Chapter 13 — The Woman Who Turned on Everyone
Chapter 13 — The Woman Who Turned on Everyone
For three seconds, Charlotte couldn't breathe.
REBECCA VALE — LOCATION CONFIRMED.
SOLMERE UNDERGROUND LEVEL 9.
The message remained on the screen.
Then it vanished.
Charlotte turned toward Evelyn.
“Is she alive?”
Evelyn's lips trembled.
“Yes.”
“You knew where she was?”
“No.”
“But the system says she's here.”
“I didn't know.”
Charlotte looked at Arthur.
He was smiling.
That smile frightened her more than the gun had.
“You knew.”
Arthur said nothing.
Charlotte stepped toward him.
“You knew my mother was alive.”
“Yes.”
“You kept her here.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
Arthur's smile disappeared.
“Twenty-seven years.”
Charlotte's knees nearly gave way.
Twenty-seven years.
Her entire life.
Her mother had been alive beneath the empire she was supposed to inherit.
And Arthur had hidden her.
Nathan grabbed Charlotte's arm.
“We need to get down there.”
Arthur laughed.
“You think you can simply walk into Level 9?”
Adrian looked toward the security console.
“Apparently we can.”
“No.”
Arthur pointed toward the floor.
“Level 9 isn't an elevator.”
Charlotte frowned.
“Then what is it?”
Arthur looked at her.
“A grave.”
The room went silent.
Evelyn stepped forward.
“Arthur.”
He looked at her.
“You've lost.”
Arthur smiled.
“Have I?”
“You've lost the company.”
“Yes.”
“The board.”
“Yes.”
“The network.”
“Temporarily.”
“You've lost Charlotte.”
Arthur's expression changed.
Evelyn continued.
“And you lost Rebecca.”
Arthur's eyes hardened.
“You never understood her.”
“I understood enough.”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“Rebecca was always more dangerous than you.”
Charlotte interrupted.
“Stop talking about my mother like she's a weapon.”
Arthur looked at her.
“That is exactly what she was.”
Charlotte slapped him.
The entire room froze.
Arthur slowly turned his face back.
Charlotte's hand trembled.
“You don't get to call her that.”
Arthur smiled.
“Now I know you're truly hers.”
A security alarm sounded.
Then another.
The building shook slightly.
Adrian checked the control panel.
“Someone is accessing the underground system.”
“Who?” Nathan asked.
Adrian's expression changed.
“Unknown.”
Charlotte looked at Arthur.
“Is it Rebecca?”
Arthur smiled.
“No.”
“Then who?”
Arthur whispered:
“The woman who has been waiting for all of us to destroy each other.”
Charlotte's blood chilled.
“Who?”
Arthur didn't answer.
Instead, every screen in the boardroom turned black.
Then a woman's voice came through the speakers.
“Hello, Charlotte.”
Charlotte froze.
She knew the voice.
Bianca.
“You've been looking for your mother.”
A pause.
“You've been looking for the truth.”
Another pause.
“You've been looking for someone to blame.”
Charlotte stared at the speakers.
“Where are you?”
Bianca laughed softly.
“Everywhere.”
The doors suddenly opened.
Bianca stood outside.
No guards.
No weapon.
Just the same white dress she had worn earlier.
But there was something different about her now.
She looked exhausted.
Almost broken.
Charlotte walked toward her.
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“You attacked me.”
“Yes.”
“You pretended to hate me.”
“Yes.”
“You knew who I was.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Lily.”
“Yes.”
Charlotte's voice shook.
“Why?”
Bianca looked at Evelyn.
Then Arthur.
Then Julian.
“I was trying to survive.”
Charlotte stared.
“That's not enough.”
“I know.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
Bianca nodded.
“I will.”
She stepped into the room.
“I turned on everyone.”
Charlotte frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“I betrayed Arthur.”
Arthur laughed.
“You did more than that.”
Bianca continued.
“I betrayed Evelyn.”
Evelyn looked away.
“I betrayed Julian.”
Julian stared at her.
“I betrayed Nathan.”
Nathan's face hardened.
“And I betrayed you.”
Charlotte waited.
“Why?”
Bianca looked toward the ceiling.
“Because none of you knew who was really in control.”
She walked to the center of the boardroom.
“The Solmere network wasn't created by Arthur.”
Charlotte frowned.
“What?”
“It existed before him.”
“Who created it?”
Bianca looked at Evelyn.
“Rebecca.”
Charlotte's heart stopped.
“My mother?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect the family.”
Arthur interrupted.
“To control the family.”
Bianca looked at him.
“Both.”
Charlotte didn't understand.
“Explain.”
Bianca took a breath.
“Rebecca discovered that Solmere was being attacked by competitors who wanted to destroy it.”
“So she built the network.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did Arthur take control?”
“Because he realized the network could control more than businesses.”
Charlotte looked at the board.
“People.”
“Yes.”
“Governments.”
“Yes.”
“Identities.”
“Yes.”
Bianca nodded.
“Arthur turned your mother's protection system into a weapon.”
Charlotte looked toward Evelyn.
“And you?”
Evelyn answered.
“I tried to destroy it.”
Bianca shook her head.
“You tried to control it.”
Evelyn's eyes hardened.
“To keep it from Arthur.”
“Still control.”
Charlotte stepped between them.
“Enough.”
She looked at Bianca.
“What did you do?”
Bianca smiled sadly.
“I broke the system.”
“How?”
“I turned everyone against everyone.”
Charlotte stared.
“You manipulated the board.”
“Yes.”
“You exposed Arthur.”
“Yes.”
“You exposed Evelyn.”
“Yes.”
