CHAPTER 5 THE MAN WHO KNEW WHY MY MOTHER DIED
CHAPTER 5
THE MAN WHO KNEW WHY MY MOTHER DIED
The name stayed in the room long after my father stopped speaking.
Daniel Cross.
Three words.
But they carried the weight of a buried grave.
I looked at my father.
A man who had faced angry investors, hostile takeovers, and business wars without blinking.
Now he looked like someone had opened a door he had spent years trying to keep locked.
“Who is he?”
My voice was calm.
But inside, everything was moving.
My mother’s letter.
The accident.
The hidden accounts.
Vivian’s fear.
They were no longer separate pieces.
They were connected.
My father sat down slowly.
His hand covered his face.
“I should have told you.”
That sentence hurt.
Not because it surprised me.
Because I had spent years hoping I would never hear it.
I stepped closer.
“Told me what?”
He looked at the photograph.
“That Daniel Cross was my partner.”
The room became silent.
My father continued.
“Before Hale Construction became what it is today, before the skyscrapers, before the contracts…”
He touched the old photograph.
“There was a time when I needed someone to help me build.”
“And you chose him?”
My father nodded.
“I thought I did.”
A bitter smile appeared.
“I was wrong.”
Vivian stood near the window.
For once, she wasn’t controlling the conversation.
She was listening.
Waiting.
That bothered me.
People like Vivian never waited unless they were afraid of what came next.
“Who was Daniel Cross?”
I asked again.
My father took a deep breath.
“He was brilliant.”
A pause.
“And dangerous.”
“Dangerous how?”
My father looked at me.
“He understood people.”
That sounded familiar.
Too familiar.
“He knew what they wanted. What they feared. What they would sacrifice.”
My eyes moved toward Vivian.
She noticed.
And looked away.
That told me enough.
“Was he connected to Vivian?”
My father didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
The silence was confirmation.
I turned toward her.
“How?”
Vivian finally spoke.
“You’re asking the wrong questions.”
Her voice was cold again.
The mask was returning.
“The right question is why your mother was obsessed with digging into things that didn’t concern her.”
My jaw tightened.
“Careful.”
She smiled.
“There she is.”
“What?”
“The daughter of Evelyn Hale.”
My mother’s name.
Hearing Vivian say it felt wrong.
Like someone touching something sacred with dirty hands.
“You have her stubbornness.”
Vivian stepped closer.
“And unfortunately, her curiosity.”
I stared at her.
“My mother wasn’t the problem.”
“No.”
Vivian smiled faintly.
“She was the obstacle.”
The room froze.
My father stood immediately.
“Enough.”
But Vivian continued.
“You want the truth, Isabella?”
She looked at me.
“Fine.”
My father’s voice became sharper.
“Vivian, stop.”
She ignored him.
“Your mother found out about Daniel.”
My heart started beating faster.
“What about him?”
“She discovered he wasn’t just an investor.”
Vivian looked toward the photograph.
“He was the person controlling the investors.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your father never built Hale Construction alone.”
My father closed his eyes.
“Vivian.”
“No, Richard.”
Her voice became emotional for the first time.
“You spent nine years protecting a lie.”
She looked at me.
“Let her know.”
My father said nothing.
And somehow…
That was worse.
I looked at him.
“Dad.”
He finally spoke.
“Daniel helped me secure the first major contracts.”
I waited.
“But?”
His eyes lowered.
“But some of those contracts were not exactly legal.”
The words landed harder than I expected.
My father.
The man who taught me integrity.
The man who told me reputation was everything.
Had a secret.
“How illegal?”
He swallowed.
“I was young.”
That answer angered me.
Not because it wasn’t true.
Because it was incomplete.
Everyone had excuses for their mistakes.
But mistakes still had consequences.
“My mother knew.”
He nodded.
“She found out years later.”
“And what did she do?”
“She wanted to expose everything.”
My father’s voice became quiet.
“She said the company could survive losing money.”
A pause.
“But it couldn’t survive losing its soul.”
That sounded exactly like her.
My mother never cared about appearances.
She cared about what was right.
“So Daniel tried to stop her?”
My father looked away.
And that was the moment I knew.
“Yes.”
My hands tightened.
“How?”
Nobody answered.
I looked at Vivian.
“You know.”
She remained silent.
That was enough.
“You were involved.”
Her eyes narrowed.
“Be careful with accusations.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“I’m done being careful.”
The room felt smaller.
“You knew about Daniel.”
Silence.
“You knew my mother was investigating.”
Silence.
“You knew about the accident.”
Vivian’s expression changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Because people can hide anger.
They can hide arrogance.
They can even hide guilt.
But surprise?
Surprise is honest.
And she had just been surprised.
My father saw it too.
“Vivian…”
She turned toward him.
“Don’t.”
His voice broke.
“Did you know?”
For the first time…
She looked away.
That was her answer.
My father stepped back.
Like someone had physically pushed him.
“No.”
He whispered.
“No, you wouldn’t.”
Vivian looked at him.
“Richard…”
“No.”
His voice became louder.
“You knew?”
I had never seen my father like that.
Not angry.
Destroyed.
Because this wasn’t just betrayal.
This was confirmation.
The woman he married had known about the worst moment of his life.
And stayed silent.
I watched Vivian carefully.
Then asked:
“Where is Daniel Cross now?”
Nobody answered.
That scared me.
Finally, Marcus spoke from the doorway.
“He’s dead.”
Everyone turned.
Marcus looked uncomfortable.
“I heard Mom talking about him once.”
Vivian immediately snapped.
“Marcus!”
But it was too late.
I looked at him.
“When?”
He swallowed.
“Seven years ago.”
My mind calculated.
Seven years ago.
Two years after my mother died.
One year before I left Dallas.
Interesting.
“Cause of death?”
Marcus looked at his mother.
Then answered:
“Car accident.”
The room went silent.
A cold feeling moved through me.
Another accident.
Another convenient ending.
I turned to my father.
“Did you know?”
He shook his head.
“No.”
I believed him.
Because for the first time, he looked just as confused as I was.
I picked up the photograph.
The three people.
My father.
Vivian.
Daniel.
Three people connected by secrets.
Three people connected to my mother’s death.
Except one of them was still standing in front of me.
“I’m going to find out everything.”
Vivian laughed quietly.
“You think you can?”
I looked at her.
“Yes.”
She stepped closer.
“You don’t understand what you’re touching.”
“Then explain.”
Her face hardened.
“Daniel Cross was not someone you investigate.”
“Why?”
A pause.
“Because he had enemies.”
I held her gaze.
“So do I.”
For a moment, neither of us moved.
Then Vivian whispered:
“You really are your mother’s daughter.”
I turned away.
Not because I was afraid.
Because I was done listening.
I walked out of the library.
But before I reached the stairs, my phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
One message.
I opened it.
And my entire body went cold.
There was a photograph attached.
A recent photograph.
Of me.
Standing outside the Hale mansion.
Taken tonight.
Under it were six words.
STOP LOOKING FOR THE TRUTH.
I stared at the screen.
Then another message appeared.
OR YOU’LL END UP LIKE HER.
My fingers tightened around the phone.
Because whoever sent that message knew something impossible.
They knew about my investigation.
They knew about my mother.
And most terrifying of all…
They had been watching me since I arrived.
I slowly looked back toward the mansion.
Toward Vivian.
Toward Marcus.
Toward my father.
And for the first time, I wondered:
May you like
What if the person I was searching for…
Was already inside the house?
