Chapter 4: The Man Who Betrayed My Father
The photograph sat on the table between us.
A piece of paper.
A few inches wide.
But it felt heavier than anything I had ever lifted.
Because my entire life had been built around one truth.
My father was dead.
My mother was gone because she lost him.
I was the older brother who had to grow up too fast.
Jake was the kid I had to protect.
That was the story I carried for eleven years.
And now Victoria Kane had placed a picture in front of me that threatened to destroy all of it.
My father was alive.
At least in that photograph.
Standing beside the woman who had just walked into the room surrounded by Black Crown soldiers.
I stared at it.
Then at Victoria.
“Where did you get this?””
Victoria smiled slightly.
“From him.””
My jaw tightened.
“That’s impossible.””
“Is it?””
She stepped closer.
“He spent years hiding from you.””
I felt my fists tighten.
“My father died.””
Victoria tilted her head.
“That’s what Claire wanted you to believe.””
Everyone went silent.
I turned toward my mother.
“Is that true?””
Claire didn’t answer.
That was the answer.
My chest tightened.
“You knew?””
Her eyes filled with regret.
“Ethan—”
“You knew?””
My voice was louder this time.
Jake looked between us.
“Mom…”
Claire closed her eyes.
“I knew he was alive.””
The room felt smaller.
The walls seemed to move closer.
I laughed quietly.
Not because it was funny.
Because I didn’t know what else to do.
“So both of you lied to us.””
“Ethan,” Claire whispered.
“No.””
I pointed at the photograph.
“My whole life I thought I lost my parents.””
My voice cracked.
“I went to your funeral.””
Claire looked down.
“I know.””
“I watched them lower an empty coffin into the ground because they told me you were inside.””
A tear rolled down her face.
“I know.””
“And you were alive.””
Silence.
Victoria watched us.
Almost enjoying it.
That made something inside me burn.
“You brought me here to watch my family fall apart?””
She smiled.
“No.””
She looked at the photograph.
“I brought you here because you deserve the truth.””
“From you?””
“No.””
Her expression hardened.
“From your father.””
I stepped closer.
“You keep saying his name like he’s some hero.””
Victoria’s eyes changed.
A flicker of anger.
Interesting.
“Your father was many things.””
“Was he a good man?””
She didn’t answer immediately.
That bothered me.
Finally, she said:
“He was a man who made mistakes.””
I looked at Claire.
Then Daniel.
Nobody spoke.
That was when I realized something.
Everyone in this room knew more about my family than I did.
I was the only person who had been living inside a lie.
I turned to Claire.
“Tell me everything.””
She swallowed.
“Ethan…”
“Now.””
My mother looked at Jake.
Then at me.
“When your father discovered Black Crown’s real purpose, he tried to destroy it from the inside.””
“Why?””
“Because he helped build it.””
The words hit harder than I expected.
Jake stepped back.
“What?””
I stared at Claire.
“What did you say?””
She looked ashamed.
“Your father wasn’t just a fighter.””
Daniel spoke quietly.
“He was one of the founders.””
I felt like the floor moved beneath me.
My father.
The man who taught me how to ride a bike.
The man who kissed my forehead before school.
The man who told me violence was never the answer.
He helped create the very world that destroyed us.
“No.””
Claire walked toward me.
“He changed.””
“People don’t just change.””
“He did.””
She looked at the photograph.
“He started Black Crown with three other men. At first, it was supposed to be a private fight organization.””
“And then?””
“Money changed everything.””
Victoria crossed her arms.
“Your father realized too late that people weren’t paying to watch fights.””
She looked at me.
“They were paying to control fighters.””
My stomach turned.
I understood.
The contracts.
The debts.
The threats.
The way they trapped people.
“They owned people.””
Victoria nodded.
“Yes.””
I looked at her.
“And you?””
A small smile appeared.
“I inherited the business.””
There it was.
The honesty.
The monster finally showing its face.
“You’re proud of that?””
“I’m realistic.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“You’re a criminal.””
The men behind her shifted.
Victoria didn’t react.
Instead, she laughed softly.
“Your father said the same thing.””
My eyes narrowed.
“You knew him.””
“Very well.””
“How?””
She looked at Claire.
Then back at me.
“We were partners.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“You and my father?””
“Yes.””
Jake looked disgusted.
“You’re telling us you worked with our dad?””
Victoria ignored him.
“Your father and I built something powerful.””
“And he betrayed you.””
Her smile disappeared.
“He betrayed everyone.””
The room went quiet.
I looked at the photograph.
“What happened to him?””
Victoria’s expression became unreadable.
“He disappeared.””
“After pretending to die?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because he found something.””
“What?””
She looked at the file on the table.
“The Black Ledger.””
Daniel’s face changed.
I noticed.
“What?””
He looked away.
I turned toward him.
“You know what that is.””
Daniel said nothing.
“Daniel.””
The old man sighed.
“The Black Ledger contains every transaction Black Crown ever made.””
“Money?””
“Money.””
“Names.””
“Payments.””
“Deals.””
My stomach tightened.
“People involved?””
Daniel nodded.
“Everyone.””
Victoria stepped closer.
“And your father stole it.””
I stared at her.
“Where is it?””
She smiled.
“That is the question.””
The basement.
The photo.
The file.
The fake fight.
Everything suddenly connected.
“They weren’t testing me because of my fighting.””
Victoria looked impressed.
“Good.””
“They’re trying to find the ledger.””
She nodded.
“And your father hid it before he vanished.””
I looked at Claire.
“Do you know where it is?””
Her silence answered.
I stepped back.
“You do.””
Claire looked at me.
“I know part of it.””
“Part?””
“Your father didn’t trust anyone.””
“Not even you?””
Her face broke slightly.
“Especially not me.””
That surprised me.
“Why?””
“Because I was the only person he loved enough to become a weakness.””
Nobody spoke.
Then Victoria reached into her folder.
She pulled out another document.
“This is why I came tonight.””
She placed it on the table.
A legal document.
My name was at the top.
I picked it up.
“What is this?””
“Your father’s final message.””
I looked through the pages.
The signature at the bottom made my blood run cold.
My father’s signature.
A date.
Eleven years ago.
The day he supposedly died.
I read the first line.
*To my son, Ethan Walker.*
My hands shook.
Victoria watched me.
“He wrote that for you.””
I kept reading.
*If you are reading this, then Black Crown has found you.*
My breathing slowed.
The next line made my heart stop.
*Do not trust anyone who tells you I am dead.*
I looked up.
At Claire.
At Victoria.
At Daniel.
Everyone was silent.
I continued.
*The person who betrayed me is still close to you.*
The room went cold.
Jake leaned over.
“What does it say?””
I didn’t answer.
Because the next sentence was worse.
*They will try to make you choose between your family and the truth.*
My fingers tightened around the paper.
Then the final line appeared.
Only one sentence.
Written differently.
Almost like my father had rushed.
*Ethan, your mother is not the person who betrayed me.*
My eyes moved to the bottom.
There was a name.
A name I had never expected.
A name that made everyone in the room react.
Because the person my father accused wasn’t Victoria.
Wasn’t Daniel.
Wasn’t Claire.
It was someone standing right beside me.
Jake whispered:
“No…”
I looked at him.
The paper trembled in my hand.
My father’s final words stared back at me.
*The person who destroyed our family was your brother’s guardian.*
I slowly raised my head.
Everyone looked toward one person.
Daniel Mercer.
His face had gone pale.
May you like
And for the first time all night…
He looked guilty.
