Chapter 9 - The Person Behind Daniel
"The person standing behind me is..."
The video froze.
Right before Daniel revealed the name.
Right before the truth.
The screen went black.
I stared at it.
Waiting.
Hoping it would come back.
But it didn't.
"No."
My voice was barely a whisper.
"No, no, no."
I walked toward the monitor.
"Play it again."
Marcus shook his head.
"It's corrupted."
"Fix it."
"I can't."
I turned around.
"You don't understand."
My hands were shaking.
"I need to know."
Nobody spoke.
Because everyone understood.
That recording was not just evidence.
It was the last piece of Daniel I had left.
Adrian stepped closer.
"Claire."
I looked at him.
And for the first time, I didn't see the powerful man everyone feared.
I saw the person who had been carrying the truth about my husband.
The person who had watched me grieve.
The person who had chosen silence.
"You knew what was on that video."
His eyes lowered.
"No."
"Don't lie."
"I knew Daniel made a recording."
"Did you know who he was going to name?"
A long silence.
Then:
"Yes."
My heart broke again.
"Who?"
Adrian didn't answer.
My sister did.
"Adrian."
He looked at her.
"Don't."
But she continued.
"You can't protect him anymore."
The room became still.
Protect him.
Not protect me.
Him.
I looked at Adrian.
"Who are you protecting?"
Nobody moved.
Then Adrian finally said:
"Your father."
The words hit harder than I expected.
"My father?"
He nodded.
"Thomas Bennett."
I shook my head.
"He's dead."
"Yes."
"Then how are you protecting him?"
Adrian looked at the old recording.
"Because the truth about your father is more complicated than you know."
I laughed bitterly.
"Of course it is."
I looked around.
"My whole life is a secret."
Elena stepped forward.
"Claire."
I looked at her.
"Do you know too?"
She didn't answer.
That was enough.
I closed my eyes.
Everyone knew.
Everyone except me.
Marcus walked toward the computer.
"There is something else."
Adrian looked at him.
"What?"
Marcus pointed at the system.
"The file wasn't corrupted."
Everyone turned.
"What?"
Marcus typed quickly.
"The video was interrupted remotely."
My sister frowned.
"Someone stopped it."
Marcus nodded.
"Someone who has access to this system."
Adrian immediately looked toward the entrance.
"Victor."
"No."
Marcus shook his head.
"If Victor wanted us not to see it, he would have deleted the whole thing."
He looked at the screen.
"He wanted us to see everything except the name."
A cold feeling moved through me.
"Why?"
Nobody answered.
Then the computer displayed a new message.
A single sentence.
NOT EVERYTHING DANIEL WROTE WAS TRUE.
My stomach dropped.
Adrian stepped closer.
"What is this?"
Another line appeared.
THIS MESSAGE WAS LEFT BY DANIEL.
Everyone froze.
My heart stopped.
"Daniel?"
Marcus opened the file.
A hidden folder appeared.
Password protected.
The name of the folder was simple.
FOR CLAIRE.
I stared.
Daniel.
He had made something for me.
Something he knew I would find.
Something he knew might be the only way I could understand.
Marcus looked at Adrian.
"Do you know the password?"
Adrian shook his head.
"No."
My sister looked at me.
"I think you do."
I looked at the folder.
"No."
"Claire."
"I don't know anything."
But then I remembered.
A small detail.
Something Daniel did every year.
Something I never understood.
Every anniversary, he asked me the same question.
"What is the one thing you never want to lose?"
I always laughed.
I always answered:
"You."
He would smile.
And say:
"Wrong."
I never understood.
Until now.
My fingers moved toward the keyboard.
I typed.
The folder opened.
Everyone watched.
Inside was one video.
No documents.
No files.
Just one recording.
Created three days after Daniel's accident.
My breathing stopped.
"How is this possible?"
Adrian looked at the date.
His face changed.
"Because he wasn't dead."
The screen turned on.
Daniel appeared.
Alive.
Sitting in the same room from the previous recording.
But this time, he looked different.
Not afraid.
Determined.
He looked directly at the camera.
"Claire."
Tears filled my eyes instantly.
"I know you think I betrayed you."
A pause.
"You have every right."
He looked down.
"But there is something you need to understand."
He leaned closer.
"I didn't hide the truth because I didn't trust you."
His eyes filled with pain.
"I hid it because I trusted you too much."
I covered my mouth.
Daniel continued.
"The people coming after me don't care about money."
A pause.
"They don't care about power."
He looked behind him.
"They care about one thing."
The video glitched.
Then returned.
"The original Black Circle files."
My sister looked at Adrian.
He looked shocked.
Daniel continued.
"Your father didn't create the Black Circle to control people."
A pause.
"He created it to expose them."
My eyes widened.
"Then why did everyone say he was the villain?"
Daniel looked directly at the camera.
"Because the person who stole the organization changed the story."
Another glitch.
The screen shook.
Daniel looked suddenly nervous.
Someone was approaching.
He turned.
Then looked back.
"Claire, if you only remember one thing, remember this."
He lowered his voice.
"Do not trust the person who tells you your father was evil."
The video froze.
Then resumed.
But Daniel wasn't alone anymore.
Someone entered the room behind him.
The camera angle shifted.
I could only see a shadow.
Daniel looked at the person.
And his face changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
The person said something.
Too quiet to hear.
Daniel whispered:
"Why are you here?"
The figure stepped closer.
And then the camera captured a reflection in the glass behind Daniel.
A face.
I stared.
Because I knew that face.
Everyone in the room knew that face.
Marcus stepped back.
Elena covered her mouth.
My sister whispered:
"No..."
Adrian's hand tightened into a fist.
Because the person standing behind Daniel in the reflection...
May you like
Was not Victor Hale.
It was my sister.
