Chapter 13 - THE MAN WHO WAS SUPPOSED TO BE DEADThe screen went black.

For three seconds, nobody moved.

Nobody spoke.

Richard stood frozen in the underground control room, staring at his own reflection on the dark monitor.

The man on the screen.

The man who claimed to be Jonathan’s father.

The man who was supposed to have been dead for years.

Was alive.

And he knew everything.

Richard looked at Jonathan.

Jonathan looked like he had seen a ghost.

Because he had.

“My father…”

The words barely left his mouth.

Richard’s voice was cold.

“Your father is alive.”

Jonathan shook his head slowly.

“No.”

“He can’t be.”

Richard stepped closer.

“Then explain what we just saw.”

Jonathan had no answer.

For the first time since Richard had met him, Jonathan looked completely powerless.

Not angry.

Not confident.

Broken.

Eleanor stared at the empty screen.

Her face had lost all color.

“He was never supposed to return.”

Richard turned toward her.

“You knew.”

Eleanor didn’t answer.

Richard’s voice rose.

“You knew he was alive.”

“No.”

“Then why are you scared?”

Silence.

Richard walked closer.

“You knew this day would come.”

Eleanor looked down.

“Yes.”

Jonathan looked at her.

“You knew?”

Eleanor closed her eyes.

“I knew he was watching.”

Richard’s expression changed.

“Watching?”

She nodded slowly.

“Marcus never disappeared.”

“He went underground.”

“He controlled everything from a distance.”

Richard looked at the monitors around the room.

The cameras.

The files.

The surveillance.

The hidden system.

“This place.”

Eleanor nodded.

“This was his command center.”

Richard felt sick.

For years, this room existed beneath their feet.

A place where someone watched their lives.

Their mistakes.

Their weaknesses.

Their family.

A voice suddenly came through the speakers again.

“Richard.”

Everyone turned.

Marcus Vale appeared on the screen again.

Older now.

Gray hair.

A calm expression.

The face of a man who had never once feared consequences.

“I know you have questions.”

Richard stepped toward the screen.

“Where is my daughter?”

Marcus smiled.

“You always were impatient.”

Richard’s fists tightened.

“Where is Sophie?”

Marcus ignored the question.

“You know, Richard, your father made one mistake.”

Richard stared.

“He trusted emotions.”

“He believed family could be stronger than ambition.”

A pause.

“He was wrong.”

Richard looked at the screen.

“You killed him.”

Marcus smiled slightly.

“I corrected his mistakes.”

Jonathan stepped forward.

“You destroyed our family.”

Marcus looked at him.

“Nathaniel.”

Jonathan froze.

Nobody had called him that in years.

“You were always emotional.”

Jonathan’s face hardened.

“You used me.”

“I gave you purpose.”

“You erased my existence.”

Marcus sighed.

“You were never supposed to inherit anything.”

Jonathan’s eyes filled with anger.

“I was your son.”

Marcus smiled coldly.

“You were a tool.”

The words hit the room like a weapon.

Richard watched Jonathan’s face change.

For the first time...

He understood Jonathan’s hatred.

It wasn’t only jealousy.

It was years of rejection.

Years of being treated like he didn’t matter.

Richard looked back at Marcus.

“Why Sophie?”

Marcus finally looked serious.

“Because she is the only person who can unlock what your father hid.”

Richard frowned.

“What did he hide?”

Marcus smiled.

“The truth.”

Richard shook his head.

“You expect me to believe my father left everything to a child because of some secret?”

“No.”

Marcus leaned closer to the camera.

“He left everything to Sophie because he knew you would protect her.”

A pause.

“And because he knew I would come for her.”

Richard felt his stomach tighten.

“Where is Vanessa?”

Marcus smiled.

“Still asking about her?”

Richard’s eyes narrowed.

“What did you do to her?”

“Nothing.”

A pause.

“She made her own choices.”

Richard remembered the videos.

The fear in Vanessa’s eyes.

The way she said she had no choice.

“You controlled her.”

Marcus laughed.

“No.”

“She wanted to be powerful.”

“She wanted revenge.”

“She wanted a place in a family that never accepted her.”

Richard shook his head.

“She was your daughter.”

The room went silent.

Jonathan looked at Richard.

“What?”

Marcus’s expression changed slightly.

Just enough.

Richard saw it.

He had guessed.

And he was right.

“Vanessa Cross.”

Richard spoke slowly.

“Your daughter.”

Jonathan stared at the screen.

“No.”

Marcus smiled.

