Chapter 5 - My Father Finally Told the Truth
Clara couldn't breathe.
"Why are you saying that?"
Her father didn't answer.
"Where are you?"
"Clara, I can't tell you."
"You're the one who called me."
"I know."
"Then tell me what happened."
Another pause.
"Your mother knew Gregory was dangerous."
Clara closed her eyes.
"How long?"
"From the beginning."
Her stomach turned.
"Why didn't she help me?"
"Because she believed she could control him."
Clara almost laughed.
"Control him?"
Her father lowered his voice.
"She made a deal."
"What deal?"
"She thought if Gregory paid us, we could keep you safe."
Clara stared at the wall.
"Safe?"
Her father sounded ashamed.
"She thought money would buy time."
"And did it?"
"No."
His voice cracked.
"It made everything worse."
Clara looked at Evelyn.
She motioned for Clara to keep him talking.
"Tell me everything."
"I can't."
"You already started."
Silence.
Then he said:
"Your mother knew about the trust."
"I know."
"She also knew Gregory was moving money through another company."
"I know."
Her father became quiet.
"You know?"
"Yes."
"Then you know too much."
Clara felt cold.
"What does that mean?"
The call ended.
Clara stared at the phone.
Mara looked at her.
"Did he hang up?"
"Yes."
Evelyn immediately asked:
"Did he say where he was?"
"No."
Then the front doorbell rang.
Everyone froze.
Mara checked the security camera.
A man stood outside.
He was wearing a dark coat.
Clara couldn't see his face.
Evelyn whispered:
"Don't open it."
The man waited.
Then he placed an envelope on the porch.
He walked away.
Mara waited several minutes before retrieving it.
The envelope had Clara's name.
No return address.
Inside was a single photograph.
Clara recognized the house immediately.
Her parents' house.
Taken from across the street.
On the back was a handwritten sentence:
YOUR MOTHER WASN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO MADE A DEAL.
Clara stared at it.
Evelyn took the photograph.
"We need to know who took this."
Clara looked at the image.
Her father stood near the front window.
Her mother stood behind him.
But there was another person in the photograph.
Someone sitting inside a car.
Clara zoomed in.
Her heart stopped.
Gregory.
Mara whispered:
"He's watching your parents."
Clara looked at Evelyn.
"Why?"
Evelyn shook her head.
"We don't know."
The next morning, Evelyn arranged a secure meeting with a financial investigator.
His name was Daniel Reeves.
He reviewed the documents.
After an hour, he looked at Clara.
"There's a pattern."
"What pattern?"
"Your parents received money from Gregory."
"Yes."
"But they also received money from someone else."
Clara leaned forward.
"Who?"
Daniel showed her the account records.
Northbridge Holdings.
But the second company wasn't controlled by Gregory.
It was controlled by a woman.
Clara stared at the name.
Margaret Whitmore.
Her mother.
Clara felt the room tilt.
"My mother owned Northbridge?"
Daniel nodded.
"According to these records."
"But she never told me."
"No."
Daniel continued.
"There's something more."
He opened another file.
"Northbridge transferred money to Gregory."
Clara stared.
"So my mother was paying him too?"
"It appears so."
"Why?"
Daniel looked at Evelyn.
Then back at Clara.
"We don't know."
He opened one final document.
It was an email from Margaret.
The subject line:
IF CLARA EVER LEAVES.
Clara's hands went cold.
The first sentence was visible.
If Clara ever leaves Gregory, activate the second account and—
The rest was blacked out.
Clara looked at Evelyn.
"Can we recover the rest?"
Evelyn nodded.
"We'll try."
That night, Clara couldn't sleep.
She sat beside Lily.
The child was peacefully asleep.
Clara touched her hair.
Then her phone vibrated.
A message arrived from her father.
No explanation.
No greeting.
Just an address.
Clara recognized it.
It was an old family property.
Then another message arrived.
COME ALONE.
A third followed.
YOUR MOTHER DOESN'T KNOW I'M CONTACTING YOU.
Clara stared at the screen.
May you like
Then one final message appeared.
I FOUND THE ORIGINAL CONTRACT.
