Chapter 5 - The Woman Who Was Supposed To Be Dead
The elevator numbers kept climbing.
Forty-eight.
Forty-nine.
Fifty.
Nobody spoke.
Daniel still held the phone against his ear.
The voice on the other end had not said another word.
But the damage was already done.
Because one sentence had changed everything.
Your mother.
I looked at Daniel.
I had seen him face angry investors.
I had seen him negotiate impossible deals.
I had seen him walk away from situations where most people would have collapsed.
But I had never seen fear on his face.
Not until now.
"Daniel."
My voice brought him back.
He slowly lowered the phone.
Marcus immediately stepped forward.
"What happened?"
Daniel didn't answer.
His eyes remained fixed on the screen.
Like he was hoping the name would change.
It didn't.
"She said she was my mother."
Marcus froze.
I watched the color leave his face.
"That is impossible."
Daniel looked at him.
"That's exactly what I thought."
The elevator continued moving.
Closer.
Every second felt longer.
I adjusted Rose in my arms.
My instincts from the military took over.
Something was wrong.
The security.
The unknown messages.
The person watching me at the hospital.
The hidden investigation.
Now a woman claiming to be Daniel's dead mother.
All of it connected.
But I still didn't know how.
"Daniel."
I looked toward the elevator doors.
"Who knew about your mother's death?"
He looked at me.
"Everyone."
"Everyone?"
He nodded.
"She died in a car accident when I was twenty-eight."
Marcus interrupted.
"That wasn't the whole story."
Daniel turned sharply.
"What does that mean?"
Marcus looked uncomfortable.
"I didn't want to say this before."
"Say it now."
Marcus took a breath.
"Your mother didn't die immediately after the accident."
Silence.
Daniel stared at him.
"What?"
"She survived."
The words hit harder than anything else.
Daniel stepped back.
"No."
Marcus didn't look away.
"Your father announced her death two days later."
Daniel's face changed.
"My father?"
I watched his expression.
A lifetime of memories collapsing in seconds.
"He lied?"
Marcus nodded.
"I believe he did."
Daniel looked toward the elevator.
Then back at Marcus.
"Why would my father fake my mother's death?"
Nobody answered.
Because nobody knew.
But I knew one thing.
Families didn't hide truths this big without a reason.
The elevator stopped.
The doors opened.
A woman stood outside.
Everyone froze.
She looked older.
Different.
But there was something familiar about her.
The way she stood.
The way she looked at Daniel.
The way her eyes immediately moved to Rose.
Daniel couldn't move.
Neither could I.
The woman slowly whispered:
"My son."
Daniel stared at her.
His lips parted.
No words came out.
For twelve years, he had believed he had buried his mother.
For twelve years, he had carried that loss.
And now she was standing in front of him.
Alive.
The woman stepped forward.
"I know you have questions."
Daniel finally found his voice.
"Who are you?"
The woman's eyes filled with tears.
"I am exactly who I said I was."
Marcus moved between them.
"How did you get into this building?"
The woman ignored him.
She looked only at Daniel.
"Your father didn't let me tell you the truth."
Daniel's expression hardened.
"My father is dead."
The woman's face changed.
Pain.
Regret.
"Then he took his secret to the grave."
Nobody spoke.
Rose began moving slightly.
The woman looked at her again.
And something about that reaction bothered me.
It wasn't surprise.
It was recognition.
"You knew about her."
My voice was quiet.
The woman looked at me.
"I knew about you."
Daniel immediately stepped closer.
"What does that mean?"
The woman looked between us.
Then at Rose.
"Your daughter was never supposed to be hidden from you."
I felt my stomach tighten.
"Then why was she?"
The woman looked away.
Because whatever answer she had was painful.
"Because someone was afraid of what would happen if Daniel found out the truth."
Daniel's voice became colder.
"Who?"
The woman didn't answer.
She reached into her coat.
Daniel immediately reacted.
"Stop."
She froze.
Slowly, she removed a small envelope.
Old.
Yellowed.
She held it toward him.
"I kept this because I knew one day you would need it."
Daniel didn't move.
"What is it?"
"Your father's final message."
The room became silent.
Marcus looked at me.
I could tell he understood the importance.
Daniel slowly took the envelope.
His hands shook.
The billionaire who controlled a company worth billions was now afraid to open a piece of paper.
He broke the seal.
Inside was a letter.
Only one page.
He read the first line.
Then stopped.
His face changed.
"Daniel?"
He looked up.
His eyes were filled with something I couldn't identify.
Anger.
Pain.
Betrayal.
"What does it say?"
He looked at the letter again.
Then whispered:
"My father knew about Rose."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Daniel continued reading.
"He knew before I did."
The room became colder.
The woman lowered her eyes.
"Yes."
Daniel looked at her.
"How?"
She hesitated.
Then answered:
"Because your father was the one who ordered someone to follow Emily."
My blood ran cold.
Daniel looked at me.
"Follow you?"
I nodded slowly.
The hospital.
The photo.
The person watching.
Everything suddenly made sense.
But one question remained.
Why?
Why would Daniel's father care about me?
Why would he want to separate us?
The woman looked at Rose.
Then quietly said:
"Because your daughter is connected to something much bigger than your marriage."
Daniel tightened his grip on the letter.
"What does that mean?"
The woman looked terrified.
"Your father discovered something about Hartwell International."
Marcus stepped closer.
"The financial records?"
She shook her head.
"No."
"Then what?"
The woman looked at Daniel.
"The reason he tried to protect you."
Daniel stared.
"My father tried to protect me?"
She nodded.
"But he failed."
A phone suddenly rang.
Not Daniel's.
Not Marcus's.
Mine.
I looked down.
The screen showed an unknown number.
Everyone became silent.
I didn't know why.
But something inside me told me not to answer.
Then a message appeared.
One sentence.
My entire body went cold.
Because it was from someone who had been watching me since the day Rose was born.
May you like
The message said:
"Colonel Hartwell, if you want your daughter to stay alive, come alone to the place where your marriage ended."
