Chapter 2: The Man Who Knew Her Mother
For three seconds, nobody moved.
The Solmere lobby had become a frozen photograph.
Daniel Cross lay motionless on the marble floor.
Blood spread beneath his shoulder.
Someone screamed.
A woman dropped her champagne glass.
A security guard shouted for everyone to get down.
And Charlotte Vale stood in the center of the chaos, staring at the man who had just fallen.
“Daniel!”
She dropped beside him.
Her hands trembled as she pressed them against the wound.
“Stay with me.”
Daniel's eyes opened.
Barely.
His lips moved.
Charlotte leaned closer.
“What?”
His voice was almost inaudible.
“Don't…”
He coughed.
“Don't trust…”
His eyes shifted toward the eastern corridor.
Charlotte followed his gaze.
Nothing.
Only darkness.
“Who?”
Daniel's fingers closed around her wrist.
“Your mother…”
He swallowed painfully.
“She knew…”
His grip weakened.
“Everything.”
Then his eyes closed again.
“Daniel!”
Charlotte looked up.
“Call an ambulance!”
A security guard immediately grabbed his radio.
But Victoria Sterling was standing several feet away, staring at Charlotte.
Her face had lost all color.
The giant screen behind the reception desk still displayed Charlotte's identity.
CHARLOTTE ELIZABETH VALE.
LEGAL HEIR OF THE SOLMERE EMPIRE.
Victoria stared at it.
Then at Charlotte.
Then back at the screen.
“No.”
Her voice was barely a whisper.
“No, that's impossible.”
One of the executives beside her stepped forward.
His name was Richard Hale.
Chief Financial Officer of Solmere Holdings.
He had worked beside Charlotte's mother for eighteen years.
He was also the man who had been watching Charlotte since she entered the hotel.
Richard quickly forced a concerned expression onto his face.
“This system must have been compromised.”
Victoria turned toward him.
“You know her?”
Richard hesitated.
“No.”
Charlotte heard him.
She slowly stood.
Blood stained her palms.
“You're lying.”
Richard's expression tightened.
“I don't know what you're talking about.”
“You recognized me.”
“I didn't.”
“You did.”
Charlotte stepped toward him.
“You looked at me before anyone else did.”
Richard's jaw tightened.
Then he smiled.
A small, controlled smile.
“Miss Vale, you have been through a traumatic experience. Perhaps you should sit down.”
Charlotte stared at him.
“You knew my mother.”
“I worked for her.”
“Then you knew me.”
Richard said nothing.
That silence told Charlotte everything.
A memory suddenly surfaced.
She was twelve years old.
Standing outside her mother's office.
She remembered hearing voices behind the door.
Her mother had been arguing with a man.
A man's voice.
Cold.
Threatening.
Charlotte had never seen his face.
But she remembered one sentence.
If you tell Charlotte the truth, you'll lose everything.
Her mother had replied:
I'd rather lose everything than let you touch my daughter.
Charlotte had forgotten the memory for years.
Until now.
She looked at Richard.
“You were there.”
His face changed.
Only slightly.
But Charlotte saw it.
“You were the man arguing with my mother.”
Richard stepped backward.
“You're mistaken.”
“No.”
Charlotte's voice became colder.
“I remember your voice.”
Suddenly, Victoria stepped between them.
“This is ridiculous.”
Charlotte looked at her.
Victoria's confidence had returned.
“You think because some screen says you're an heir, you can accuse everyone here?”
Charlotte said nothing.
Victoria pointed at her.
“You were trespassing.”
Charlotte stared at her bloodied hands.
“You dragged me across this floor.”
Victoria's face tightened.
“You attacked me first.”
A murmur moved through the crowd.
Charlotte looked around.
Dozens of people had their phones raised.
Recording.
Every second.
Victoria realized it too.
She quickly changed her expression.
“I was protecting myself.”
Charlotte almost smiled.
“You were protecting yourself?”
Victoria nodded.
“Yes.”
“From me?”
“Yes.”
Charlotte stepped closer.
“You had six security guards.”
Victoria's lips parted.
Charlotte continued.
“And you still needed to drag me across the floor?”
Victoria's face flushed.
“You don't understand who you're dealing with.”
Charlotte looked directly into her eyes.
“I think I do.”
Then she whispered:
“But you don't.”
Before Victoria could answer, the emergency doors burst open.
Paramedics rushed inside.
They immediately surrounded Daniel.
“Everyone move!”
Charlotte stepped aside.
As they lifted Daniel onto a stretcher, his hand suddenly reached toward her.
His fingers caught hers.
Charlotte leaned down.
Daniel's eyes opened.
“Vault…”
She frowned.
“What vault?”
His voice was weak.
“Your mother…”
He breathed painfully.
“Left you…”
His eyes moved toward the executive offices.
“Something…”
“What?”
Daniel squeezed her hand.
“Basement.”
Then he lost consciousness.
Charlotte froze.
The paramedics rushed him away.
Richard immediately turned.
“Secure the basement.”
Charlotte heard him.
Her eyes narrowed.
“Why?”
Richard stopped.
“The basement is restricted.”
“Why?”
“Because it contains confidential company records.”
Charlotte took one step toward him.
“Then that's exactly where I'm going.”
Richard's face hardened.
“You can't.”
Charlotte smiled.
For the first time that night, there was no fear in her expression.
