Chapter 3 - The Missing FileThe mansion had six cameras outside.
Eight inside.
Arthur had installed them himself.
Yet within thirty seconds of the power outage, every camera feed went black.
Victor's security team moved immediately.
“Lock down the property!”
Men spread across the grounds.
My father grabbed my shoulder.
“Stay with your mother.”
I looked toward Evelyn.
She was shaking.
“Mom?”
She rushed to me.
“I am so sorry.”
“Why?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“For everything.”
Arthur disappeared into the darkness.
Victor's men searched the mansion room by room.
Then someone shouted from upstairs.
“Clear!”
Another voice answered.
“Nothing.”
Victor entered the study.
The room looked untouched.
But one drawer stood open.
I followed behind him.
“What happened?”
He held up the tablet.
“The file is gone.”
“Who took it?”
He looked toward the ceiling.
“Someone who knew exactly when we were coming.”
My stomach tightened.
“Dad…”
Victor turned.
“There is something you need to know.”
“What?”
“You were never supposed to be here.”
I frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“When you were born, Arthur wasn't just a judge.”
He sat at the edge of the desk.
“He was an attorney working with a private network of politicians, businessmen and intelligence contractors.”
Mom froze.
Victor continued.
“They used judges to bury cases, prosecutors to kill investigations and financial firms to move money.”
I stared at him.
“And you knew?”
“I suspected.”
“Then why did you disappear?”
His eyes dropped.
“Because someone inside my command betrayed me.”
The room went silent.
“I was sent overseas after receiving information that Arthur was involved in a corruption operation.”
He looked at my mother.
“When I came back, Evelyn told me she didn't want me near you.”
Mom whispered.
“I was threatened.”
Victor nodded.
“They threatened to take Lena.”
Mom covered her face.
Arthur's voice came from the doorway.
“They threatened no one.”
We all turned.
He stood there holding a handgun.
Several guards raised their weapons.
Victor lifted one hand.
“Lower them.”
Nobody moved.
Arthur pointed the gun at me.
“Everyone out.”
Victor's eyes hardened.
“You're making a mistake.”
Arthur smiled.
“You still think this is about your daughter.”
“What is it about?”
“You'll find out.”
Then Arthur looked at Mom.
“Tell him.”
She shook her head.
“Evelyn.”
Her eyes met mine.
Then she whispered:
“Your father didn't abandon us.”
My heart stopped.
“He was framed.”
Arthur laughed.
Victor stared at him.
“For seventeen years, you believed I was a coward.”
Arthur smiled.
“I needed you to believe he was dead.”
Mom suddenly stepped forward.
“Because they wanted Lena.”
Silence.
I felt sick.
“Why?”
Arthur's face became cold.
“Because your father knew what your mother had seen.”
Victor stepped toward him.
“What did she see?”
Arthur's finger tightened around the trigger.
“A ledger.”
I looked at my mother.
“What ledger?”
She was trembling.
“The Black Ledger.”
Victor's expression changed.
I had never seen fear in my father's face.
Until then.
“What did you tell them?”
Mom whispered:
“Everything.”
Arthur smiled.
“Not everything.”
He raised the gun.
A shot exploded.
Victor moved.
A tactical officer tackled Arthur.
The weapon skidded across the floor.
Chaos erupted.
Security teams flooded the room.
Arthur was pinned against the wall.
Then Julian suddenly appeared at the end of the hallway.
He wasn't alone.
He held a knife against my mother's throat.
“Everyone freeze!”
Victor turned.
“Julian.”
Julian was crying now.
“You ruined everything!”
His eyes were wild.
“You were supposed to die here.”
I froze.
“What?”
Julian looked at me.
“Yes.”
My blood turned cold.
“You weren't supposed to survive the beating.”
My mother made a choking sound.
Victor moved one inch.
“Don't.”
Julian pressed the knife tighter.
“I found the original file.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“Where?”
Julian smiled.
“In the church.”
Victor's face went pale.
“What church?”
Julian laughed.
“You really don't remember?”
Then he whispered something only I could hear.
“The one where your father buried the truth.”
And suddenly, the mansion windows exploded.
Gunfire tore through the night.
Everyone dropped.
Julian disappeared into the smoke.
My father grabbed me.
“Get down!”
Security personnel rushed toward us.
And somewhere outside, a vehicle screamed away from the estate.
Victor looked through the broken window.
“That's him.”
“Who?”
May you like
My father stared into the darkness.
“The man who has been hunting you for seventeen years.”
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