Chapter 7: The Secret Agreement Before The Wedding
The elevator continued climbing.
I didn't know where we were going.
I didn't know if I was safer with Julian or farther away from danger.
And that was the worst part.
The man standing beside me was my husband.
The father of my child.
The person who was supposed to be my home.
But tonight, every wall around that home had collapsed.
I stared at the photograph in my trembling hands.
My father.
Daniel Hayes.
Standing beside Julian.
Not years ago.
Not during my childhood.
The photograph was recent.
Taken the day before my wedding.
The day before Julian promised me forever.
The day before I walked down the aisle believing I was the luckiest woman alive.
On the back of the photograph were the words:
"The marriage was never the plan."
I looked at Julian.
"What does this mean?"
He didn't answer.
"Julian."
My voice became sharper.
"What does this mean?"
The elevator lights reflected in his face.
For once...
He didn't look like the confident Sterling heir.
He looked exhausted.
Like someone who had been running from the truth for years.
"I wanted to tell you."
I laughed quietly.
A painful laugh.
"When?"
He looked at me.
"After the wedding?"
I shook my head.
"After I gave birth?"
Silence.
"After my son became part of your family's empire?"
His expression tightened.
"Clara..."
"No."
I held up the photograph.
"You don't get to say my name like everything is normal."
The elevator continued upward.
Slowly.
"Tell me the truth."
Julian closed his eyes.
"My grandfather and your father made an agreement."
I stared at him.
"What agreement?"
"To protect you."
I almost smiled.
"Protect me?"
I looked at my torn wedding dress.
"Is that what you call this?"
Julian looked away.
"I know what it looks like."
"No."
My voice shook.
"You don't."
I stepped closer.
"You don't know what it feels like to realize the person you trusted most might have married you because you were useful."
His face changed.
Because those words hurt him.
Good.
I wanted him to feel a fraction of what I felt.
"I did love you."
I looked at him.
"Did?"
He froze.
A mistake.
A tiny mistake.
But I noticed.
He corrected himself quickly.
"I love you."
I looked away.
"I don't know what is real anymore."
The elevator suddenly stopped.
The lights flickered.
Julian immediately reacted.
His entire body changed.
The hesitation disappeared.
The old Julian returned.
Alert.
Focused.
Dangerous.
"What happened?"
I asked.
He looked at the control panel.
"Someone stopped the elevator."
"Who?"
He didn't answer.
Instead, he pressed a hidden button beneath the panel.
The walls opened slightly.
A small screen appeared.
Security footage.
The penthouse.
I saw Marcus.
Alexander.
Victoria.
Richard.
Everyone was still there.
But something was wrong.
Richard was gone.
"Where is my father?"
Julian's expression became serious.
"He left."
"How?"
Julian didn't answer.
Because the answer was obvious.
Someone helped him.
The screen changed.
Another camera.
The hallway.
Richard walking calmly.
No panic.
No fear.
Like he had planned his escape.
Then another person appeared.
Standing beside him.
My heart stopped.
Victoria.
Julian's mother.
"What?"
Julian went completely still.
"No."
I looked at him.
"You didn't know?"
He shook his head.
"My mother..."
The footage showed Victoria handing Richard a small device.
Then they walked away together.
The screen went black.
Julian looked devastated.
"She chose him."
I stared at him.
"Your own mother?"
He didn't answer.
The elevator suddenly moved again.
But this time...
It wasn't going up.
It was going sideways.
A hidden movement.
A secret level.
A place that wasn't on any building plans.
Julian looked at me.
"We need to leave."
"Where are we going?"
He hesitated.
"Somewhere your father prepared."
The elevator doors opened.
I expected another luxurious room.
Another hidden office.
Another secret connected to the Sterling family.
But this place was different.
It wasn't luxury.
It was old.
Cold.
Almost forgotten.
A basement hidden beneath one of the most expensive buildings in Chicago.
The walls were covered with documents.
Photographs.
Files.
And in the center of the room...
Was a wooden desk.
My father's desk.
I knew it immediately.
Because I had seen it in childhood photographs.
My father used to sit behind it when he worked.
I slowly walked forward.
"How..."
Julian followed.
"Your father built this room before he disappeared."
I touched the desk.
A strange feeling moved through me.
Like some part of him was still here.
Like he knew I would eventually find this place.
On the desk was a letter.
My name was written on it.
Clara.
My hands started shaking.
I opened it.
The paper was old.
But the handwriting was unmistakable.
My father's handwriting.
Clara,
If you are reading this, then the Sterling family has finally revealed itself.
I am sorry.
I am sorry that I couldn't protect you forever.
But I need you to know one thing.
I never left because I wanted to.
I left because someone inside the Sterling family wanted you dead.
My breath stopped.
Julian read over my shoulder.
His face changed.
I continued.
The person responsible is not Richard.
Richard is dangerous.
But he is only a piece on the board.
The real person controlling everything has been hiding for years.
My fingers tightened.
Another line.
Clara, do not trust anyone who tells you they are protecting you.
Not the Sterlings.
Not even Marcus.
And especially not Julian.
My heart stopped.
I slowly looked at Julian.
He had read the same words.
The room became silent.
"Your father didn't trust me."
Julian whispered.
I looked back at the letter.
There was more.
But if Julian brought you here...
Then he has finally chosen a side.
I looked at Julian.
He looked confused.
I continued reading.
The boy I met years ago was not like his family.
He was trapped.
Just like you.
A strange feeling entered my chest.
My father...
Had known Julian.
He had judged him.
He had believed there was still something good inside him.
The letter continued.
Clara, the key inside the box is not for opening a door.
It is for revealing the truth.
I looked at the key Julian had taken from the box.
A small silver key.
No lock.
No markings.
Nothing special.
Then the final sentence appeared.
And it changed everything.
Your child is not the only heir.
I froze.
"What?"
Julian looked at me.
The letter continued.
The Sterling bloodline has another descendant.
Someone who has been hidden from the family.
Someone who has a claim stronger than yours.
A cold feeling moved through me.
"Another descendant?"
Julian looked confused.
"I don't know about this."
I looked at him.
"Of course you don't."
Before he could answer...
A sound came from behind us.
A slow clap.
Someone was standing at the entrance.
We turned.
And my blood turned cold.
Because the person standing there...
Was someone I recognized.
Someone who had been with me all day.
Someone who had smiled at me.
Someone who had congratulated me at my wedding.
The person who had brought me my bouquet.
My best friend.
Sophie.
She stepped into the hidden room.
Her expression was no longer friendly.
No longer warm.
She looked at me with a sadness I didn't understand.
"Clara..."
She whispered.
"I'm sorry."
Julian immediately moved in front of me.
"Sophie."
His voice changed.
"You."
Sophie looked at him.
"Yes."
A pause.
"Me."
She reached into her coat.
Not a gun.
A document.
She placed it on the desk.
And said:
"The truth is..."
"Your baby was never supposed to inherit the Sterling empire."
She looked at me.
"Because the rightful heir was born fifteen years ago."
My face went pale.
"Who?"
Sophie looked directly at Julian.
May you like
Then answered:
"Me."
