Chapter 9: My Father’s Last Message
I didn’t sleep that night.
Not because I was afraid.
Because I was angry.
My entire life had been shaped by people deciding what I could handle.
My father.
My sister.
Gregory.
Everyone had protected me by hiding the truth.
But nobody asked whether I wanted protection.
Nobody asked whether I wanted the choice.
The next morning, Daniel came to my apartment.
He brought an envelope.
Old.
Yellowed.
My name was written on it.
I recognized the handwriting immediately.
My father’s.
I touched the paper.
And suddenly I was ten years old again.
Sitting beside him in his office.
Watching him work.
Thinking he was invincible.
Daniel sat across from me.
“I’m sorry.””
“Why didn’t you give me this?””
“Because your father asked me not to.””
I looked at him.
“He asked you to hide his final words from his daughter?””
“He asked me to wait until you were ready.””
I almost laughed.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
Daniel lowered his eyes.
“Your father knew you.””
I opened the letter.
The first line broke me.
*My little girl,*
I had to stop reading.
For several seconds, I couldn’t breathe.
Then I continued.
He wrote about the company.
About trust.
About mistakes.
But mostly…
about me.
He said he knew I would become strong.
He said strength wasn’t about never falling.
It was about deciding what to do after.
Then came the part I never expected.
*There is one person you must never trust.*
My hands froze.
I kept reading.
*Someone close to our family has been trying to take control of everything I built.*
I looked up.
“Who?””
Daniel’s face was serious.
“Keep reading.””
The letter continued.
My father had suspected someone inside the company.
Someone who knew the legal structure.
Someone who had access.
Someone who had been manipulating people for years.
Then I saw the name.
I stopped.
Because it wasn’t Gregory.
It wasn’t Emma.
It was someone else.
Someone I knew.
Someone who had been helping me since the beginning.
My attorney.
Rachel.
I looked up.
“No.””
Daniel said nothing.
“No.””
I stood.
“This doesn’t make sense.””
Daniel’s expression was painful.
“Your father discovered financial irregularities connected to her firm.””
I shook my head.
“She helped me expose Gregory.””
“Yes.””
“Then why?””
Daniel looked at me.
“Because sometimes the best way to hide is to stand beside the person searching for the truth.””
I felt sick.
All this time…
I thought I had finally found allies.
But maybe I had only found better actors.
My phone rang.
Rachel.
I stared at the screen.
Then answered.
“Hello.””
Her voice sounded normal.
“Are you okay?””
I looked at Daniel.
“Yes.””
A pause.
“Good.””
Something about her tone changed.
“Because I think we need to talk.””
“About what?””
Silence.
Then:
“About the letter you just opened.””
My blood went cold.
“How do you know about the letter?””
Another pause.
Then Rachel said:
“Because I’m the one who made sure Gregory found it first.””
The call ended.
I stared at the phone.
And slowly…
everything became clear.
May you like
Gregory was never the only enemy.
He was just the loudest one.
