I looked directly at her.
“I understand perfectly.””
She hated that.
I saw it.
For the first time, the mask cracked.
“You think you’re better than everyone.””
There it was.
The accusation.
The same one Daniel repeated.
The same one the anonymous article used.
I realized then.
It wasn’t random.
They had been building a story about me for years.
A story where I was arrogant.
Cold.
Unworthy.
Because if they could make people believe I was the villain…
Nobody would question what they did.
Victoria looked at Lily.
“Tell her.””
Lily hesitated.
“Tell me what?””
Victoria’s expression softened.
“You deserve to know what your mother did.””
My heart stopped.
“What are you talking about?””
Lily looked between us.
“When I was younger, Victoria told me you left because you didn’t want me.””
I closed my eyes.
The pain was almost physical.
“That’s a lie.””
Lily’s voice trembled.
“Then why didn’t you come?””
I had no answer.
Not one that could heal her.
Because from her perspective, she had lived my nightmare.
She had grown up believing she was unwanted.
“I looked for you.””
Her eyes filled.
“When?””
“Every day.””
Victoria laughed quietly.
“Careful, Simone.””
I looked at her.
“You’re not the only one who can manipulate emotions.””
That sentence told me everything.
She wasn’t sorry.
She wasn’t ashamed.
She still saw Lily as a tool.
And I knew then what I had to do.
Not attack.
Not scream.
Expose.
“You recorded everything, didn’t you?””
Victoria’s smile disappeared slightly.
“What?””
“The meeting.””
Silence.
I looked at Michael.
He understood immediately.
Victoria always needed control.
Control required evidence.
Evidence required records.
“You have cameras.””
Her face changed.
Just slightly.
But enough.
“You’ve been recording Lily’s entire life.””
Lily looked at her.
“What?””
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“Don’t listen to her.””
I stepped closer.
“She never wanted a daughter.””
I looked at Lily.
“She wanted an asset.””
“Stop.””
Victoria’s voice became sharp.
For the first time, she sounded afraid.
“You don’t know what you’re doing.””
“Yes, I do.””
I held up my phone.
Jasmine had sent me something while we were walking.
A file.
Security footage.
Financial records.
Everything she could find.
Victoria saw the screen.
Her face changed.
“You wouldn’t.””
“I will.””
“You’ll destroy your family name.””
I looked at Lily.
Then back at Victoria.
“My family name survived without you.””
The station filled with silence.
Then Lily whispered:
“Why?””
We all looked at her.
She was crying.
Not loudly.
Just quietly.
Like someone who had been carrying questions for too long.
“Why did everyone lie to me?””
Nobody answered.
Because there was no answer good enough.
Then Victoria’s phone rang.
She checked it.
Her expression changed.
A single moment.
Fear.
She walked away to answer.
I watched her.
And then I heard her say:
“What do you mean the files are gone?””
My blood ran cold.
Files.
Plural.
Victoria turned away from us.
But we heard the next sentence.
“The girl knows?””
A pause.
Then:
“No. Keep him quiet.””
Michael looked at me.
“Who is him?””
Victoria turned back.
And for the first time, she looked desperate.
Then another voice came from the station entrance.
“Looking for me?””
We all turned.
Daniel stood there.
But he wasn’t alone.
The man beside him made my heart stop.
Because I knew him.
Everyone did.
The former CEO of Bellamy Holdings.
The man who disappeared after my company’s first major expansion.
My father.
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The moment Daniel Mercer squeezed my hand at the altar, I knew he believed the cage had finally locked.
His fingers closed around...
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I fro...
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I thought I was coming home to a normal Tuesday afternoon.
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Except…
My father had been dead for twelve years.
CHAPTER 9
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Because sometimes the impossible doesn’t feel shocking.
It feels wrong.
Like your brain refuses to accept what your eyes are showing you.
I stared at the man standing beside Daniel.
Older.
Thinner.
Gray hair replacing the dark hair I remembered from childhood.
But the face.
The face was unmistakable.
“Dad?””
The word escaped before I could stop it.
My father looked at me.
And tears filled his eyes.
“Simone.””
I stepped back.
“No.””
My mother’s voice came from behind me.
A whisper.
“Oh my God.””
Michael looked between us.
“This changes everything.””
Victoria looked furious.
Not surprised.
Furious.
“You weren’t supposed to come.””
My father looked at her.
“You should have known I would.””
The confidence in her face disappeared.
“You were gone.””
“I was hiding.””
“From who?””
His eyes moved toward me.
“From everyone.””
I felt anger rising.
Not confusion.
Not fear.
Anger.
Because every person in my life had a secret.
Every person had chosen what I deserved to know.
And I was exhausted.
“Someone explain.””
Nobody spoke.
My voice became louder.
“Now.””
My father looked at me.
“I owe you the truth.””
I laughed.
“The truth.””
I looked around.
“Apparently everyone does.””
He lowered his head.
“I never wanted you involved.””
“Yet here I am.””
He nodded.
“You’re right.””
Victoria interrupted.
“This is pointless.””
Everyone looked at her.
She stepped forward.
“You think revealing him changes anything?””
My father looked at her.
“You still don’t understand.””
“Understand what?””
“That I kept records.””
Her face changed.
“What?””
He smiled sadly.
“Every conversation.””
Victoria froze.
“You’re lying.””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“I knew one day Simone would need proof.””
My heart tightened.
“Proof of what?””
He looked at Victoria.
“Everything.””
The next hour felt like watching my entire life unravel.
My father explained.
The fraud.
The manipulation.
The plan.
Years ago, Victoria and Daniel had created a network to control Bellamy Holdings.
But they couldn’t simply steal it.
Because Bellamy had protections.
My father had built those protections.
So they attacked the one thing they knew could destroy me.
My family.
“They used Lily because they knew you would stop fighting if you believed she was gone.””
I closed my eyes.
The cruelty of it was unbearable.
“They knew grief would make me weak.””
My father shook his head.
“No.””
He looked at me.
“They misunderstood you.””
The words hit harder than expected.
“Because grief didn’t make you weak.””
A tear moved down my cheek.
“It made you unstoppable.””
Victoria laughed.
“You expect her to forgive you?””
My father looked at me.
“No.””
The honesty surprised me.
“I don’t deserve forgiveness.””
Silence.
“But she deserves the truth.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Simone.””
I looked at him.