Chapter 7 — The Father Who Lied About His Death
Chapter 7 — The Father Who Lied About His Death
The clock above the fireplace moved to 11:21.
Ethan could hear every second.
Tick.
Tick.
Tick.
One hour.
That was what Eleanor had given him.
One hour to choose between Lily and Amelia.
One hour to decide which part of his family he was willing to lose.
But Ethan had learned something during the last seven years.
The Blackwoods always presented choices that were never really choices.
They wanted people frightened.
They wanted people desperate.
And desperate people made mistakes.
Ethan looked at Eleanor.
“You've made a mistake.”
She tilted her head.
“What mistake?”
“You told me I have one hour.”
“Yes.”
“You should have told me what happens after the hour.”
Eleanor smiled.
“You'll find out.”
“No.”
Ethan took a step forward.
“You need me alive.”
Her expression changed slightly.
He saw it.
Fear.
Only for a fraction of a second.
But it was there.
“You need me to open the vault,” Ethan continued.
Eleanor's face hardened.
“You need the original trust.”
“Yes.”
“And you need Lily.”
Eleanor tightened her grip on the child's shoulder.
“Yes.”
“Because she's the legal heir.”
“Yes.”
Ethan nodded.
“So you can't kill either of us.”
Eleanor smiled.
“You're assuming too much.”
“No.”
Ethan looked toward the basement door.
“I'm finally assuming the right things.”
A sound came from upstairs.
A door slammed.
Everyone turned.
Eleanor's guards raised their weapons.
Daniel whispered:
“Someone's inside.”
Ethan's eyes moved toward the staircase.
Then a man's voice echoed through the house.
“Eleanor.”
Ethan froze.
He knew that voice.
Every childhood memory attached itself to it.
Every command.
Every lesson.
Every disappointment.
Every funeral.
Every lie.
The voice of the man he had believed dead for seven years.
“Richard?”
Footsteps descended the staircase.
A man appeared.
Older.
Thinner.
His hair was almost completely gray.
But his posture was unmistakable.
Richard Blackwood.
Ethan's father.
Alive.
He stopped halfway down the stairs.
Their eyes met.
For several seconds, father and son simply stared at one another.
Then Richard smiled.
“Hello, Ethan.”
Ethan's hands curled into fists.
“You're dead.”
Richard shrugged.
“Apparently not.”
“You let me bury you.”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe you died.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Richard descended another step.
“Because you needed to believe it.”
Ethan laughed bitterly.
“You've always had an answer.”
“And you've always been too emotional to understand it.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Don't.”
Richard looked at him.
“My other son.”
Daniel's face hardened.
“You never called me that.”
“I never had the opportunity.”
“You had thirty years.”
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“Don't pretend you're innocent.”
Daniel said nothing.
Ethan looked between them.
“Enough.”
Richard stopped.
Ethan's voice shook with anger.
“You lied about your death.”
“Yes.”
“You kidnapped my wife.”
Richard's expression remained calm.
“I protected her.”
“You imprisoned her.”
“She was dangerous.”
“She was my wife.”
“She knew too much.”
Ethan stepped closer.
“You destroyed our family.”
Richard's eyes hardened.
“No.”
He pointed toward Eleanor.
“She did.”
Eleanor looked at him coldly.
“You're blaming me?”
“You were always the one who wanted control.”
“And you were always too weak to take it.”
Richard laughed.
“That's why I survived.”
Lily suddenly pulled away from Eleanor.
“Daddy.”
Ethan's eyes went to her.
“Come here.”
Eleanor tightened her grip.
“Stay where you are.”
Lily began crying.
Richard looked at her.
His expression changed.
Not affection.
Recognition.
“That's her.”
Ethan turned.
“What?”
Richard stepped closer.
“The child.”
His voice became almost reverent.
“Samuel's blood.”
Ethan frowned.
“Who is Samuel?”
Richard ignored him.
He stared at Lily.
“After all these years.”
Eleanor looked uncomfortable.
“Richard.”
He didn't respond.
He stepped toward the child.
Ethan moved immediately between them.
“Don't touch her.”
Richard stopped.
“She has the marker.”
“What marker?”
“The original Blackwood marker.”
Ethan's jaw tightened.
“You keep talking about bloodlines.”
“Yes.”
“Tell me what it means.”
Richard smiled.
“It means your grandfather was right.”
“About what?”
“That the empire would eventually return to the rightful heir.”
Ethan looked at Lily.
“And that's her?”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you try to kill her?”
Richard's expression changed.
“I never tried to kill her.”
Ethan stared.
“Then who did?”
Richard looked at Eleanor.
Then Victor.
Then Daniel.
“The people who were afraid of her.”
Ethan shook his head.
“You're one of them.”
Richard smiled.
“Perhaps.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“You told me the fire would be controlled.”
