Chapter 8 - The Man My Father Trusted
The person beside my father was Roman's former partner's younger brother.
I recognized him from the photograph.
He had been presumed to have left the country years ago.
Roman stared at him.
"Alexei."
The man nodded.
"I need to explain."
Roman opened the museum door.
The locks had been released.
We crossed the street.
My father handed me the flash drive.
"Everything is here."
I looked at him.
"Why did you hide it?"
"Because I was afraid."
"Of Mrs. Volkov?"
"Yes."
Alexei spoke.
"She threatened everyone."
Roman looked at him.
"Why did you disappear?"
"Because she killed my brother."
Silence.
Alexei continued.
"My brother discovered the financial scheme. Your father helped him hide the evidence."
Roman's expression softened slightly.
"Why didn't you come forward?"
"Because I was young. I had no proof."
He looked at me.
"Until Paulina found the archive."
I stared at the flash drive.
"What exactly is on this?"
"The complete record."
"Then why hasn't Mrs. Volkov found it?"
Alexei smiled sadly.
"Because your father hid it inside something nobody would ever suspect."
My father looked at me.
"You."
I didn't understand.
"What do you mean?"
"The flash drive was hidden inside the base of your old museum identification case."
I remembered it.
A small wooden display box I had received years ago.
I had taken it home.
I had kept it on my desk.
I felt sick.
Mrs. Volkov had been closer than we realized.
Roman looked at my father.
"Where is the case?"
"At Paulina's apartment."
We rushed there.
My apartment door was open.
I stopped on the stairs.
Roman moved ahead.
The room had been searched.
Drawers emptied.
Books scattered.
The wooden identification case sat broken on my desk.
The flash drive was gone.
I felt my chest tighten.
"They found it."
Roman crouched beside the broken case.
"Not necessarily."
He lifted the bottom panel.
There was a hidden compartment.
Empty.
Then he smiled.
"What?"
He held up a tiny memory card.
"They didn't find the backup."
I stared.
"That's everything?"
"No."
He looked at the card.
"There's something else."
He inserted it into his laptop.
A video opened.
My father appeared on screen.
He looked directly into the camera.
"Paulina, if you're watching this, then the truth has finally reached you."
I couldn't breathe.
My father continued.
"I never wanted you involved. But I need you to know something."
He paused.
"You were never the forgotten daughter."
Tears filled my eyes.
"You were the person I trusted most."
The video continued.
"Three years ago, I discovered Mrs. Volkov planned to use our family to gain control of several companies."
He named them.
Roman's companies.
My father's companies.
Even Natalya's future holdings.
Then came the revelation.
"She arranged Roman's engagement to Natalya."
Roman stared at the screen.
My father continued.
"She believed that marriage would place her close enough to Roman to manipulate his decisions."
I looked at Roman.
He was silent.
My father then said:
"But she made one mistake."
The screen changed.
An old photograph appeared.
It showed me at the charity gala.
Roman standing in the background.
My father said:
"She underestimated Paulina."
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
Then my phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
COME TO THE OLD GALLERY ALONE.
A second message arrived.
BRING ROMAN IF YOU WANT YOUR MOTHER BACK.
My blood turned cold.
I looked at Roman.
"My mother."
He read the messages.
"We're going."
"She said alone."
"I'm not letting you go alone."
I nodded.
We left.
But before we reached the elevator, Roman stopped.
"Paulina."
"What?"
He looked at me.
"There is something I should have told you."
"What?"
"I didn't cancel my engagement because I suddenly realized I wanted you."
I stared.
"Then why?"
May you like
His eyes held mine.
"Because I had already fallen in love with you."
