Chapter 4: The Secret Behind the Trust
The ballroom emptied slowly.
Employees left in silence.
Executives stayed behind.
Nobody wanted to be the first person to speak.
My father and I sat in the private conference room overlooking the city.
The same room where he had taught me how to negotiate my first contract.
“You should have told me,” he said.
I looked out the window.
“About Daniel?””
“About everything.””
I smiled sadly.
“You were the one who asked me to stay away.””
He sighed.
“I asked you to stay away from the company.””
“Not from him.””
“No.””
His voice softened.
“From people who wanted your name more than they wanted you.””
I looked down.
“I thought Daniel loved me.””
My father didn’t answer immediately.
That was his way.
He never lied to make pain easier.
“He did.””
I looked at him.
My father continued.
“Until he started loving what came with you more.””
The words hurt because they were true.
The general counsel entered with another folder.
“Emma, there’s more.””
I opened it.
Inside were emails.
Messages.
Documents.
And one name appeared repeatedly.
Not Daniel.
Someone else.
My heart stopped.
“Who is this?””
The attorney looked serious.
“That is the person financing Daniel’s private projects.””
I stared.
“Outside investor?””
“Yes.””
“Who?””
He hesitated.
Then placed a document in front of me.
I read the name.
And everything changed.
Because the person behind Daniel’s betrayal wasn’t a stranger.
It was someone who had been at our family dinners.
Someone who had hugged me.
Someone who had called me family.
My father watched my expression.
“You know them.””
I nodded slowly.
“Yes.””
The room felt smaller.
“How long?””
The attorney answered.
“Almost two years.””
Two years.
Two years of secrets.
Two years of Daniel pretending everything was normal.
Two years of me believing my marriage was struggling because of stress.
I closed the folder.
“What does Daniel want?””
My father looked at me.
“To take control.””
“Of Aurelius?””
“Yes.””
I laughed quietly.
“The man couldn’t even control his own ego.””
My father almost smiled.
Almost.
Then his phone rang.
He answered.
Listened.
His expression changed.
“What happened?””
He ended the call.
I stood.
“What?””
He looked at me.
“Daniel wasn’t escorted home.””
My heart sank.
“What do you mean?””
“He disappeared.””
The attorney checked the latest report.
“And before he left, someone accessed the executive archive.””
I stared.
The archive contained decades of company records.
Contracts.
Legal agreements.
Family trust documents.
Everything.
My father’s voice became cold.
“He’s not running.””
I looked at him.
“He’s searching.””
“For what?””
My father didn’t answer.
Because suddenly I knew.
The thing Daniel had always wanted.
The thing he thought belonged to him.
The one thing that could make him untouchable.
My inheritance.
The trust.
But Daniel had never known the full agreement.
Only my father and I did.
And there was one condition written into that trust.
One condition Daniel had accidentally triggered himself.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
I opened the message.
Three words.
*You should have left.*
Then another message appeared.
A photo.
A photo of Daniel standing inside my father’s private office.
May you like
Holding a document.
And smiling.