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“It was.”
“You told me the neonatal wing was empty.”
“It should have been.”
“Lily was inside.”
Richard said nothing.
“You locked the doors.”
“I secured the building.”
“You killed people.”
Richard's voice became cold.
“Collateral damage.”
Daniel looked sick.
“You lied to me.”
Richard shrugged.
“You were useful.”
Ethan turned toward Daniel.
“You started the fire because he told you to?”
Daniel nodded.
“I thought I was destroying evidence.”
Richard laughed.
“You were.”
Ethan stared at his father.
“What evidence?”
“The original trust.”
“And you couldn't destroy it.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because your grandfather was smarter than I was.”
Richard's face darkened.
“He hid it where no one could find it.”
Ethan reached into his coat.
The bronze key was still there.
Richard's eyes immediately moved to it.
“There.”
Ethan noticed.
“You recognize it.”
Richard smiled.
“Of course.”
“What does it open?”
Richard remained silent.
Ethan held the key up.
“This?”
“Yes.”
“Where is the vault?”
Richard looked toward Eleanor.
She shook her head.
“Don't.”
Richard smiled.
“You're too late.”
He looked at Ethan.
“The vault isn't beneath the hospital.”
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
“Then where?”
Richard whispered:
“Under your house.”
Ethan's heart stopped.
“My mansion?”
Richard nodded.
“Your grandfather built it there.”
“Why?”
“Because he knew everyone would search the company.”
“And not the family home.”
“Exactly.”
Ethan looked toward Eleanor.
She was furious.
“You weren't supposed to tell him.”
Richard laughed.
“You don't give me orders anymore.”
Eleanor stepped toward him.
“You're destroying everything.”
Richard's expression became cold.
“No.”
“You're destroying yourself.”
“Perhaps.”
He looked at Ethan.
“But I want one thing before I die.”
“What?”
Richard pointed toward Lily.
“I want her to know who she really is.”
Ethan stepped in front of her.
“She knows she's my daughter.”
Richard smiled.
“She is more than that.”
A loud explosion shook the house.
The windows rattled.
Lily screamed.
Security rushed toward the front entrance.
Ethan immediately grabbed her.
“Stay with me.”
Daniel drew his weapon.
“What was that?”
Richard looked toward the windows.
“Police.”
Ethan stared.
“You called them?”
Richard smiled.
“No.”
“Then who?”
Richard looked at Daniel.
“Your brother.”
Ethan turned.
Daniel shook his head.
“I didn't.”
Another explosion.
This time closer.
The lights went out.
Darkness swallowed the house.
Gunfire erupted outside.
Eleanor shouted:
“Get Lily!”
Ethan pulled his daughter behind him.
Daniel grabbed a flashlight.
“Basement.”
“No.”
“We need cover.”
“Amelia is down there.”
Richard looked at Ethan.
“I'll take you.”
Ethan stared.
“Why should I trust you?”
“You shouldn't.”
Richard stepped toward the basement.
“But you have no other choice.”
They descended.
Daniel followed.
Eleanor's guards were distracted upstairs.
The basement was dark.
A single emergency light flickered.
Richard moved quickly.
He knew the corridors.
He opened a steel door.
Inside was a hidden control room.
Monitors filled the walls.
Ethan stared.
Cameras showed different parts of the estate.
One showed Lily's bedroom.
Another showed the hospital.
Another showed a private medical facility.
And another showed Amelia.
Ethan rushed toward the screen.
“She’s alive.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“Underground facility beneath the east wing.”
Ethan looked at him.
“Take me there.”
Richard shook his head.
“You can't.”
“Why?”
“Because she's not alone.”
A second figure appeared beside Amelia.
Ethan's blood went cold.
Victor.
Victor was holding a syringe.
Ethan turned toward Richard.
“You said Victor was arrested.”
“He escaped.”
“Why?”
“Because someone wanted him free.”
“Who?”
Richard looked at Eleanor's empty chair on the monitor.
“She did.”
Ethan stared.
“Where is Eleanor?”
Richard's expression changed.
“She went after Lily.”
Ethan spun around.
Lily was gone.
His heart stopped.
“Lily?”
Daniel rushed toward the door.
“She took her.”
Richard grabbed Ethan's arm.
“Wait.”
“Let go!”
“Look at the screen.”
Ethan turned.
A camera showed Eleanor carrying Lily through another corridor.
They were heading toward the old vault.
Ethan stared.
“How do we get there?”
Richard pointed to the bronze key.
“The key.”
Ethan looked at him.
“You said the vault was beneath my house.”
“It is.”
“Then why are we here?”
“Because this is the entrance.”
Richard pressed a hidden switch.
A section of the wall opened.
Behind it was a narrow tunnel.
Ethan stepped inside.
Daniel followed.
Richard came behind them.
