Chapter 7: The Brother Lucas Never Trusted
I had never met Lucas’s brother.
Not once.
That was the strangest part.
Lucas talked about everyone.
His employees.
His friends.
His childhood.
But whenever I asked about his family, he changed the subject.
I used to think he was avoiding painful memories.
Now I wondered if he was protecting me.
“Lucas had a brother?”” I asked.
Daniel nodded slowly.
“Ethan Gallagher.””
“Why didn’t I know?””
“Because Lucas cut him out of his life years ago.””
“Why?””
Daniel looked at the documents.
“Because Ethan tried to destroy the company once before.””
Samantha opened another file.
“Ethan disappeared after Lucas took legal action against him.””
I stared.
“Where is he now?””
Nobody answered.
That scared me more.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man’s voice spoke.
“Victoria.””
I froze.
“Who is this?””
“You already know.””
My grip tightened.
“Ethan?””
A quiet laugh.
“Lucas always said you were smarter than people thought.””
Hearing my husband’s name from this stranger made my stomach twist.
“You killed him.””
Silence.
Then:
“Your husband made choices.””
“No.””
“He chose power over family.””
“You’re not family.””
His voice became colder.
“Careful.””
The call ended.
I looked at Samantha.
“He knows I have the files.””
She immediately stood.
“We need to move.””
But before we could leave, every screen in the office went black.
Daniel looked at the security monitor.
“No.””
“What?””
“He accessed the system.””
Seconds later, a video appeared.
Ethan.
Older than Lucas.
Similar eyes.
Different expression.
“You spent your entire life believing Lucas was the good brother.””
His voice filled the room.
“But you never asked why he had everything.””
I watched silently.
“Money. Respect. A family.””
The screen flickered.
“Lucas stole everything from me.””
I stepped closer.
“You murdered him because you were jealous?””
The video continued.
“I gave Lucas chances.””
The screen went dark.
Then one final sentence appeared.
“Now I’m giving you one.””
Samantha looked at me.
“What does it say?””
I read the message.
“Walk away from the company.””
My hands curled into fists.
“No.””
Daniel looked at me.
“Victoria.””
“No.””
I looked at Lucas’s picture on the office wall.
“He spent his life building this.””
Then I looked at my stomach.
“And he spent his final months protecting us.””
I turned around.
“I’m not walking away.””
That night, we created a plan.
We would expose Ethan.
We would bring everything to the authorities.
But we needed one thing.
A confession.
And Ethan was arrogant enough to give us one.
Samantha arranged a meeting.
A fake negotiation.
A chance to make Ethan believe I was scared.
The next evening, I sat across from the man who destroyed my life.
He looked exactly like Lucas.
That was the hardest part.
Same eyes.
Same smile.
Different soul.
“You look disappointed,” Ethan said.
“I expected someone worse.””
He smiled.
“Lucas always liked people who underestimated him.””
“You hated him.””
“I loved him.””
The answer shocked me.
“What?””
“He was my brother.””
“Then why?””
His smile faded.
“Because he took what was mine.””
“You mean what you wanted.””
His eyes hardened.
“You have no idea what he did.””
“Tell me.””
He leaned forward.
And that was his mistake.
Because he started talking.
“My father always believed Lucas was the future.””
There it was.
The bitterness.
“He chose Lucas.””
“And that justified murder?””
His face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
“You think you understand everything.””
“I understand my husband is dead.””
Silence.
Then Ethan said:
“Lucas should have handed over control when I asked.””
I recorded every word.
But Ethan noticed.
His eyes moved toward my phone.
And he smiled.
“You really are his wife.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
“You think Lucas didn’t teach me how to spot traps?””
He stood.
“You’re not leaving here.””
May you like
The doors locked.
And the lights went out.
