Chapter 9 — The Betrayal Brenda Never Expected
Chapter 9 — The Betrayal Brenda Never Expected
Brenda had betrayed me.
She had betrayed Andrew.
She had stolen millions.
She had lied to Margaret.
But the betrayal she never expected came from the one man she had obeyed for years.
Julian Cross.
And when she finally discovered what he had planned for her, she realized she had never been his partner.
She had always been disposable.
At 6:30 the next morning, Brenda sat alone in a police interview room.
She had been questioned for six hours.
She hadn't slept.
Her lawyer sat beside her.
Across the table were two investigators.
One pushed a folder forward.
“You moved thirty-eight million dollars.”
Brenda stared at it.
“I know.”
“You've admitted the transfers.”
“Yes.”
“You've identified several shell companies.”
“Yes.”
“You've named Margaret Escalante.”
“Yes.”
“And Julian Cross.”
Brenda looked down.
“Yes.”
The investigator leaned forward.
“Then tell us where Julian is.”
Brenda shook her head.
“I don't know.”
“You worked for him.”
“Yes.”
“For years.”
“Yes.”
“You moved money for him.”
“Yes.”
“You followed his instructions.”
“Yes.”
“So you know where he is.”
“No.”
The investigator studied her.
“You're protecting him.”
Brenda almost laughed.
“No.”
“Then why won't you tell us?”
“Because I genuinely don't know.”
The investigator closed the folder.
“Think carefully.”
Brenda looked up.
“I spent years believing Julian trusted me.”
Her voice trembled.
“He didn't.”
I arrived at the station shortly after.
Brenda looked surprised when she saw me.
“You came.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“I need answers.”
She smiled sadly.
“You always did.”
I sat across from her.
“Tell me about Julian.”
Brenda looked at her lawyer.
He nodded.
She turned back to me.
“He recruited me twelve years ago.”
“I know.”
“He told me he was building something bigger than Vale International.”
“What?”
“An investment network.”
“That's what he told you?”
“Yes.”
“And you believed him?”
“I was young.”
“You were twenty-six.”
“That was young enough.”
I said nothing.
She continued.
“He promised me money.”
“Did you love him?”
She looked at me.
“No.”
“Did you fear him?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because the first person who betrayed him disappeared.”
“Who?”
“My sister.”
I remembered.
“You said she was murdered.”
“Yes.”
“And you believe Julian did it.”
“I know he did.”
“Proof?”
Brenda's eyes filled with tears.
“I saw the room.”
I waited.
“She had been beaten.”
Her voice cracked.
“The police called it an overdose.”
“Because Julian made it look that way.”
“Yes.”
I leaned forward.
“Then why did you keep working for him?”
Brenda looked at me.
“Because he told me my sister wasn't the only person he could hurt.”
I understood.
“Andrew.”
She nodded.
“Margaret.”
Another nod.
“Me.”
“Yes.”
She looked down.
“And someone else.”
“Who?”
“Your mother.”
I froze.
“What about her?”
“Julian was obsessed with her.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“You must know something.”
Brenda hesitated.
“Your mother was the only person Julian ever feared.”
At that moment, Brenda's phone rang.
She looked at the screen.
Unknown number.
Her face changed.
“Don't answer it,” I said.
She did anyway.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then her expression turned pale.
“What?”
She stood.
“Who is this?”
No answer.
Then the call ended.
I looked at her.
“What did he say?”
Brenda's hands were shaking.
“He said…”
She swallowed.
“He said I was next.”
That afternoon, we moved Brenda to a secure location.
She refused police protection.
She didn't trust them.
She didn't trust anyone.
I understood.
Because neither did I.
My sister Amelia was now staying in a protected house with Clara.
My mother was still missing.
Julian knew we had found Amelia.
And Andrew was under investigation.
Everything was collapsing at once.
Then Brenda called me.
“I found something.”
“What?”
“A ledger.”
“Where?”
“In my apartment.”
“You didn't mention it.”
“I didn't know it mattered.”
“What does it contain?”
“Names.”
“Whose names?”
“Everyone.”
I drove there immediately.
Brenda's apartment was almost empty.
Most of her belongings had already been seized.
She opened a hidden compartment beneath the floor.
Inside was a black ledger.
Old.
Handwritten.
I opened it.
The first page contained dates.
The second contained names.
The third contained numbers.
Then I saw my father's name.
VICTOR VALE — $18,000,000
I froze.
“What is this?”
Brenda shook her head.
“I don't know.”
I turned the page.
Margaret.
Andrew.
Me.
My mother.
Even Amelia.
Beside each name were dates.
Transactions.
Meetings.
Codes.
I looked at Brenda.
“You knew about this?”
“No.”
“Then who kept it?”
“Julian.”
I turned another page.
At the bottom was a sentence.
Every person has a price.
I stared at it.
Then beneath it:
Except Mariana.
I looked up.
“Why me?”
Brenda didn't answer.
She didn't know.
I kept reading.
Then I found something worse.
A column titled:
ENDGAME
Under it were four names.
Victor.
Andrew.
Mariana.
Amelia.
Beside them was one date.
Tomorrow.
I looked at Brenda.
“What's tomorrow?”
She shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Then I noticed something.
A fifth name.
Crossed out.
