Chapter 5 - My Father's Hidden Account
“Maeve.”
The whisper came again.
Gemma covered her mouth.
Mateo motioned for silence.
Then emergency lights flickered on.
Nobody was downstairs.
The front door was open.
Brandon was gone.
I looked at Mateo.
“He was here.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“Someone let him in.”
Gemma whispered, “I didn't.”
Mateo looked toward the hallway.
“Neither did I.”
We returned to the office.
The laptop was still running.
A new file had appeared.
CALLAHAN FAMILY TRUST.
I clicked it.
A bank statement appeared.
My father's name.
A balance of $3.8 million.
I stared.
“That can't be real.”
Mateo leaned over my shoulder.
“It is.”
“My father died with debt.”
“That's what you were told.”
I couldn't breathe.
Another file opened automatically.
A scanned letter.
My father's handwriting.
I recognized it immediately.
Maeve, if you're reading this, Brandon has already found the account. Do not marry him.
My hands shook.
The next line was worse.
Trust the Duca family before you trust the Hayes family.
I looked at Mateo.
“You knew my father?”
“No.”
“Then why did he write your name?”
Mateo didn't answer.
I turned toward him.
“Tell me.”
“My father knew yours.”
“How?”
“I don't know.”
“That isn't good enough.”
He looked at the screen.
“There are things I was never told.”
The letter continued.
The money belongs to Maeve. It was placed under protection after my business partner betrayed me. If Brandon discovers it, he will take everything.
I felt tears burning my eyes.
“Why didn't my father tell me?”
“Maybe he tried.”
I shook my head.
“He died before he could.”
Mateo's gaze hardened.
“Your father didn't die accidentally.”
I froze.
“What?”
He looked at me.
“The official report says heart failure.”
“And?”
“Someone paid for the report to disappear.”
I stared at him.
“Who?”
Mateo didn't answer.
Instead, Gemma suddenly pointed at the screen.
“There.”
A small folder was hidden at the bottom.
M.R.
Mateo opened it.
Inside was a photograph.
A younger version of my father stood beside another man.
Victor Hayes.
And behind them was Mateo's older brother.
I stepped backward.
“Why were they together?”
Mateo stared at the photograph.
His face had gone pale.
“This was taken six years ago.”
“The year your brother died.”
“Yes.”
I looked at him.
“What happened?”
Mateo's jaw tightened.
“My brother was investigating a financial operation.”
“Whose?”
He zoomed in on the photograph.
On the table behind the three men was a black ledger.
Across its cover were two initials.
M.R.
Mateo whispered, “M.R. Holdings.”
The same company receiving Brandon's money.
My stomach twisted.
“Who owns it?”
Mateo looked at me.
“We're about to find out.”
His phone buzzed.
A message.
He read it.
Then slowly looked toward Gemma.
“What?”
He showed us the screen.
Gemma Rhodes isn't the woman you think she is.
Gemma's face drained of color.
Mateo's phone buzzed again.
A second message appeared.
Ask her what happened the night Maeve's father died.
I stared at Gemma.
She began shaking.
“Maeve…”
“What happened?”
May you like
She opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, a gunshot exploded from downstairs...
