Chapter 7 - The Man Who Protected Her
The man standing at the entrance was impossible.
I knew his face.
I knew his name.
I knew the entire world believed he was dead.
Richard Blackwood.
My uncle.
My father's younger brother.
The man who had attended my father's funeral.
The man who had helped me take control of the family empire.
The man whose name had appeared in every secret I had uncovered tonight.
And yet he was standing in my home.
Alive.
Calm.
Smiling.
Like he had never disappeared.
Like he had never been buried.
Nobody moved.
The guards didn't know what to do.
Marcus looked like he had seen a ghost.
Emily stepped behind me.
That reaction told me everything.
She wasn't surprised.
She was terrified.
Richard slowly walked into the mansion.
His expensive suit was perfectly pressed.
His gray hair was neatly styled.
He looked older than the man I remembered.
But his eyes were exactly the same.
Cold.
Calculating.
Patient.
"Adrian," he said.
I stared at him.
"You're supposed to be dead."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"I heard that rumor."
"Rumor?"
I stepped forward.
"Your funeral was three years ago."
Richard looked around the mansion.
"The same house."
"The same people."
"The same lies."
His eyes moved toward Marcus.
"And apparently, the same secrets."
Marcus immediately stepped forward.
"Don't come any closer."
Richard laughed softly.
"Still protecting him?"
Marcus's expression hardened.
"I said don't move."
Richard ignored him.
His attention returned to me.
"You look just like your father."
I hated that sentence.
Because every person who had betrayed me had used it.
They compared me to the man who had hidden everything from me.
The man who had left me with questions instead of answers.
"Where is Lily?"
Richard's smile disappeared.
For the first time, his expression changed.
"Straight to the important question."
"Answer me."
He looked at Emily.
Then back at me.
"You finally met her."
My body went still.
"What?"
Richard walked closer.
"You found Emily."
I looked at Emily.
She looked away.
Richard noticed.
Of course he noticed.
He noticed everything.
"She was always the weak point."
My expression changed.
"What does that mean?"
Richard sighed.
"Your father had many enemies, Adrian."
He looked around the mansion.
"But he also had many mistakes."
I stepped closer.
"You threatened her."
"No."
Richard shook his head.
"I warned her."
Emily's hands tightened.
"You're lying."
Richard looked at her.
"You were never supposed to get involved."
My eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
Richard turned back to me.
"You think this is about money."
"Isn't it?"
He smiled.
"That's what everyone believes."
He walked toward the living room.
Like he owned the place.
Like he had never left.
"Your father didn't hide Lily because she was an heir."
I followed him.
"Then why?"
Richard stopped.
"Because she was evidence."
"Evidence of what?"
He looked at Marcus.
The silence between them was immediate.
Something existed between those two men.
Something older than me.
Something darker.
"Ask Marcus."
I looked at my security chief.
"Is that true?"
Marcus didn't answer.
"Marcus."
His face tightened.
"I didn't want you to know this way."
"Know what?"
Marcus looked at Richard.
Then at me.
"Your father wasn't the only person who protected Lily."
I waited.
"I did too."
The room became silent.
Richard smiled.
"Tell him the rest."
Marcus looked exhausted.
"I helped your father move Lily."
I stared at him.
"You knew where she was?"
"No."
"Then what did you know?"
Marcus lowered his voice.
"I knew who was hunting her."
"Who?"
Nobody answered.
That was when I understood.
Everyone was afraid of the same person.
Not Richard.
Not Victoria.
Someone else.
Someone above them.
Someone who had controlled everything from the beginning.
Richard sat down.
"You really believe I am the villain."
I looked at him.
"You are."
He nodded.
"Maybe."
The answer surprised me.
"But if I wanted Lily dead, she wouldn't have survived eight years."
I said nothing.
Because it was true.
Richard had information.
Information nobody else had.
"Where is she?"
Richard looked at me.
"Safe."
"Where?"
"Far away from this family."
I stepped closer.
"I want her location."
Richard shook his head.
"Not yet."
My expression hardened.
"You don't get to decide that."
He looked at me calmly.
"Actually, I do."
The guards raised their weapons.
Richard didn't react.
Because he knew something.
Something that made him confident.
Then he said:
"Because if I give you Lily's location, she dies."
Nobody moved.
Emily whispered:
"Why?"
Richard looked at her.
"Because the person who has been looking for her is not finished."
I stared at him.
"Who?"
Richard's eyes moved toward the windows.
Toward the darkness outside.
Then he said:
"The person who killed your father."
The room froze.
My father's death.
A heart attack.
That was the official story.
The story I had believed my entire life.
But now...
Nothing was real anymore.
"You're saying my father was murdered?"
Richard looked at me.
"I am saying your father knew he was going to die."
My hands tightened.
"And he left clues."
Richard nodded.
"The nursery."
"The photograph."
"The hidden phone."
He looked at me.
"Everything was designed to lead you here."
I looked at Marcus.
"You knew."
Marcus looked away.
"I knew your father wanted you to find the truth when you were ready."
I almost laughed.
"Ready?"
My voice became colder.
"I spent twelve years thinking my father died naturally."
Marcus said nothing.
"I spent my entire life believing I was the only child."
Silence.
"And everyone around me decided I didn't deserve the truth."
Nobody responded.
Because they couldn't.
The truth hurt because there was no defense against it.
Then Richard reached into his jacket.
Marcus immediately raised his weapon.
Richard slowly removed a small envelope.
He placed it on the table.
"Your father wrote this."
I stared at it.
"My father?"
Richard nodded.
"The final letter."
I didn't move.
"Why give it to me now?"
Richard looked at me.
"Because someone else already knows you found the nursery."
My eyes narrowed.
"What?"
Richard's expression changed.
For the first time, he looked genuinely afraid.
"Adrian..."
A sound interrupted him.
A gunshot.
The window behind us shattered.
Everyone dropped.
The lights went out.
Chaos exploded.
My guards rushed toward the entrance.
Emily screamed.
Marcus pulled me down behind the table.
Another shot.
Then silence.
When the emergency lights returned, Richard was gone.
The envelope was gone.
And on the floor beside the broken window was a single photograph.
I picked it up.
My hands froze.
Because the picture showed Lily.
Standing beside someone I recognized.
Someone who had been inside my mansion all night.
Someone who had been helping me find the truth.
May you like
On the back of the photograph were three words.
"She was never alone."
