Chapter 14 - THE BETRAYALThe hallway erupted.
Ethan moved first.
He pulled me behind the wall.
Elise dropped her weapon.
“I’m not your enemy!”
My father shouted, “She is!”
Elise screamed back, “You know what he did!”
Agents secured the upper floor.
Within minutes, they found two attackers.
One was wounded.
The other was dead.
Neither carried identification.
But both had the same symbol tattooed beneath the wrist.
A small black circle.
Daniel's mark.
Elise looked at me.
“I told you he had people everywhere.”
My father said nothing.
I looked between them.
“Someone is lying.”
Neither answered.
Then Ethan asked Elise:
“Did you kill the man upstairs?”
“No.”
“Do you know who he is?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
She stared at my father.
“His former guard.”
My father looked away.
Ethan noticed.
“Richard?”
Silence.
“Who was your guard?”
My father swallowed.
“Thomas Hale.”
Elise shook her head.
“Thomas died twelve years ago.”
Ethan frowned.
“Then who was the man?”
My father didn't answer.
I stepped toward him.
“Dad.”
He looked at me.
“Tell me.”
He lowered his head.
The truth came slowly.
Thomas Hale had been alive.
Working for Daniel.
And he had been the one who delivered my father's messages to my mother.
The one who monitored me.
The one who knew my movements.
The one who could have helped create the fake documents.
But there was still one mystery.
Who impersonated me?
Elise stepped closer.
“I did.”
My jaw dropped.
“You?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To get into Daniel's system.”
“Then why scare me?”
“Because I needed you angry enough to investigate.”
“You threatened my sister.”
“I needed Victoria to reveal what she knew.”
“You nearly got her arrested.”
“I knew Ethan would protect her.”
I stared at her.
“You used me.”
“Yes.”
“For years?”
“Yes.”
“Why should I trust you?”
Elise looked at me.
“Because Daniel is coming for you tomorrow.”
“What happens tomorrow?”
She took out a document.
A federal court filing.
Petition for emergency guardianship.
Against me.
Filed under my own name.
I stared.
“What?”
“Someone has petitioned the court to declare you incapable of managing your assets.”
“On what basis?”
“Financial instability.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Because I sold my penthouse?”
“No.”
Elise shook her head.
“Because there are videos of you behaving erratically.”
I froze.
“What videos?”
She showed me.
Clips of me shouting.
Drinking.
Arguing.
Breaking things.
Every video looked authentic.
But I had never recorded them.
“Deepfake.”
Ethan took the phone.
“Yes.”
He examined the metadata.
“Professionally produced.”
Elise nodded.
“They've been building them for months.”
I suddenly realized what Daniel wanted.
He didn't need to kill me.
He only needed a judge to believe I couldn't manage my money.
Then a guardian could be appointed.
That guardian would control the trust.
And Victoria would become the beneficiary.
My sister's name had already been prepared.
The same name.
The same forged signature.
The same fake lease.
Suddenly Victoria's role became clear.
She wasn't the mastermind.
She was the planned recipient.
A convenient family member who could claim she had only followed instructions.
Then my phone rang.
It was my mother.
I answered.
“Mom?”
She whispered:
“Don't trust Victoria.”
I froze.
“She isn't the one they want to give the money to.”
“Then who?”
My mother's voice cracked.
“Daniel.”
“What?”
“The Victoria beneficiary is fake.”
“What are you saying?”
“The real beneficiary is someone else.”
“Who?”
Silence.
Then:
“Your child.”
I felt my blood drain.
“I don't have a child.”
My mother answered:
May you like
“Not yet.”
The call ended.
