Chapter 14 - Emma stood beneath the bridge, staring at Daniel inside the vehicle.Her father looked unconscious.
A bruise ran across his forehead.
Victoria kept the gun aimed at Julian.
“You have ten seconds.”
Julian whispered,
“Don't give her anything.”
Emma looked at him.
“That's my father.”
“I know.”
Victoria raised the gun.
“Nine.”
Emma took off running.
Not toward Daniel.
Toward the river.
Victoria fired.
The bullet struck concrete.
Julian fired back.
Security scattered.
Emma dove behind a pillar.
Daniel's vehicle accelerated.
“Dad!”
Julian grabbed her arm.
“Come on.”
They ran toward an abandoned warehouse.
Victoria's people followed.
Inside, Julian locked the doors.
Emma was shaking.
“What do we do?”
“Find the music box.”
“Why?”
“Because your father trusted you with it.”
They found a storage room.
Emma remembered the house.
Her childhood bedroom.
The music box had been kept inside a wooden chest.
Julian helped her open it.
The box looked ordinary.
A small ballerina.
Silver edges.
Old scratches.
Emma held it.
“There.”
Julian pointed to the base.
A tiny slot.
Emma inserted the pendant's microchip.
The music box clicked.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a memory card.
And a letter.
Emma unfolded it.
Daniel's handwriting.
Emma,
If you're reading this, the people I feared have finally found you.
Do not trust anyone who tells you this story is about money.
Emma's hands trembled.
The person who started everything was not Matthias.
She looked at Julian.
He stared at the letter.
It was someone who had access to every family secret.
Emma continued.
Someone who knew about my shares.
Someone who knew about Isabella.
Someone who knew about you.
At the bottom was one name.
Victoria Langford.
Emma looked stunned.
“She started everything.”
Julian shook his head.
“Not alone.”
Emma looked at the final line.
But she did not do it for herself.
“What does that mean?”
Julian took the memory card.
“Let's find out.”
They inserted it into a laptop.
A video opened.
Daniel appeared onscreen.
He was younger.
Healthy.
He looked directly into the camera.
“If you're watching this, Victoria has probably convinced you that she was trying to expose the truth.”
He shook his head.
“She wasn't.”
The video continued.
“Victoria's father was one of the men on the blackmail list.”
Emma frowned.
“He owed Matthias money.”
“No,” Julian said.
Daniel continued.
“He owed Elias.”
Emma's eyes widened.
“Victoria was forced into this.”
“Yes.”
The video showed documents.
Victoria's family had been threatened for years.
Daniel had tried to help her.
But she had betrayed him.
Because Elias offered her freedom.
Emma watched in horror.
Then Daniel said something else.
“Victoria isn't the final enemy.”
The video froze.
A new file opened.
A photograph.
A woman.
Emma immediately recognized her.
Her mother.
But the date was impossible.
It was taken four years before Emma was born.
Her mother stood beside a man.
The man was not Daniel.
Not Matthias.
Not Vincent.
The face was partially obscured.
Julian stared.
“That isn't Matthias.”
Emma looked closer.
“Who is he?”
The image zoomed automatically.
A name appeared.
Marcus Carter.
Emma's blood froze.
“Carter?”
Julian stared.
“Your father's name.”
Emma shook her head.
“My father is Daniel.”
Julian pointed to the screen.
“Then who is Marcus?”
The file opened.
It contained a birth certificate.
Emma Carter.
Mother: Isabella Moretti.
Father: Marcus Carter.
Emma stopped breathing.
Her entire family history collapsed.
Daniel wasn't her biological father.
Matthias wasn't.
Marcus was.
And Daniel had known.
Emma looked at Julian.
“So you're not my brother.”
Julian shook his head.
“No.”
A voice behind them said,
“Correct.”
They spun.
Victoria stood in the doorway.
But she wasn't aiming her gun.
She was crying.
Emma stared.
“Who is Marcus Carter?”
Victoria lowered the weapon.
“The man who actually built Moretti Global.”
Emma frowned.
“That makes no sense.”
Victoria stepped forward.
“Marcus Carter was Daniel's older brother.”
Julian looked stunned.
“So Emma is…”
“Daniel's niece.”
Emma's world spun.
Victoria continued.
“Marcus died protecting you.”
Emma whispered,
“From who?”
Victoria looked toward the door.
“From the woman who ordered his death.”
Emma's mother?
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
She looked directly at Isabella.
“From Isabella.”
Emma felt ice spread through her veins.
“My mother killed my real father?”
Victoria nodded.
“And Daniel covered it up.”
Julian raised his weapon.
“Why?”
Victoria answered quietly.
“Because Marcus was the only person who knew the truth about Isabella's first husband.”
Emma's voice trembled.
“What truth?”
Victoria's face changed.
“Your mother wasn't born Isabella Moretti.”
Silence.
“She stole that name.”
Emma stared.
“Then who is my mother?”
Victoria looked toward the dark hallway.
“The last surviving member of the family that Moretti Global destroyed.”
Then the lights went out.
A scream came from outside.
When they returned, Victoria was gone.
May you like
And on the floor lay the final message.
THE WOMAN YOU CALL MOTHER IS THE ENEMY.
