CHAPTER 13: THE SON OF VICTOR CROSS
The darkness lasted only a few seconds.
But those seconds felt longer than the last twenty-two years.
Because in darkness, your mind creates its own monsters.
Every hidden fear.
Every unanswered question.
Every possibility you tried to ignore.
They all came alive.
I stood frozen in the hotel room.
Evelyn was beside me.
Silent.
Listening.
Waiting.
Just like she always did.
Except this time, she wasn't prepared.
And that scared me more than anything.
The lights came back.
The hallway was empty.
No footsteps.
No stranger.
Nothing.
Just silence.
I opened the door.
The corridor stretched in front of me.
Empty.
Like nobody had ever been there.
But someone had.
Someone had entered my room.
Someone had left the photograph.
Someone wanted me to know something.
"What now?"
I asked.
Evelyn looked at me.
For the first time, she didn't have an immediate answer.
"I don't know."
The words shocked me.
Evelyn Cross didn't know.
The person who spent ten years predicting every possible disaster...
Didn't know.
"You said someone wanted to remind me who I am."
She looked down.
"Yes."
"Who am I?"
Evelyn didn't respond.
"Nathan..."
"No."
I stepped closer.
"I need the truth."
She looked at me.
"You are Victor Cross's son."
"I know that."
"But that's not all."
The room became quiet.
"What else?"
She hesitated.
Then:
"You're the person Victor built everything around."
I frowned.
"What does that mean?"
"When Victor lost control of his company, his reputation, and his power..."
She paused.
"He started creating a backup plan."
"A backup plan?"
"You."
I laughed.
"This is insane."
"I know."
"No, you don't."
I shook my head.
"You keep saying that like it's normal."
"It isn't."
"Then explain."
Evelyn sat down.
"Victor believed his legacy would disappear if he died."
"So?"
"So he created documents, accounts, and legal structures under your name."
I stared.
"Without my knowledge?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because legally, you were his successor."
I felt sick.
"I don't want anything from him."
"I know."
"Then why does everyone care?"
"Because some people believe your existence gives them access to everything Victor left behind."
Suddenly, the photograph made sense.
The warnings.
The threats.
The people watching me.
They weren't interested in Nathan Reed.
They were interested in what Nathan Reed represented.
A bloodline.
An inheritance.
A hidden empire.
A key.
And I was the key.
I returned to my parents' house.
Not because I trusted them.
Because I needed to know if they were part of this.
My mother opened the door.
She looked surprised.
"Nathan."
"Where's Dad's office?"
Her face changed.
"You haven't been there in years."
"I know."
She stepped aside.
The room was exactly as I remembered.
My father's desk.
His books.
His old watch sitting in the drawer.
Everything frozen in time.
Except now I knew.
This wasn't just a workspace.
It was where he hid the truth.
I searched for hours.
Nothing.
Then I remembered something.
My father had a habit.
Whenever he wanted to remember something important, he wrote notes inside books.
I checked his old business books.
Nothing.
His journals.
Nothing.
Then I found one.
A book about family history.
Inside the cover was a handwritten message.
Nathan, if you ever discover this, it means I failed to keep you away from this world.
My hands shook.
I opened it.
Inside were pages of notes.
Names.
Dates.
Connections.
Victor Cross.
Amelia.
My grandfather.
And finally...
My name.
The first page about me contained only one sentence.
Nathan is not my son by blood, but he is my son by every choice that mattered.
I stopped.
My eyes burned.
My father.
The man who raised me.
The man who taught me everything.
He knew.
He knew I wasn't his biological son.
But he still chose me.
I turned the page.
Victor believes blood creates ownership. He is wrong. Family is created by sacrifice.
I had to stop reading.
Because for the first time in days...
I cried.
Not because I was angry.
Because I finally understood.
My father hadn't hidden the truth because he was ashamed of me.
He had hidden it because he loved me.
Then I found the final page.
A warning.
Nathan, if Victor ever returns, do not trust his words.
He will tell you he loves you.
He will tell you he changed.
He will tell you everything he did was for you.
But remember this: a person who loves you does not need to own you.
I turned the page.
There was only one name.
The person my father feared most.
Not Victor.
Not the investors.
Not even the people who destroyed his company.
It was:
Daniel Cross.
I froze.
Daniel.
I knew that name.
Everyone did.
Victor's older brother.
The person who took control of Cross Holdings after Victor disappeared.
The man considered one of the most powerful businessmen in the country.
The man who never appeared in any investigation.
The man who had nothing to lose.
My phone rang.
Evelyn.
I answered.
"Nathan."
"Daniel Cross."
Silence.
Then:
"Where did you hear that name?"
"My father wrote it."
Her breathing changed.
"Nathan, you need to listen carefully."
"What?"
"Do not contact him."
"Why?"
"Because Victor was never the most dangerous Cross."
The words made my stomach tighten.
"Then who is?"
Evelyn's voice became almost a whisper.
"Daniel."
Before I could respond, another notification appeared.
A message.
From an unknown number.
A photograph.
This time, it wasn't old.
It was taken today.
It showed me.
Standing outside my father's office.
The message below:
You look exactly like him.
Another message appeared.
Your father spent twenty-two years hiding you.
Then:
I spent twenty-two years waiting for you.
I looked at Evelyn.
She had seen the message.
Her face was pale.
"Who is it?"
She didn't answer.
"Evelyn."
She whispered:
"Daniel."
The next morning, Daniel Cross contacted me.
No threats.
No warnings.
No mysterious messages.
Just an invitation.
A private meeting.
The location was a restaurant owned by one of the most powerful companies in the city.
The message contained one sentence:
Come learn why your father lied to you.
I almost deleted it.
Almost.
Then I remembered something.
Everyone had told me not to go.
Everyone had told me they were protecting me.
And every time I listened...
I learned another secret they had hidden.
So I went.
Daniel Cross was waiting.
He looked nothing like Victor.
That surprised me.
Victor had always been described as intense.
Dangerous.
Emotional.
Daniel was different.
Calm.
Controlled.
Almost gentle.
He stood when I approached.
"Nathan Reed."
I sat down.
"You know my name."
He smiled.
"I've known your name since the day you were born."
My hands tightened.
"What do you want?"
Daniel looked at me.
"The same thing your father wanted."
"What?"
"To protect you."
I almost laughed.
"Everyone says that."
"I know."
He leaned forward.
"But unlike them..."
He paused.
"I will show you the truth."
He placed a file on the table.
A thick file.
Old.
Important.
On the cover were two names.
Thomas Reed
and
Nathan Cross
I stared.
The world stopped.
Because for the first time...
I saw the name everyone had been avoiding.
Not Nathan Reed.
Nathan Cross.
Daniel looked at me.
"Your father didn't hide your identity because he wanted to protect you from Victor."
He opened the file.
"He hid it because he wanted to protect you from knowing what Thomas Reed really did."
I looked at the documents.
And my blood turned cold.
Because the first page contained a photograph.
My father.
Thomas Reed.
Standing beside Victor Cross.
Holding a gun.
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End of Chapter 13
Chapter 14: The Father Who Chose Me sẽ tiếp tục khi Nathan điều tra bằng chứng Daniel đưa ra, phát hiện Thomas Reed có một quá khứ hoàn toàn khác và phải quyết định tin ai giữa Daniel, Evelyn và người cha đã mất.**
