Chapter 6: The Forgotten Son of Laurent
Chapter 6: The Forgotten Son of Laurent
The name echoed through the rooftop.
Daniel Laurent.
Nobody breathed.
Nobody spoke.
Because the name itself was impossible.
For years, the Laurent family had been presented to the world as a perfect dynasty.
Richard Laurent.
His daughter Isabella.
His brother Victor.
That was the family everyone knew.
That was the family written about in magazines.
But now, standing beneath the city lights, was a man who claimed to be Richard Laurent’s forgotten son.
A son nobody had ever heard about.
A son who had been erased.
Isabella stared at him.
Her mind searched through every memory she had.
Every family photograph.
Every birthday celebration.
Every holiday dinner.
There had never been a Daniel.
Never.
“You’re lying.”
The words escaped her before she could stop them.
Daniel did not look offended.
He looked like someone who had heard those words many times before.
“I expected that.”
Isabella stepped closer.
“My father would have told me.”
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“Would he?”
The question hurt.
Because after everything tonight, she no longer knew what to believe.
Elena watched Daniel carefully.
“You shouldn’t be here.”
Daniel looked at her.
“I know.”
His expression became serious.
“But after tonight, hiding is no longer an option.”
Adrian laughed quietly.
“Another Laurent secret.”
He shook his head.
“This family really is unbelievable.”
Victoria looked at him.
“You’re the last person who should speak.”
Adrian ignored her.
He focused on Daniel.
“If you’re really Richard’s son, why did nobody know?”
Daniel looked at the crowd.
“Because my father wanted it that way.”
The answer shocked everyone.
Isabella looked at him.
“Why?”
Daniel took a deep breath.
“Because I was the reason he lost everything.”
Silence.
Elena’s eyes narrowed.
“Explain.”
Daniel opened the folder he had brought.
Inside were old documents.
Birth records.
Legal papers.
Photographs.
He placed them on the table.
“My mother was named Clara Morgan.”
Isabella looked confused.
“That name…”
She stopped.
Because she recognized it.
Her father had once mentioned Clara.
A woman from his past.
Someone he described only as “a mistake.”
Daniel continued.
“My mother worked for Laurent Holdings twenty-five years ago.”
He looked at Isabella.
“She discovered something.”
“What?”
“A financial operation.”
The room became quiet.
“Someone inside the company was stealing millions.”
Isabella immediately looked at Victor.
But Daniel shook his head.
“Not him.”
Everyone was surprised.
“Then who?”
Daniel looked down.
“My father.”
The words hit the room like a storm.
Isabella stepped back.
“No.”
Daniel looked at her.
“I know what you’re thinking.”
“My father would never.”
“I thought the same thing.”
A pause.
“Until I found the documents.”
Elena approached the folder.
She examined the papers.
Her expression slowly changed.
“These are real.”
Isabella looked at her.
“You’re sure?”
Elena nodded.
“The signatures. The dates. The internal codes.”
She looked at Daniel.
“These are documents from inside Laurent Holdings.”
Daniel continued.
“My mother discovered that Richard Laurent had created secret accounts.”
Isabella shook her head.
“But why?”
Daniel looked at her.
“Because he was trying to protect the company.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“No.”
Daniel nodded.
“It doesn’t.”
He looked toward the city.
“Because the truth is more complicated.”
The guests listened.
Nobody moved.
“Your grandfather, Alexander Laurent, built the company through aggressive expansion.”
Daniel continued.
“Sometimes legal.”
A pause.
“Sometimes not.”
Isabella remained silent.
“Richard inherited the empire.”
Daniel looked at her.
“But he wanted to change it.”
Elena nodded slightly.
“That explains the investigation.”
“Yes.”
Daniel looked at her.
“He started uncovering everything his father had done.”
The pieces began connecting.
“But someone inside the company found out.”
Daniel looked at Victor.
Victor’s face became pale.
“No.”
Daniel continued.
“My father created a plan.”
“A plan?”
“To expose everyone involved.”
He looked at Isabella.
“But before he could do it…”
He stopped.
Nobody spoke.
“Someone killed him.”
The rooftop went silent.
Isabella’s eyes filled with tears.
“My father died in an accident.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
The word was devastating.
“It wasn’t an accident.”
Everyone froze.
Elena stepped forward.
“Then what was it?”
Daniel looked at Adrian.
The entire room followed his eyes.
Adrian’s face changed.
“What are you looking at me for?”
Daniel smiled slightly.
“Because you know.”
Adrian’s expression hardened.
“I have no idea who you are.”
Daniel ignored him.
“My father discovered Adrian Vale was connected to the people who destroyed our family.”
Isabella looked at Adrian.
“No…”
Adrian immediately stepped back.
“That’s impossible.”
Daniel pulled out another document.
A photograph.
A young Adrian.
Standing beside Victor.
And another person.
Someone who had been hidden until now.
Isabella stared.
“Who is that?”
Daniel answered:
“The person who trained Adrian.”
Elena looked closely.
Then her expression changed.
Because she recognized him.
“No…”
Isabella looked at her.
“Who?”
Elena whispered:
“Marcus Vane.”
The name caused several guests to react.
Because Marcus Vane was not just a businessman.
He was one of the most dangerous financial strategists in the world.
A man who had destroyed competitors without ever appearing in public.
A man who operated behind corporations.
A man whose influence reached governments and billionaires.
And according to Daniel...
he was connected to everything.
Adrian smiled.
“You’re finally understanding.”
Everyone turned.
Adrian no longer looked nervous.
He looked confident.
Almost relieved.
“You think I was trying to steal Laurent Holdings?”
He laughed.
“No.”
Isabella stared.
“Then what?”
Adrian looked toward Elena.
“Your company.”
Elena’s face changed.
“What?”
Adrian smiled.
“The Laurent family was only the beginning.”
The rooftop went silent.
He stepped closer.
“The real prize was never Laurent Holdings.”
A pause.
“It was Rivera Capital.”
Elena became completely still.
Because for the first time tonight...
someone had mentioned the one thing she had spent decades protecting.
Adrian continued.
“And tonight was supposed to be the night everything changed.”
Isabella looked confused.
“What does that mean?”
Adrian looked at the clock.
Then smiled.
“Because at midnight…”
A notification appeared on every guest’s phone.
Everyone looked down.
Their faces changed.
Stocks.
Company ownership.
Financial transfers.
A massive transaction had just begun.
Elena checked her phone.
Her expression turned cold.
Impossible.
Someone had accessed her private system.
Someone had activated a transfer she thought was impossible.
Adrian whispered:
“The game started before you arrived.”
Elena looked at him.
“Who helped you?”
Adrian smiled.
Then the rooftop doors opened again.
A figure entered.
A person everyone thought was gone.
A person connected to Elena’s own past.
And when Elena saw who it was...
for the first time in years...
May you like
she looked afraid.
End of Chapter 6
