CHAPTER 10 — The Daughter of the Enemy
CHAPTER 10 — The Daughter of the Enemy
Dominic Vale had spent his entire life believing one thing.
Family was blood.
Blood created loyalty.
Blood created responsibility.
Blood created enemies.
But after everything he discovered...
he began to understand something far more dangerous.
Sometimes the people closest to you were not the ones who shared your blood.
Sometimes the person standing beside you was the one who saved you.
And sometimes...
the person carrying your family name was the one trying to destroy it.
The words from Marcus repeated in his mind.
"It was someone from your own family."
Dominic stood inside his office, staring at the old family tree hanging on the wall.
Generations of Vales.
Power.
Influence.
Legacy.
A legacy built on secrets.
"Who?"
Marcus remained silent.
That alone told Dominic the answer was serious.
"Marcus."
His security chief looked down.
"We need more confirmation."
Dominic turned slowly.
"You came to me because you already know."
Silence.
Finally, Marcus placed a folder on the desk.
"The person who helped Elena survive..."
He opened the file.
"...was Isabella Vale."
Dominic stopped.
His aunt.
His father's younger sister.
The woman who had raised him after his parents died.
The woman who told him he was like a son to her.
Impossible.
"No."
The word came out quietly.
Marcus did not argue.
Because he knew Dominic needed time.
"Why would she help Elena?"
Marcus answered carefully.
"That is what we are trying to understand."
But Dominic already knew one thing.
Nothing in his family happened without a reason.
THE WOMAN WHO SAVED ELENA
Across the city, Elena sat beside the window.
Harper was asleep beside her.
Again.
Like she was afraid that if she closed her eyes too long...
her mother would disappear.
Mia stood near the doorway.
Watching.
"You should sit."
Elena looked up.
"I don't know if I deserve this."
Mia's expression softened.
"You don't have to earn being her mother."
Elena looked at her.
"I left her."
"No."
Mia shook her head.
"You survived."
A painful silence followed.
"Do you hate me?"
The question surprised Mia.
"No."
"How?"
Mia looked at Harper.
"Because she loved you."
Elena's eyes filled with tears.
"She remembered me?"
Mia nodded.
"Every day."
That answer broke something inside Elena.
Because losing her memories had been terrifying.
But discovering her child remembered her...
was unbearable.
THE WOMAN WHO CAME BACK DIFFERENT
Elena remembered fragments.
Not everything.
Never everything.
A road.
Rain.
A crash.
A voice.
A hand pulling her away from the wreckage.
Then darkness.
When she woke up, she had no name.
No history.
No family.
Only one thing remained.
A feeling.
Someone was waiting for her.
For years, she searched for answers.
And when memories finally returned...
she learned the truth.
She had a husband.
A daughter.
A life.
And someone had stolen all of it.
THE ENEMY'S DAUGHTER
Claire Bennett arrived at an abandoned warehouse outside the city.
She was no longer the elegant woman who walked into the wedding.
The perfect image was gone.
She was angry.
Humiliated.
Desperate.
A man waited inside.
"You're late."
Claire looked at him.
"I need your help."
The man smiled.
"You already used my help once."
Claire's expression changed.
"Who are you?"
He stepped forward.
"Someone who knows Dominic Vale better than anyone."
Then he said the name.
"Adrian Vale."
Claire froze.
Dominic's cousin.
The man everyone believed disappeared years ago.
"You are alive?"
Adrian smiled.
"People disappear when powerful families need them to."
THE SECRET OF THE VALE FAMILY
Dominic arrived at Isabella's house that evening.
No warning.
No invitation.
The older woman looked surprised when she opened the door.
Then she saw his face.
And she knew.
"You found out."
Dominic entered.
"How long?"
Isabella closed the door.
"How long did you know Elena survived?"
Silence.
Then:
"Since the night of the accident."
The answer hurt more than he expected.
"You knew."
Isabella nodded.
"I found her before Nathan did."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Her eyes became sad.
"Because I was trying to keep her alive."
Dominic stared.
"From who?"
Isabella looked at him.
"From your own family."
THE NIGHT ELENA WAS SAVED
Isabella explained.
After the crash, Elena was found alive.
Barely.
Nathan arrived first.
But he did not call an ambulance.
He searched the car.
Looking for something.
Documents.
Evidence.
Elena was conscious.
She saw him.
And she knew.
Nathan was not there to save her.
He was there to finish what he started.
Isabella arrived minutes later.
She forced Nathan away.
She took Elena.
She hid her.
But there was a problem.
Elena had lost her memory.
And Nathan controlled everyone who could help.
So Isabella made a choice.
She disappeared Elena.
Dominic listened silently.
"You should have told me."
Isabella nodded.
"I should have."
"Why didn't you trust me?"
The old woman looked at him.
"Because I knew you."
A pause.
"You would have fought Nathan immediately."
Dominic said nothing.
"You would have exposed yourself."
"And Elena would have died."
The truth hurt because he knew it was possible.
THE SECOND BETRAYAL
When Dominic returned home...
he found Claire waiting.
But she was not alone.
Adrian Vale stood beside her.
Dominic stopped.
The past he thought was buried had returned.
"Hello, cousin."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"You were supposed to be dead."
Adrian smiled.
"That's what made hiding so easy."
Claire looked between them.
"I think we should talk."
Dominic laughed quietly.
"No."
He stepped forward.
"You should explain."
Adrian smiled.
"About what?"
Dominic's voice became colder.
"About why everyone who betrayed me eventually leads back to you."
The room went silent.
Because Dominic finally understood.
Nathan.
Claire.
The accident.
The lies.
They were not separate events.
They were pieces of one plan.
A plan created by someone who had spent years waiting.
Adrian Vale looked at him.
And for the first time...
Dominic saw the truth.
The enemy had never wanted his money.
They wanted his name.
May you like
And they were willing to destroy everyone he loved to take it.
END OF CHAPTER 10
