Chapter 7 - The Dinner of LiarsThe basement door opened thirty minutes later.

No one was there.

My mother was gone.

So was my father.

I didn't sleep.

The following evening, my family held a private dinner at the Vale country club.

They called it a celebration.

It wasn't.

When I entered, fifty people turned toward me.

Investors.

Lawyers.

Executives.

Family friends.

Half of them had spent years pretending I didn't exist.

Now they smiled.

Bianca ran toward me.

"Ava!"

She hugged me.

I let my arms remain at my sides.

"Good to see you."

She stepped back.

"You look amazing."

"You look nervous."

Her smile vanished for half a second.

Then returned.

"It's been a crazy week."

I looked around.

"Where's Mom?"

"Upstairs."

"And Dad?"

"Meeting with someone."

"Who?"

She hesitated.

"Victor."

My heartbeat jumped.

"Victor Kane is here?"

She nodded.

I walked upstairs.

At the top of the staircase, my mother stood waiting.

She looked exhausted.

"Ava."

"Mom."

"We need to talk."

"Yes."

She looked around.

"Not here."

"Then where?"

She led me into a private room.

Closed the door.

Locked it.

"Why did you steal from me?"

Her eyes filled with tears.

"I didn't steal."

"You took forty-three million dollars."

"I borrowed it."

"Without telling me."

"You were sixteen."

"I was the founder of a company worth billions."

"Not then."

"You knew."

"I knew you were building something."

"That's enough."

She looked down.

"I was trying to keep the family together."

"You chose Bianca."

"I chose your sister because she was falling apart."

"And I wasn't?"

She looked up.

"You always seemed fine."

I laughed.

"That's what you called surviving."

She flinched.

Then she whispered:

"I was going to put it back."

"You couldn't."

"No."

"Where did twenty million go?"

Her silence answered me.

"Northbridge."

She started crying.

"Mom."

"I didn't know what it was."

"You transferred twenty million dollars to a dissolved company."

"Victor told me it was safe."

I went still.

"Victor?"

"He said he had an investment structure."

"What was the money for?"

"To protect Bianca."

"From what?"

She looked toward the door.

"Your father."

My chest tightened.

"Tell me everything."

Before she could answer, the door opened.

Victor Kane walked in.

My former CFO smiled.

"Ava."

I turned.

"You broke into my company."

"No."

"You stole my source code."

"No."

"You manipulated my family."

His smile faded.

"I've been cleaning up your family's mistakes for years."

"Get out."

He stepped closer.

"You think you're powerful because the world called you a billionaire yesterday."

I said nothing.

He leaned toward me.

"You have no idea how this empire was built."

"On my code."

"On your code."

He smiled.

"And money."

"Whose?"

He looked at my mother.

Then at me.

"Yours."

I frowned.

"What does that mean?"

Victor stepped back.

"Ask your mother who financed ValeCore before you ever sold a single license."

My mother whispered:

"Victor, stop."

He ignored her.

"Ask her where the first ten million came from."

I stared at my mother.

She wouldn't look at me.

Victor smiled.

Then said:

"Because your mother's secret isn't that she stole from you."

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He paused.

"It's that she didn't start the stealing."