Chapter 5 - Adrian raised his gun.“Move away from them.”
Marcus held the knife against Nora's shoulder.
“She always was the brave one.”
Adrian's voice became dangerously calm.
“Put the knife down.”
Marcus smiled.
“You're still giving orders.”
“Because you're holding my daughter.”
“And you're still pretending this is a normal family.”
Nora stared at Marcus without crying.
Then she whispered something.
Marcus leaned closer.
“What?”
Nora said, “Mom said you'd forget the song.”
Marcus frowned.
Then Nora began humming.
Three notes.
Marcus's face changed.
The knife lowered.
Adrian noticed.
“What was that?”
Marcus looked at Nora.
“How do you know that?”
Nora smiled faintly.
“Because Grandma taught me.”
Marcus went completely still.
“Grandma is dead.”
Nora shook her head.
“No.”
Adrian looked between them.
“What is she talking about?”
A door opened.
An elderly woman entered the room.
White hair.
Walking cane.
Adrian knew her immediately.
His grandmother.
Evelyn Vale.
The woman Adrian had buried six years ago.
His hands trembled.
“Grandmother?”
She smiled.
“You've grown.”
Adrian couldn't speak.
The woman walked toward him.
“You always were difficult to fool.”
“Everyone is alive.”
“Yes.”
“My wife.”
“Yes.”
“My brother.”
“Yes.”
“You.”
“Yes.”
Adrian looked at Elena.
“This is insanity.”
“No,” his grandmother said.
“This is the Vale family.”
She turned toward the girls.
“They were never victims.”
Adrian's face hardened.
“What are they?”
The old woman smiled.
“Witnesses.”
A door slammed behind them.
Victor entered.
His security uniform was gone.
He was wearing a black suit.
Adrian stared.
“You.”
Victor nodded.
“I never wanted to kill you.”
“You shot at me.”
“To make you run.”
“Why?”
“Because your brother wanted you brought here.”
Marcus stepped forward.
“Victor.”
Victor looked at him.
“You failed.”
Victor shrugged.
“Not yet.”
Adrian aimed at Victor.
“Who ordered Evelyn's death?”
Nobody answered.
He raised his voice.
“WHO?”
His grandmother looked toward Evelyn.
“Ask your wife.”
Adrian turned.
Evelyn stared at him.
“I wasn't supposed to survive.”
“What happened?”
“My car was sabotaged.”
“The crash…”
“Yes.”
“You died?”
“No.”
“They took me.”
“Who?”
“My own father.”
Adrian froze.
“Your father?”
Evelyn nodded.
“He was working with your family.”
Adrian's jaw tightened.
“Then why bring you here?”
“Because I found the ledger.”
“The ledger?”
“The original record of every person your family paid, blackmailed, or disappeared.”
Adrian looked at his daughters.
“What do they have to do with it?”
Evelyn said:
“The girls saw something.”
Adrian frowned.
“What?”
“That night.”
“What night?”
“The night I disappeared.”
Nora slowly stepped forward.
“I saw Uncle Marcus push Grandma down the stairs.”
The room went silent.
Marcus's face changed.
Adrian looked at him.
“What?”
Nora continued.
“He thought she died.”
Marcus laughed.
“You're five years old.”
“I was three.”
“You can't remember that.”
Nora pointed at him.
“I remember your black watch.”
Marcus looked down at his wrist.
A black watch.
Adrian's pulse exploded.
The same detail Nora had mentioned earlier.
Adrian raised his gun.
Marcus slowly smiled.
“You finally see it.”
“What?”
“The girls weren't scared of the bad man.”
“They were scared because they knew his face.”
Adrian looked at Victor.
Then his grandmother.
Then Evelyn.
Everyone had been hiding something.
But there was one thing he still didn't know.
Why had Evelyn let him believe she was dead?
Before anyone could answer, every phone in the room began ringing.
Simultaneously.
Victor checked his screen.
His face turned white.
Adrian saw the message.
THE LEDGER HAS BEEN RELEASED.
Victor looked at Adrian.
“They found us.”
“Who?”
Victor whispered:
“The FBI.”
May you like
A second message appeared.
THEY'RE ALREADY INSIDE THE MANSION.
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