“Interesting.”

“You finally understand.”

Richard felt cold.

Everything connected.

Vanessa.

Jonathan.

The Cross name.

The inheritance.

The plan.

Marcus had created a web around them all.

Jonathan whispered:

“You used your own daughter?”

Marcus looked at him.

“Family is only valuable when it serves a purpose.”

Jonathan looked disgusted.

“You’re sick.”

Marcus smiled.

“And yet you spent years becoming exactly like me.”

Jonathan looked away.

The words hurt because they were partly true.

Richard stepped toward the screen.

“Where is Sophie?”

Marcus finally answered.

“She is with Vanessa.”

Richard’s heart jumped.

“She’s alive?”

“Yes.”

“Then bring her back.”

Marcus shook his head.

“No.”

Richard’s anger exploded.

“You don’t get to decide that.”

Marcus remained calm.

“I already did.”

The screen changed.

A new video appeared.

Sophie.

Sitting in a room.

Vanessa beside her.

Richard immediately moved toward the screen.

“Sophie!”

His daughter looked toward the camera.

“Daddy!”

Her voice broke.

Richard felt his heart tear apart.

“Baby, I’m coming.”

Sophie looked scared.

“Daddy…”

She looked at Vanessa.

Then back at the camera.

“Is Vanessa bad?”

Richard froze.

Vanessa looked down.

Then Sophie whispered:

“She said she was sorry.”

Richard stared.

Vanessa.

The woman who hurt her.

Was apologizing?

The camera moved closer.

Vanessa looked directly into the lens.

Her face was full of tears.

“Richard…”

Her voice shook.

“I know you hate me.”

Richard said nothing.

“But I need you to listen.”

A pause.

“They don’t want the inheritance.”

Richard frowned.

“Then what do they want?”

Vanessa looked at Sophie.

Then whispered:

“They want her.”

The screen suddenly glitched.

Marcus’s voice interrupted.

“That’s enough.”

The video disappeared.

Richard slammed his hand against the control panel.

“Bring her back!”

Marcus smiled.

“You have one hour.”

The countdown appeared again.

00:59:12

“Find the final document.”

Richard stared.

“What document?”

“The one Emily hid.”

Marcus leaned closer.

“The one that proves Sophie owns everything.”

Richard looked around the room.

Files everywhere.

Thousands of documents.

A lifetime of secrets.

“You expect me to find one paper in an hour?”

Marcus smiled.

“I expect you to remember your wife.”

The screen went black.

Richard stood silent.

Then he looked at the room.

Emily had left clues.

Not for Marcus.

Not for Jonathan.

For him.

For Sophie.

He closed his eyes.

And remembered.

Emily’s habits.

Her favorite places.

The things she always said.

Then he remembered one sentence.

A sentence she told him the night before she died.

“The truth is always hidden where love began.”

Richard opened his eyes.

The old house.

The basement.

The office.

The first place they met.

Their old bedroom.

He turned toward Jonathan.

“Emily didn’t hide the document here.”

Jonathan frowned.

“Then where?”

Richard looked at the elevator.

“She hid it where Marcus would never think to search.”

Eleanor whispered:

“Where?”

Richard answered:

“Somewhere he never understood.”

A place only Emily knew.

A place connected to their love.

A place Marcus could never control.

Richard grabbed Sophie’s rabbit from the chair.

Then he noticed something.

A small zipper on the side.

Something he had never seen before.

His hands stopped.

Inside the rabbit was a tiny key.

And attached to it was a note.

Emily’s handwriting.

Richard unfolded it.

Only one sentence.

“Richard, if you found this, then Sophie is old enough to know the truth.”

Richard looked at the key.

His heart raced.

Because the key had a number engraved on it.

17.

Jonathan stared.

“Locker 17.”

Richard looked at him.

“You know it?”

Jonathan nodded slowly.

His face turned pale.

“Yes.”

“Where is it?”

Jonathan swallowed.

“At the place where your father buried his biggest secret.”

A pause.

“The Sterling family vault.”

Richard looked at the countdown.

00:43:20

Forty-three minutes.

One secret vault.

One hidden document.

And one chance to save his daughter.

But as they turned toward the elevator...

A gunshot echoed through the underground room.

Everyone froze.

Eleanor collapsed to the floor.

Blood spreading across her shoulder.

Richard turned.

And saw the person holding the gun.

Someone who had been standing beside them the entire time.

Someone they trusted.

Someone who whispered:

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“I’m sorry.”

Before aiming the weapon again.