Ethan turned.
“You're coming?”
Richard nodded.
“You're going to need me.”
The tunnel ended beneath the Blackwood mansion.
Ethan recognized the stone foundation.
They had walked beneath his home without knowing.
Richard stopped.
“Here.”
Ethan inserted the bronze key into a hidden lock.
Nothing happened.
He turned it.
Still nothing.
Daniel looked at the mechanism.
“There are two locks.”
Ethan frowned.
“Two?”
Richard pulled a second key from his pocket.
Ethan stared.
“You had one.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because I needed to know whether you were ready.”
Ethan's anger rose.
“You've been playing games with me.”
Richard looked at him.
“Your whole life.”
He inserted the second key.
The wall opened.
Beyond it was a massive underground chamber.
The original Blackwood vault.
Ethan stepped inside.
Thousands of documents filled the shelves.
Gold certificates.
Property deeds.
Old contracts.
Photographs.
Bank records.
And at the center—
a wooden box.
Ethan approached.
Richard stopped him.
“Don't.”
“Why?”
“Because once you open that box, there is no going back.”
Ethan looked at him.
“Good.”
He opened it.
Inside was a handwritten will.
A photograph.
And a sealed letter.
The photograph showed Samuel Blackwood.
Beside him stood a young woman.
Catherine.
And in her arms—
two infants.
Ethan and Daniel.
But behind them stood another man.
Ethan stared.
He recognized him.
The same man from the mysterious photograph in Victor's office.
The man who had been described as the true owner of the fortune.
Richard's face changed.
Ethan looked at him.
“Who is he?”
Richard whispered:
“Samuel's eldest son.”
“Michael.”
Richard nodded.
“He never disappeared.”
Ethan stared.
“Then where is he?”
Richard's eyes filled with something Ethan had never seen before.
Fear.
“He's been alive this entire time.”
“Where?”
Richard looked toward the entrance.
Before he could answer, a woman's voice echoed through the vault.
“Right here.”
Everyone turned.
Catherine stood at the doorway.
And beside her was Lily.
Eleanor was nowhere to be seen.
Catherine held Lily's hand.
Ethan immediately moved toward his daughter.
“Lily!”
She ran to him.
Ethan dropped to his knees and wrapped his arms around her.
“Are you okay?”
She nodded against his chest.
“I'm okay, Daddy.”
Ethan held her tightly.
Then he looked at Catherine.
“Where's Eleanor?”
Catherine's expression was cold.
“She won't be bothering you again.”
“What did you do?”
“I stopped her.”
Ethan stared.
“Who is Michael?”
Catherine didn't answer.
Instead, she looked at Richard.
“You finally told him.”
Richard remained silent.
Catherine's gaze moved to Ethan.
“Your father has been lying about his death for seven years.”
Ethan looked at Richard.
“But that's not the worst lie.”
“What is?”
Catherine's voice became quiet.
“The man you believe is your father…”
She paused.
“…isn't.”
Ethan stared.
Richard looked away.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Then who is?”
Catherine looked toward the photograph.
“Michael.”
Ethan felt the world tilt.
“What?”
Catherine nodded.
“Michael is your biological father.”
Silence.
Richard closed his eyes.
Ethan looked at him.
All his memories.
All his childhood.
Every lesson.
Every argument.
Every moment he had called this man Father.
A lie.
Richard whispered:
“I raised you.”
Ethan's voice broke.
“But you weren't my father.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Richard looked at him.
“Because Michael was the heir.”
Ethan understood.
If Michael's children survived, Richard's claim to the empire disappeared.
“So you stole my identity.”
Richard nodded.
“And you erased Michael.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“What happened to him?”
Catherine's eyes filled with tears.
“He survived.”
“Where?”
She looked toward the sealed door.
“It won't matter soon.”
Ethan frowned.
“Why?”
Catherine looked at Lily.
“Because Michael knows where the original inheritance is.”
A heavy silence followed.
Then the vault door began to shake.
Someone was outside.
Once.
Twice.
Then a voice echoed through the steel.
“Catherine.”
She froze.
Ethan looked at her.
“Who is that?”
Catherine whispered:
“Michael.”
The door shook again.
Ethan held Lily closer.
Richard stepped backward.
Daniel raised his weapon.
And from the other side of the vault came the voice of the man who had supposedly disappeared decades ago.
“You've kept my children from me long enough.”
The lights flickered.
The door began opening.
Ethan stared into the darkness beyond it.
For seven years, he had believed his father was dead.
For thirty years, he had believed he knew his family.
Now both beliefs were gone.
And as the vault door opened completely, Ethan finally understood the truth.
Richard had never been his father.
May you like
He had only been the man who stole his name.
And the real father—the man whose blood had created the heirs everyone had spent decades trying to erase—was standing on the other side of the door.
