Chapter 6 — The Man Behind Her Mother’s Death
Chapter 6 — The Man Behind Her Mother’s Death
Charlotte did not sleep.
Not after hearing her father's voice.
Not after learning that the will her mother had hidden contained a warning.
And certainly not after hearing the final sentence.
Your mother didn't hide the will to protect your inheritance. She hid it to protect you from me.
By four in the morning, Charlotte had replayed the call thirty-seven times.
The voice was unmistakable.
She remembered it from childhood.
Her father reading stories to her.
His laugh.
The way he used to call her little star.
The night he supposedly died, she had screamed until her throat hurt.
Her mother had held her for hours.
She had told Charlotte:
“Your father loved you.”
Then she had said something Charlotte never understood.
“He would want you to forget him.”
Charlotte had spent twenty-two years believing that meant grief.
Now she wondered if it meant fear.
She looked at the old photograph on her desk.
Her father stood beside Eleanor.
Behind them was Daniel Cross.
And in the corner of the photograph was another man.
Partially hidden.
Charlotte enlarged the image.
She recognized him.
Her blood turned cold.
Thomas Vale.
But Thomas was not the only person in the photograph.
Beside him stood a man Charlotte had seen on television dozens of times.
The chairman of the national banking consortium.
Richard Hale.
One of the most powerful financiers in the country.
Charlotte whispered:
“What were you all doing together?”
Her phone vibrated.
A message.
Stop looking.
Charlotte stared at the screen.
Another message arrived.
You have already lost your mother. Don't make your father your second funeral.
She immediately called Daniel.
No answer.
She called Edward.
No answer.
Then Mr. Bennett.
He answered after the fourth ring.
“Charlotte?”
“Did you receive a message?”
“What message?”
She read it to him.
Silence.
“Mr. Bennett?”
“Don't leave the apartment.”
“Why?”
“Because now they know your father contacted you.”
Charlotte stood.
“Who?”
“I'll come to you.”
“No.”
“Charlotte—”
“I need answers.”
“You're not ready.”
“I've spent my entire life being told I'm not ready.”
She grabbed her coat.
“I'm done waiting.”
At 7:10 a.m., Charlotte entered the underground parking garage.
She immediately noticed something wrong.
One of the security cameras was pointed toward the wall.
She stopped.
The garage was empty.
Too empty.
She reached for her phone.
A car engine started behind her.
Charlotte turned.
Black SUV.
It accelerated.
She jumped aside.
The vehicle missed her by inches.
It slammed into a concrete pillar.
Charlotte froze.
The driver's door opened.
A masked man stepped out.
He raised a gun.
Charlotte ran.
She heard a shot.
The bullet struck the wall.
She reached the emergency stairwell.
The door slammed behind her.
She ran down.
Footsteps followed.
One floor.
Two.
Three.
Then a hand grabbed her shoulder.
Charlotte screamed.
She turned.
Daniel.
He pulled her into a dark corridor.
“Quiet.”
She shoved him away.
“You!”
“Are you hurt?”
“You tried to kill me!”
“No.”
“You pointed a gun at me!”
“To protect you.”
“You keep saying that!”
Daniel looked toward the stairs.
“We don't have time.”
Charlotte glared.
“Then start talking.”
He stared at her.
“Your father is alive.”
“I know.”
Daniel froze.
“How?”
“He called me.”
“When?”
“Last night.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Then we're already too late.”
“For what?”
“He shouldn't have contacted you.”
“Why?”
“Because the man who killed your mother is looking for him.”
Charlotte's heart stopped.
“You said my mother wasn't murdered by Thomas.”
“She wasn't.”
“Then who?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Richard Hale.”
Charlotte felt the air leave her lungs.
“The banker?”
“Yes.”
“Why would he kill my mother?”
“Because your mother discovered what he had done.”
“What?”
Daniel looked toward the garage.
“Come with me.”
They drove for twenty minutes without speaking.
Charlotte finally broke the silence.
“Tell me everything.”
Daniel kept his eyes on the road.
“Twenty-three years ago, your father discovered that Solmere was being used to move billions of dollars through offshore accounts.”
“By Richard Hale?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Money.”
Charlotte shook her head.
“That doesn't explain anything.”
Daniel sighed.
“Your father had access to the company's private banking network.”
He looked at her.
“He discovered accounts belonging to politicians, corporations, foreign investors and criminal organizations.”
Charlotte stared.
“And he wanted to expose them.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
“Hale found out.”
“And Thomas?”
“Thomas was already working with him.”
“Adrian?”
“Adrian wasn't born yet.”
Charlotte frowned.
“Then why did Thomas betray my father?”
“Because Hale promised him control of Solmere.”
Charlotte's stomach tightened.
“And my mother?”
