Chapter 6: The Man Who Never Stopped Looking for Me
I didn't answer the unknown number immediately.
I stood beneath the hotel entrance lights, holding my stolen white wings in one hand and my phone in the other.
My uncle was alive.
And he had been looking for me.
I typed carefully.
*Me: Where can I meet you?*
The reply came almost instantly.
*Daniel: Tomorrow. 10 a.m. The old greenhouse at the botanical gardens. Come alone if possible.*
I hesitated.
*Me: Why didn't you contact me before?*
This time, the response took longer.
*Daniel: Because someone made sure I believed you were better off without me.*
I stared at the message.
Then my father called.
I answered.
“Maya, where are you?””
“Outside.””
“Wait for me. We need to talk.””
I looked through the glass doors.
Vanessa was speaking urgently to Brielle.
“I'm going home.””
“Don't go anywhere alone,” Dad said.
“I'll come get you.””
I almost asked him why I should trust him.
Instead, I said, “Fine.””
Ten minutes later, Richard appeared in the hotel driveway.
He looked older than he had that morning.
His tie was loose, and his hair was disheveled.
He opened the passenger door.
“Get in.””
I climbed into the car.
For several minutes, neither of us spoke.
The city lights passed across the windows.
Finally, he said, “Your mother loved Daniel very much.””
“Then why did you tell me he was dead?””
Richard gripped the steering wheel.
“Because Vanessa said he had abandoned us.””
“Did you believe her?””
“I didn't know what to believe.””
“You were my father.””
He flinched.
“I know.””
I looked down at the white wings in my lap.
“Did Mom leave them for me?””
“She left you many things.””
“Where are they?””
He didn't answer.
I turned toward him.
“Dad, where are my mother's things?””
“Some are in storage. Some were sold.””
“By Vanessa?””
He sighed.
“Mostly.””
I felt my throat tighten.
“Why didn't you stop her?””
He pulled the car to the side of the road.
For the first time that evening, he looked directly at me.
“Because I was afraid.””
“Of what?””
“Losing another family.””
I stared at him.
“You already lost Mom.””
His eyes filled.
“I know.””
“And instead of protecting what she left behind, you let Vanessa take it.””
Richard lowered his head.
“I thought I was doing what was best.””
I opened the car door.
“Maya, wait.””
I stepped onto the sidewalk.
He followed.
“I'll fix this.””
I turned.
“You've said that before.””
He looked as if I had slapped him.
Then I walked away.
I took a cab to the house.
Vanessa's car was already parked outside.
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, I could hear her voice coming from the kitchen.
“I'm telling you, the girl knows too much.””
I stopped.
A man's voice answered through the speakerphone.
“Then you should have dealt with the problem earlier.””
Vanessa lowered her voice.
“Richard is starting to ask questions.””
“Then make sure he remembers what happens if he talks.””
I stepped backward.
My shoe brushed against the edge of the hallway rug.
The conversation stopped.
“Who's there?”” Vanessa called.
I hurried upstairs.
My bedroom door clicked shut just as she entered the hallway.
I stood behind it, holding my breath.
Her heels approached.
Then stopped outside my room.
“Maya?””
I didn't answer.
The doorknob turned.
Locked.
“Open the door.””
I remained silent.
Vanessa knocked twice.
“Your father and I need to discuss some things with you.””
I moved toward my desk.
My phone was still recording the last few seconds of the conversation. I had accidentally activated the voice recorder while checking Daniel's messages.
I saved the file.
Then I opened the message thread.
*Me: I can meet you tomorrow. But I think Vanessa knows you're contacting me.*
Daniel replied:
*Daniel: Then we have less time than I thought.*
A few seconds later, another message appeared.
*Daniel: Listen carefully. Your mother left a second collection. Not the one in the trust documents. The private collection she never showed anyone.*
My heart began racing.
*Me: Where is it?*
*Daniel: In the place where she made her first wings.*
I knew immediately.
The old house.
The little cottage where my mother had lived before she married my father.
It had been sold years ago.
I typed again.
*Me: Why didn't you tell me before?*
Daniel's reply was short.
*Daniel: Because your mother made me promise not to reveal it until you were old enough to understand what was inside.*
I sat on the edge of my bed.
“What could be inside?”” I whispered.
My phone rang.
Daniel.
I answered quietly.
“Maya?””
His voice was older than I remembered, but unmistakably familiar.
“Uncle Daniel?””
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he exhaled shakily.
“Oh, sweetheart.””
My eyes filled.
“I thought you were dead.””
“I know.””
“Why did everyone tell me that?””
“Because someone wanted you to forget I existed.””
“Who?””
Daniel paused.
Then he asked a question.
“Have you ever heard of a woman named Margaret Collins?””
I frowned.
“No.””
“She was your mother's closest friend. She helped create the trust. And she was the person who witnessed your father's signature on the transfer documents.””
I remembered Olivia Collins.
“Is she related to the lawyer who came tonight?””
“No. Different family. Different woman.””
“Why does that matter?””
“Because Margaret disappeared six months after Eleanor died.””
I sat up straighter.
“What happened to her?””
“I don't know. But before she disappeared, she sent me a package.””
“What was in it?””
“An original copy of the trust, photographs, and a letter from your mother.””
“Where is it now?””
“Hidden.””
“Where?””
Daniel's voice dropped.
“In the old cottage.””
I looked toward my bedroom door.
Vanessa was still outside.
I could hear her speaking quietly on the phone.
Daniel continued.
“Maya, there's something your mother discovered before she died. Something involving the company Vanessa now owns.””
I swallowed.
“What did Mom discover?””
“She found out that the collection wasn't the only thing being taken from her.””
A chill ran through me.
“What else?””
Daniel went silent.
Then he said, “Your mother discovered that someone had been using her name to register designs she never created.””
I looked at the black wings hanging beside my mirror.
The silver stitching caught the light.
“Who?””
Daniel answered slowly.
“Your stepmother.””
A sharp knock sounded on my bedroom door.
“Maya! Open this door!””
I froze.
Daniel heard it.
“Is that Vanessa?””
“Yes.””
“Listen to me. Don't tell her we're speaking. And don't go looking for the cottage alone.””
“Why?””
“Because I received a photograph of it this morning.””
My stomach tightened.
“What photograph?””
“The cottage was supposed to be empty.””
Another knock shook the door.
Daniel's voice became urgent.
“But someone has been inside.””
I stepped away from the door.
“Who?””
Daniel took a breath.
Then he said the words that made my blood run cold.
“Someone left a message on the front window.””
“What message?””
“YOUR MOTHER'S DAUGHTER IS NEXT.””
The call suddenly disconnected.
I stared at my phone.
Then I heard Vanessa's voice outside my room.
“Richard, get the spare key.””
My father answered from the hallway.
“Why?””
Vanessa paused.
Then she said something I would never forget.
“Because Maya has something that belongs to me.””
I looked at my mother's letter on the desk.
And for the first time, I understood.
May you like
Vanessa wasn't simply trying to steal my mother's wings.
She was trying to make sure I never discovered what my mother had left behind.
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