Chapter 6: The Enemy Hidden in the Family Tree
Chapter 6: The Enemy Hidden in the Family Tree
The call ended.
But the voice remained.
Nathan stood frozen, staring at his phone screen as if another answer might appear.
A name.
A clue.
Anything.
But there was nothing.
Only silence.
The kind of silence that came before a storm.
Ethan noticed his brother’s expression.
“Nathan.”
No response.
“Nathan, who was it?”
Slowly, Nathan looked up.
“I don’t know.”
Everyone exchanged confused looks.
“You don’t know?” Evelyn asked.
Nathan shook his head.
“Unknown number.”
Richard’s face changed.
Not with surprise.
With fear.
Ethan noticed.
“You know something.”
Richard didn’t answer.
“Richard.”
The older man looked down.
“I was hoping this day would never come.”
Nathan’s eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?”
Richard walked toward the window.
For a moment, he looked like a man remembering a nightmare from decades ago.
“Your father had an older brother.”
Nathan frowned.
“My uncle?”
Richard nodded.
“His name was Alexander Carter.”
The name meant nothing to Nathan.
But his mother reacted immediately.
Her face became pale.
Nathan noticed.
“Mom.”
Evelyn looked away.
“Why did you react like that?”
She remained silent.
Nathan’s voice became sharper.
“Why?”
Finally, she answered.
“Because Alexander was dangerous.”
The room became quiet.
Richard continued.
“Your grandfather built the Carter empire with two sons.”
He looked at Nathan.
“Your father, Michael, and Alexander.”
Nathan listened carefully.
“Michael believed the company should grow through trust and reputation.”
Richard paused.
“Alexander believed power was everything.”
Ethan crossed his arms.
“So they fought.”
Richard nodded.
“For years.”
Nathan looked at the documents on the table.
“And my father won?”
“Yes.”
Richard’s expression darkened.
“And Alexander never forgave him.”
Nathan slowly understood.
“The company.”
Richard nodded.
“He believed the company belonged to him.”
Ethan looked at Vanessa’s documents.
“So he created this entire plan to take it back?”
Richard shook his head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“No?”
Richard turned around.
“Taking the company was only part of it.”
Nathan felt uneasy.
“Then what did he want?”
Richard looked directly at him.
“You.”
The answer chilled the room.
Nathan stared.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Richard hesitated.
“Because you are the last person standing between him and everything he wants.”
Nathan looked confused.
“But I’m not even his son.”
Richard nodded.
“That’s exactly why.”
Nobody understood.
Richard continued.
“Alexander believed your father betrayed him by choosing you.”
Nathan frowned.
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does if you understand Alexander.”
Richard’s voice lowered.
“He didn’t see family as love.”
“He saw family as inheritance.”
The words hung in the air.
“He believed blood gave him ownership.”
Nathan looked at the DNA report.
“So because I wasn’t Michael’s biological son…”
Richard nodded.
“Alexander believed you had no right to anything.”
Ethan looked angry.
“That’s insane.”
Richard agreed.
“Yes.”
“But Alexander wasn’t just angry.”
He looked at Nathan.
“He was patient.”
Nathan remembered the mysterious voice.
The confidence.
The certainty.
The way the caller spoke like everything was already planned.
“How long?”
Richard answered:
“Twenty years.”
Nobody moved.
Twenty years.
A plan older than Nathan’s adult life.
Older than his marriage.
Older than Vanessa.
“He waited twenty years?”
Richard nodded.
“Because he knew something.”
“What?”
Richard looked at Vanessa.
“People are easiest to destroy when they believe they are happy.”
Vanessa looked uncomfortable.
Because suddenly she realized something.
She wasn’t the mastermind.
She was just a tool.
Nathan looked at her.
“Did Alexander contact you?”
Vanessa remained silent.
Nathan stepped closer.
“Answer me.”
Slowly, she nodded.
“Yes.”
The room exploded.
Ethan looked shocked.
“When?”
“Before the pregnancy.”
Nathan’s eyes hardened.
“How long?”
Vanessa looked down.
“Almost a year.”
Nathan felt his chest tighten.
A year.
She had been planning this for a year.
“You met him before we married?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Vanessa looked at him.
“Because he offered me something.”
Nathan already knew the answer.
“Money.”
She nodded.
“And protection.”
Ethan frowned.
“Protection from what?”
Vanessa looked away.
“My past.”
Nobody spoke.
Nathan stared.
“What past?”
Vanessa’s expression changed.
The confidence returned slightly.
A small reminder that she still had secrets.
“You think you know everything about me.”
She smiled faintly.
“But you don’t.”
Nathan’s patience disappeared.
“Enough.”
His voice echoed through the room.
“No more secrets.”
Vanessa looked at him.
“You want all the truth?”
“Yes.”
She took a breath.
“Fine.”
She looked at Ethan.
“Your brother investigated my pregnancy.”
Then at Nathan.
“But he never investigated me.”
Ethan’s face changed.
Because she was right.
He had focused on the lie.
Not the person.
Vanessa continued.
“I wasn’t chosen randomly.”
Nathan frowned.
“What?”
“Alexander didn’t choose me because I was close to you.”
She paused.
“He chose me because he knew something about me.”
“What?”
Vanessa looked at Evelyn.
And suddenly Evelyn looked terrified.
Because she knew.
“You see…”
Vanessa smiled.
“My family has been connected to yours for years.”
Nathan felt confused.
“What does that mean?”
Vanessa stepped closer.
“It means I didn’t enter your life by accident.”
A cold feeling moved through Nathan.
“What are you saying?”
Vanessa whispered:
“My father worked for your grandfather.”
Richard’s eyes widened.
“No…”
Vanessa looked at him.
“Yes.”
She smiled.
“And he wasn’t just an employee.”
Nathan stared.
“What was he?”
Vanessa answered:
“The man who helped Alexander destroy Michael Carter the first time.”
The room froze.
Because the past had finally returned.
And Nathan realized something terrifying.
His marriage was not a random betrayal.
It was revenge.
A revenge that had been planned before Vanessa ever met him.
Then suddenly…
The lights went out.
The entire mansion fell into darkness.
Everyone froze.
A second later…
A projector screen at the end of the room turned on by itself.
A video began playing.
A man appeared.
Older.
Cold eyes.
A familiar face from old family photographs.
Alexander Carter.
Nathan stepped back.
Because the man on the screen looked directly at him.
And smiled.
“Hello, Nathan.”
The voice was the same.
The voice from the phone.
Alexander continued:
“I suppose you’re wondering why everyone around you betrayed you.”
A pause.
“Let me explain.”
The video changed.
Showing old documents.
Old photographs.
Old secrets.
Then Alexander said:
“Your father stole my life.”
The screen showed Michael Carter.
“And now…”
Alexander smiled.
“I’m going to take yours.”
The video stopped.
The room remained dark.
Nobody spoke.
May you like
Because everyone understood.
The war had finally begun.