“She found out.”
“What did she do?”
“She helped your father.”
“Then why did my father disappear?”
Daniel's voice became quiet.
“He didn't disappear.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“He was captured.”
“By Hale?”
“Yes.”
“What happened to him?”
“He escaped.”
Charlotte's heart raced.
“When?”
“Two weeks before the accident that supposedly killed him.”
Charlotte stared.
“Then why did everyone say he died?”
“Because Hale needed him to be dead.”
“And my mother agreed to the lie?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect you.”
Charlotte looked out the window.
She had heard those words so many times.
They suddenly sounded different.
Daniel drove into an old industrial district.
An abandoned warehouse stood at the end of the road.
Charlotte looked at him.
“Why are we here?”
“Your father used to work here.”
“Twenty years ago?”
“Yes.”
They entered through a side door.
Inside was darkness.
Daniel turned on a light.
A table.
Two chairs.
A wall covered with photographs.
Charlotte walked closer.
Her mother.
Her father.
Thomas.
Richard Hale.
Daniel.
And dozens of other people.
She stared.
“This is an investigation.”
“Yes.”
“Who made it?”
“Your father.”
Charlotte touched a photograph.
“When?”
“Before he disappeared.”
“Then how did you get it?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Your mother gave it to me.”
Charlotte turned.
“When?”
“The night before she died.”
Charlotte stared.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because she made me promise.”
Charlotte laughed bitterly.
“Of course.”
Daniel looked at her.
“She knew Hale was coming.”
“Then why didn't she run?”
“Because she believed running would make you a target.”
Charlotte looked at the photographs.
“Where is Hale now?”
“Still in control of the banking consortium.”
“And Thomas?”
“Dead.”
Charlotte froze.
“What?”
“Thomas died six months ago.”
“No.”
Daniel nodded.
“He was murdered.”
“By Hale?”
“Yes.”
Charlotte stared at the wall.
“Then who is helping Hale now?”
Daniel didn't answer.
Charlotte slowly turned.
“Adrian.”
Daniel's silence confirmed it.
Suddenly, a voice came from behind them.
“Very good.”
Charlotte spun around.
A man stepped out of the shadows.
Richard Hale.
He looked older than his photographs.
But his eyes were sharp.
Cold.
Almost amused.
Charlotte instinctively stepped backward.
Hale smiled.
“Charlotte.”
She stared.
“You killed my mother.”
“No.”
“You ordered it.”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
Hale walked toward her.
“Your mother was given a choice.”
“What choice?”
“She could hand over the original Solmere records.”
“And she refused.”
“Yes.”
“So you killed her.”
Hale smiled.
“Your mother died because she trusted the wrong person.”
Charlotte's heart stopped.
“Who?”
Hale looked at Daniel.
“Ask him.”
Charlotte turned.
Daniel's face was pale.
Hale laughed.
“Your protector never told you the entire truth.”
Charlotte stared at Daniel.
“What did you do?”
Daniel said nothing.
Hale continued.
“Daniel was there the night your mother died.”
Charlotte's breathing stopped.
“That's impossible.”
“He watched.”
Charlotte turned toward Daniel.
“Is that true?”
Daniel closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Charlotte stepped backward.
“You were there?”
“Yes.”
“You saw her die?”
“Yes.”
“And you did nothing?”
Daniel's voice broke.
“I was ordered to stand down.”
“By whom?”
He looked at Hale.
Charlotte's face hardened.
“By him.”
“Yes.”
Hale smiled.
“And now you finally understand.”
Charlotte looked at Daniel.
“You let her die.”
“I was trying to save you.”
“You let my mother die!”
Daniel lowered his head.
Charlotte slapped him.
The sound echoed through the warehouse.
Daniel didn't react.
Hale smiled.
“Family loyalty is such a beautiful thing.”
Charlotte turned toward him.
“You're a monster.”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“I'm a businessman.”
“You murdered people.”
“People die when they stand in the way of power.”
Charlotte stared.
“And my father?”
Hale's smile vanished.
“He knows too much.”
“Where is he?”
“You're closer than you think.”
Charlotte's heart raced.
“What does that mean?”
Hale reached into his coat.
Daniel immediately raised his weapon.
Hale smiled.
“Don't.”
He pulled out a photograph.
He placed it on the table.
Charlotte picked it up.
It showed a small house.
A man stood outside.
Older.
Gray-haired.
Charlotte knew immediately.
Her father.
Alive.
The photograph had been taken yesterday.
Charlotte's hands shook.
“Where is this?”
Hale smiled.
“Somewhere you can never reach.”
Charlotte looked up.
“You're afraid of him.”
Hale's expression hardened.
“No.”
“You are.”
Charlotte stepped closer.
“If you weren't afraid, he would be dead.”