“You exposed Julian.”
“Yes.”
“You exposed me.”
Bianca nodded.
“Because truth was the only weapon Arthur couldn't control.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“Then why attack Charlotte in the lobby?”
Bianca looked at him.
“To save her.”
“You humiliated her.”
“I had to make everyone believe she was an outsider.”
Charlotte remembered the cameras.
The crowd.
The socialites.
The whispers.
Bianca dragging her across the marble floor.
“You knew the cameras were watching.”
“Yes.”
“You wanted them to record it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed Arthur to believe I had captured you.”
Charlotte's eyes widened.
“And the footage?”
“Was transmitted somewhere else.”
Adrian looked at the security console.
“Where?”
Bianca smiled.
“Level 9.”
The room went silent.
Charlotte looked toward the floor.
“My mother is there.”
“Yes.”
“Alive.”
“Yes.”
“Why haven't I seen her?”
“Because she can't leave.”
“Why?”
Bianca's expression became serious.
“Because Arthur wasn't the one keeping her there.”
Charlotte froze.
“Who was?”
Bianca looked at Evelyn.
“Ask your mother.”
Charlotte turned.
Evelyn's face had gone white.
“Mom?”
Evelyn whispered:
“I made the decision.”
Charlotte stepped backward.
“You locked her away?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“She asked me to.”
“Why?”
“Because Rebecca was dying.”
Charlotte stopped.
“What?”
Evelyn nodded.
“Rebecca has been sick for years.”
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“She didn't want you to remember her that way.”
Charlotte's voice broke.
“She was my mother.”
“I know.”
“You had no right.”
“I know.”
Charlotte turned away.
For the first time, Evelyn looked completely defeated.
A hidden door opened behind the boardroom wall.
Adrian stared.
“That wasn't there before.”
Bianca smiled.
“Of course it was.”
She walked toward it.
“Level 9.”
Charlotte followed.
Nathan followed her.
Adrian followed Nathan.
Even Julian moved.
Only Arthur remained behind.
Charlotte turned.
“You're coming.”
Arthur laughed.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Rebecca doesn't want me there.”
Charlotte stared.
“Good.”
She turned away.
Arthur called after her.
“Charlotte.”
She stopped.
“If you meet Rebecca, ask her why she abandoned you.”
Charlotte's eyes hardened.
“You're lying.”
“Ask her.”
Charlotte walked through the door.
The staircase descended farther than she expected.
One level.
Two.
Three.
The air became colder.
Five.
Six.
The walls changed from polished stone to reinforced steel.
Seven.
Eight.
Then the staircase stopped.
A steel door stood before them.
LEVEL 9.
Charlotte reached for the handle.
Locked.
Bianca entered a code.
Nothing happened.
She entered another.
Still nothing.
Nathan frowned.
“What's wrong?”
Bianca looked confused.
“This should work.”
Adrian examined the panel.
“It's biometric.”
“Whose?”
Adrian looked at Charlotte.
“Yours.”
Charlotte placed her hand against the scanner.
The door opened.
A hospital room waited beyond it.
White walls.
Medical equipment.
Machines.
A bed.
And a woman lying beneath a blanket.
Charlotte stopped.
The woman slowly opened her eyes.
She looked older than the photograph.
Much older.
But Charlotte knew.
She knew before anyone spoke.
Rebecca.
Her mother.
Charlotte's legs weakened.
Rebecca smiled.
“Hello, sweetheart.”
Charlotte covered her mouth.
“Mom?”
Rebecca nodded.
Charlotte walked forward.
Then stopped.
Too many years.
Too many lies.
Too much pain.
Rebecca opened her arms.
Charlotte finally collapsed into them.
For a moment, the entire war disappeared.
There was only a mother and daughter holding each other after twenty-seven years.
Rebecca whispered:
“I've waited so long.”
Charlotte cried against her.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I know.”
“Why didn't you come?”
“I couldn't.”
“Why?”
Rebecca looked toward Evelyn.
“Because I made her promise.”
Charlotte turned.
“Why?”
Rebecca's voice weakened.
“Because someone was hunting you.”
“Who?”
Rebecca looked at Bianca.
Bianca lowered her head.
Rebecca whispered:
“The person who killed your father.”
Charlotte froze.
“My father wasn't killed by an accident.”
“No.”
“Who killed him?”
Rebecca looked directly into Charlotte's eyes.
“Your brother.”
Nathan stepped backward.
“What?”
Rebecca closed her eyes.
“I'm sorry.”
Charlotte turned toward Nathan.
Nathan was shaking.
“I didn't.”
Rebecca whispered:
“Not Nathan.”
Charlotte frowned.
“Then who?”
Rebecca opened her eyes.
“Your other brother.”
Charlotte stared.
“Julian?”
Rebecca shook her head.
“No.”
A terrible silence filled the room.
Rebecca whispered:
“His name was Michael.”
Charlotte's blood ran cold.
“Who is Michael?”
Rebecca looked toward the door.
Then whispered:
“Your father.”
Charlotte stopped breathing.
“What?”
Rebecca continued.
“The man you knew as Thomas wasn't your biological father.”
Charlotte stared.
“Then who was?”
Rebecca's eyes filled with tears.
“Michael.”
Charlotte felt the world disappear beneath her.
Behind them, the door slammed shut.
The lights went out.
And a man's voice came from the darkness.
“Finally.”
A match struck.
A face appeared in the brief flame.
Arthur.
But he was not alone.
Beside him stood a man Charlotte had never seen before.
Rebecca began screaming.
“No.”
Charlotte turned.
The stranger smiled.
May you like
Rebecca whispered his name.
“Michael.”
