Chapter 10 - My Father Was Supposed to Be DeadI stared at the photograph.
My father.
Alive.
Standing beside Daniel.
The world seemed to stop.
“No.”
The woman calling herself Helen looked at the image.
Her expression changed.
“He broke his promise.”
I turned toward her.
“What does that mean?”
She didn't answer.
Evelyn took the phone from my hand.
“This photograph could be manipulated.”
“No.”
I looked at the image again.
It was too clear.
My father's scar.
His watch.
His posture.
The same slight tilt of his head.
“How?”
Evelyn called the investigator.
“Do not approach the site yet.”
The answer came immediately.
“They're already gone.”
“What?”
“The basement was empty.”
“Where did they go?”
“We don't know.”
The entire city suddenly felt like a maze.
My father had supposedly died.
Daniel had supposedly been having an affair.
Richard had supposedly been stealing.
Thomas had supposedly disappeared.
My mother had supposedly been dead.
Nothing meant what it used to mean.
That evening, the woman finally told us the truth.
Her real name was not Helen Carter.
It was Elena Hart.
My mother's half-sister.
My aunt.
She had been kept out of family records after a bitter dispute years before I was born.
My father had secretly contacted her after discovering the fraud inside the company.
She had helped him build a second network.
Not to steal money.
To preserve evidence.
“Why impersonate my mother?”
“Because people trusted her identity.”
“Who was moving the money?”
“Richard.”
“Who ordered it?”
Elena looked at me.
“Daniel thought he did.”
“Who really did?”
“Someone above all of them.”
“Who?”
She hesitated.
“Marcus Vale.”
My stomach tightened.
“The government contractor?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Carter Construction wasn't just winning redevelopment contracts.”
“It was being used to redirect them.”
“How?”
“Land acquisition.”
She explained.
Projects were being announced in advance.
Certain neighborhoods were bought cheaply through shell companies.
Once government contracts were approved, the land values soared.
Millions were made before construction even began.
Daniel's company was one piece.
Richard handled the money.
Thomas handled identities.
Marcus handled access.
Daniel handled contracts.
And my father had discovered the pattern.
“So why didn't he go to the police?”
“He tried.”
“What happened?”
“He learned the police contact was compromised.”
I stared.
“My father was trapped.”
“Yes.”
“And his death?”
Elena looked at the floor.
“He didn't die when you think he did.”
My breath caught.
“What?”
“The death certificate was falsified.”
“Who signed it?”
“Someone inside the network.”
I stood.
“Then where is my father?”
Elena answered softly.
“He hid.”
“For twelve years?”
“No.”
“For six months.”
The room went silent.
I looked at the photograph.
“You're saying my father staged his death?”
“To make them stop watching him.”
“And now?”
“Now they know.”
I felt cold.
“Why reveal himself?”
“Because Daniel found the original ledger.”
“What ledger?”
“The one your father hid beneath the old office.”
“And the man in the photograph?”
Elena shook her head.
“That isn't your father.”
I stared.
“What?”
She handed me a second photograph.
The man looked similar.
But not identical.
The scar was missing.
The jawline was different.
It wasn't my father.
It was someone who had been trained to impersonate him.
I felt a strange mixture of relief and terror.
“Then where is my father?”
Elena looked at me.
“Closer than you think.”
My phone rang.
Unknown.
I answered.
My father's voice spoke.
“Claire.”
My legs nearly gave out.
“Dad?”
“Listen carefully.”
“Where are you?”
“I don't have time.”
“Are you alive?”
“Yes.”
Tears filled my eyes.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“Because they were watching you.”
“Who?”
“Daniel isn't the one you need to stop.”
I swallowed.
“Then who?”
“The person who has been helping you.”
My gaze moved to Evelyn.
My father continued.
“Claire, the money isn't in the accounts.”
“What does that mean?”
“The money is inside the company itself.”
I frowned.
“I don't understand.”
“You will.”
Then the line crackled.
“Dad?”
Silence.
“Dad?”
Nothing.
I looked at Evelyn.
She had turned pale.
“What did he mean?”
She whispered:
“Someone inside Carter Construction owns the redevelopment land.”
“Who?”
She stared at me.
May you like
Then said:
“Your husband.”
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