Hale stared at her.
Charlotte smiled.
“My father knows something that can destroy you.”
Silence.
Hale finally spoke.
“Your father knows where the original financial records are.”
Charlotte froze.
“That's what this is about.”
“Yes.”
“The ownership papers were never the real prize.”
“No.”
“It's the records.”
“Yes.”
“And my mother hid them.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Hale smiled.
“That's what I want you to find.”
Charlotte frowned.
“Why?”
“Because your mother left the trail for you.”
He stepped backward.
“She knew you would come looking.”
Charlotte realized something.
Hale didn't want her dead.
He wanted her to find something.
Something he couldn't find himself.
Her mother had hidden the evidence somewhere only Charlotte could access.
Hale wanted Charlotte to uncover it for him.
Charlotte looked at Daniel.
Then Hale.
Then the photograph of her father.
She understood.
This entire war had been designed around her.
Her mother's death.
The false will.
The stolen inheritance.
The hotel attack.
Everything.
They had been pushing Charlotte toward something.
“What did my mother hide?”
Hale smiled.
“The one thing that can destroy me.”
Sirens suddenly sounded outside.
Hale looked toward the warehouse entrance.
Daniel stared at Charlotte.
“Go.”
“What?”
“Now.”
Hale turned.
Security vehicles surrounded the building.
But Hale wasn't concerned.
He simply smiled.
“You still don't understand.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“What?”
He pointed toward her.
“You're not the heir they fear.”
Charlotte frowned.
“Then what am I?”
Hale's eyes became cold.
“You're the key.”
Charlotte ran.
Daniel followed.
They escaped through a rear tunnel.
When they emerged, Charlotte's phone rang.
Unknown number.
She answered.
A weak voice whispered:
“Charlotte…”
Her heart stopped.
“Dad?”
“Yes.”
“Where are you?”
“I can't stay here.”
“Tell me where.”
“Your mother left something for you.”
“What?”
“A key.”
Charlotte froze.
“What key?”
“The one that opens the final vault.”
“Where is it?”
A pause.
“Inside your mother's grave.”
Charlotte's blood turned cold.
“Dad?”
“Charlotte…”
His voice became weaker.
“Don't trust Daniel.”
The call ended.
Charlotte slowly lowered the phone.
Daniel stared at her.
“What did he say?”
Charlotte looked at him.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then:
“He told me not to trust you.”
Daniel's face changed.
Charlotte walked closer.
“Were you working for Hale?”
“No.”
“Were you?”
“No.”
“Then prove it.”
“How?”
“Take me to my mother's grave.”
Daniel stared.
“Why?”
“Because my father says the final key is there.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Charlotte, that's impossible.”
“You said the same thing about my father being alive.”
He had no answer.
Charlotte walked toward the car.
Daniel followed.
Behind them, the warehouse windows exploded.
Flames rose into the night.
The photographs on the walls were burning.
The evidence was disappearing.
But Charlotte had memorized one thing.
Richard Hale's face.
She would never forget it.
At midnight, Charlotte stood before her mother's grave.
The cemetery was empty.
Rain began falling.
She knelt.
Her hands trembled as she touched the stone.
“Mom.”
Nothing.
She looked at Daniel.
“Where do I dig?”
He stared at the grave.
“I don't know.”
Charlotte picked up a shovel.
She began digging.
One inch.
Two.
Five.
Ten.
Daniel tried to stop her.
“Charlotte.”
“Help me.”
They dug together.
Then the shovel struck metal.
Charlotte froze.
Daniel cleared the dirt.
A small steel box appeared.
Charlotte opened it.
Inside was a key.
A photograph.
And a note.
She unfolded the note.
Her mother's handwriting.
Charlotte, if you found this, then Hale has finally come for you.
Charlotte's eyes filled with tears.
The man behind my death is not the only person you should fear.
She continued reading.
The person who betrayed me is someone you love.
Charlotte looked up.
Daniel was standing several feet away.
Her heart sank.
The note continued.
And when you discover who it is, you will understand why I had to let the world believe I was dead.
Charlotte's hands shook.
Then she turned the photograph over.
There was a single name.
Adrian.
Charlotte stared.
Her cousin.
The man she had trusted.
The man who had helped manage her inheritance.
The man who had publicly defended her.
The man who had told the world she was unstable.
And suddenly, every memory looked different.
Adrian knew about the forged will.
Adrian knew about the ownership papers.
Adrian knew about her mother's death.
And now Charlotte understood the most frightening part.
Richard Hale hadn't been working alone.
He had someone inside the Vale family.
Someone who had been beside Charlotte from the beginning.
May you like
Someone who had never needed to drag her across a marble floor.
Because Charlotte had willingly walked straight into his trap.