“Actually…”
She looked at the giant screen still displaying her identity.
“I can.”
Richard said nothing.
Charlotte turned toward the security desk.
“Open the basement.”
The head of security looked at Richard.
Richard gave a subtle shake of his head.
Charlotte saw it.
She reached into her pocket.
She pulled out a small black card.
It looked ordinary.
Almost worthless.
But when she placed it against the security terminal, every screen in the lobby flashed.
FOUNDER ACCESS ACCEPTED.
The security chief stared.
“That's impossible.”
Charlotte looked at him.
“My mother gave it to me the night before she died.”
Richard suddenly stepped forward.
“Give me that card.”
Charlotte pulled it away.
“Why?”
Richard's voice became sharp.
“Because it's company property.”
“No.”
Charlotte looked at the card.
“It's mine.”
Richard's face darkened.
Then someone behind him whispered:
“Richard…”
He turned.
An assistant was holding a phone.
Her face was terrified.
“What?”
She showed him the screen.
Richard's eyes widened.
Charlotte noticed.
“What is it?”
He quickly lowered the phone.
“Nothing.”
Charlotte walked toward him.
“Show me.”
“No.”
She reached for it.
Richard pulled it away.
Their eyes locked.
Then the assistant accidentally spoke.
“They found the old shareholder register.”
Charlotte froze.
“What old shareholder register?”
Nobody answered.
Charlotte looked at Richard.
“What register?”
Richard remained silent.
The assistant looked terrified.
Charlotte's voice became quiet.
“Tell me.”
The assistant swallowed.
“The original ownership records.”
Charlotte's heartbeat quickened.
“Where?”
The assistant glanced at Richard.
“Basement archive.”
Charlotte turned toward the elevator.
Richard grabbed her arm.
“Don't go down there.”
Charlotte looked at his hand.
Then at his face.
“You're afraid.”
Richard released her.
“No.”
“You are.”
Charlotte stepped into the elevator.
Richard followed.
“So are you.”
The elevator doors closed.
For several seconds, neither spoke.
Charlotte pressed the button marked B3.
Richard immediately reached out.
“Don't.”
Charlotte pushed his hand away.
“Why?”
“There is nothing down there.”
“You're lying again.”
The elevator began descending.
B1.
B2.
B3.
The lights flickered.
Charlotte looked at the floor indicator.
Then she noticed something strange.
There was another button beneath B3.
It had no label.
Just a small symbol.
A black circle surrounded by a silver ring.
Charlotte stared at it.
“I've never seen this before.”
Richard said nothing.
Charlotte pressed it.
The elevator stopped.
Then began descending again.
Much deeper.
Richard's expression changed completely.
“Charlotte…”
She turned.
“What?”
He whispered:
“You shouldn't have pressed that.”
The elevator continued downward.
B4.
B5.
B6.
The lights inside turned red.
A mechanical voice spoke.
WELCOME, MISS VALE.
Charlotte's blood ran cold.
Richard stepped backward.
The elevator doors opened.
Beyond them was a long underground corridor.
At the end stood a massive steel door.
Charlotte walked toward it.
A scanner lit up.
IDENTITY CONFIRMED.
The steel door unlocked.
Inside was a room filled with boxes, hard drives, photographs, and old financial documents.
Charlotte stepped inside.
Then she saw the largest object in the room.
A wall covered with photographs.
Photographs of her mother.
Photographs of Richard.
Photographs of other executives.
And photographs of Charlotte.
Taken secretly.
For years.
Her stomach turned.
Someone had been watching her.
Since childhood.
She stepped closer.
There were photographs of her at school.
At university.
At airports.
Outside her apartment.
Even photographs taken only weeks before her mother died.
Charlotte's breathing became shallow.
Then she saw one photograph that made her blood run cold.
It showed her mother standing beside a man.
The man's face was partially hidden.
But Charlotte recognized the watch on his wrist.
The same silver watch she remembered from her childhood.
The same man whose voice she had heard outside her mother's office.
Richard stood behind Charlotte.
She slowly turned.
“You knew.”
Richard didn't answer.
Charlotte pointed at the photograph.
“Who is he?”
Richard's face had gone pale.
“You don't want to know.”
“Yes.”
“No.”
Charlotte stepped toward him.
“Who is he?”
Richard's eyes filled with fear.
Then a voice came from the darkness behind them.
“You really shouldn't have come back, Charlotte.”
She froze.
Richard looked toward the doorway.
The voice continued.
“Your mother made the same mistake.”
Charlotte slowly turned.
A man stepped out of the shadows.
Silver hair.
Black suit.
And on his wrist...
the same silver watch.
Charlotte's eyes widened.
She knew him.
Everyone knew him.
He was the most powerful man on the Solmere board.
The man who had supposedly disappeared from the company five years ago.
Her mother's older brother.
Her uncle.
Victor Vale.
He smiled.
“You look exactly like your mother.”
Charlotte couldn't speak.
Victor took one slow step forward.
“And unfortunately…”
His smile disappeared.
“…you have her habit of asking questions.”
Then the steel door behind Charlotte suddenly slammed shut.
CLANG.
She was trapped underground with the man who had been hunting her family for twenty years.
And Victor had one final sentence for her.
“Your mother didn't die because of the empire.”
May you like
He looked directly into her eyes.
“She died because she discovered who your father really was.”