Margaret.
I stared.
“What does this mean?”
Brenda whispered:
“He killed her.”
My blood ran cold.
“Margaret?”
“No.”
She pointed at the name.
“Not killed.”
“What then?”
“Removed.”
We found Margaret that evening.
She was gone.
Her phone was off.
Her security detail had disappeared.
Her car was abandoned outside the mansion.
I felt a chill.
“Find her.”
Jonathan nodded.
“We're trying.”
“She knew too much.”
“Yes.”
“She was Julian's partner.”
“Yes.”
“She may have turned against him.”
Jonathan looked at me.
“Which makes her dangerous.”
I shook my head.
“Which makes her a target.”
At midnight, we received a video.
No sender.
No explanation.
Just a file.
I opened it.
Margaret was sitting in a dark room.
Her hands were tied.
Her face was bruised.
I stopped breathing.
Then Julian appeared behind her.
Older than in the photograph.
Calm.
Elegant.
Smiling.
He looked directly into the camera.
“Hello, Mariana.”
I felt ice move through my veins.
“You've been looking for me.”
He walked behind Margaret.
“You've been very successful.”
Margaret stared at the floor.
Julian continued.
“You found Amelia.”
I said nothing.
“You found your mother.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
Julian smiled.
“She was closer than you thought.”
He leaned toward Margaret.
“She tried to warn you.”
Margaret looked up.
“Mariana…”
Julian grabbed her hair.
“Enough.”
The video froze.
Then restarted.
Julian looked into the camera.
“You think Andrew betrayed you.”
A pause.
“You think Brenda betrayed you.”
Another.
“You think Margaret betrayed you.”
He smiled.
“You haven't met betrayal yet.”
The screen went black.
Then one final sentence appeared.
Ask your father why your mother was really allowed to live.
I went to my father immediately.
He was awake.
He didn't look surprised.
“You saw it.”
“Yes.”
“You need to leave.”
“No.”
“Mariana.”
“Tell me the truth.”
He looked away.
“About your mother.”
“Yes.”
He sat down.
For a long time, he said nothing.
Then:
“Your mother didn't die.”
“I know.”
“She made me tell you she did.”
“Why?”
“Because Julian had found Amelia.”
I stared at him.
“She was afraid.”
“Of Julian?”
“Yes.”
“And you?”
“I was afraid too.”
“Then why did you tell everyone she was dead?”
“Because we needed Julian to believe he had won.”
I felt tears rise.
“You let me mourn my mother for fourteen years.”
“I know.”
“You watched me grieve.”
“I know.”
“You watched me grow up believing she abandoned me.”
His voice broke.
“She didn't.”
“Then where is she?”
He looked at me.
“I don't know.”
I shook my head.
“You're lying.”
“No.”
“You always say that.”
“I truly don't know.”
I turned away.
Then he said:
“There is one thing I never told you.”
I stopped.
“Your mother didn't disappear alone.”
I looked back.
“Who was with her?”
He whispered:
“Brenda.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“Brenda helped your mother escape.”
I stared at him.
“That makes no sense.”
“She was working for Julian.”
“Yes.”
“But she betrayed him.”
“When?”
“The night your mother disappeared.”
I understood.
Brenda had never been only Julian's mistress.
She had been a double agent.
Maybe.
Or maybe that was another lie.
I called her.
No answer.
Again.
Nothing.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?”
A man's voice.
Julian.
“You finally understand.”
“Where is my mother?”
“Alive.”
“Where?”
“Ask Brenda.”
“She doesn't know.”
Julian laughed.
“She knows everything.”
“What do you want?”
“You.”
“You already have my money.”
“I don't want your money.”
“Then what?”
He paused.
“I want what your mother refused to give me.”
“What?”
“The truth.”
I frowned.
“About what?”
Julian's voice became quiet.
“About who your father really is.”
The call ended.
I stood frozen.
My father.
Julian.
My mother.
Amelia.
The missing years.
Everything had begun to point toward one terrifying possibility.
Maybe my father wasn't the man I believed he was.
And maybe my mother had spent fourteen years protecting me from a truth so dangerous…
that even Julian Cross was willing to kill for it.
The next morning, Brenda finally called.
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“I know where your mother is.”
My heart stopped.
“Where?”
“Come alone.”
“No.”
“Mariana.”
“I'm not making that mistake.”
“Then she'll die.”
I froze.
“Who?”
“Your mother.”
“Where are you?”
She gave me an address.
An abandoned railway station.
Before hanging up, she said:
“There's something else you need to know.”
“What?”
“I wasn't Julian's mistress.”
Silence.
“What?”
“I was his daughter.”
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
Brenda.
Julian's daughter.
The woman who had stolen thirty-eight million.
The woman who had helped destroy my marriage.
The woman who had betrayed everyone.
She had been protecting someone all along.
And suddenly I understood why Julian had never killed her.
Why he had trusted her.
Why she had feared him.
Why she had been so close to every secret.
Because Brenda wasn't just his accomplice.
She was family.
And if that was true…
then the woman I thought was my enemy might have been trying, in her own broken way, to protect me.
But there was only one way to find out.
I grabbed my coat.
The railway station was waiting.
May you like
And somewhere inside it, according to Brenda…
my mother was still alive.
