's old photographs.
Sebastian Bennett.
Arthur's nephew.
He smiled when he saw us.
"Uncle. I was beginning to think you had forgotten about your own family.""
Arthur didn't smile.
"What are you doing here?""
Sebastian looked at me.
"Ah. Valeria.""
I stiffened.
"Do I know you?""
He took a slow sip of his drink.
"Not personally. But I know quite a lot about you.""
Arthur stepped forward.
"Stay away from her.""
Sebastian laughed.
"Still protecting strangers, Uncle?""
Then he placed a document on the desk.
"I came to discuss the land trust.""
I looked at the paper.
It carried the same company name.
The same reference number.
But there was something else.
A second beneficiary's name.
I leaned closer.
And felt my knees weaken.
The name wasn't Daniel Bennett.
It wasn't Arthur.
It wasn't Alejandro.
It was Grace Bennett.
The woman who had died.
Sebastian smiled.
"Surprised?""
I looked at him.
"Grace was dead before this document was signed.""
"Exactly.""
He placed his glass down.
"Which means someone has been using her identity.""
Arthur grabbed the document.
"Who authorized this?""
Sebastian's smile disappeared.
Then he looked directly at me.
"Your father.""
May you like
And just before Arthur could respond, Sebastian added:
"But the most interesting part is that Daniel didn't act alone.""
