Chapter 8: The Name Written In The Will
For a moment, I thought I had misunderstood him.
The entire ballroom seemed to stop moving.
The music.
The whispers.
The footsteps.
Everything disappeared except Malik’s voice.
“The trust was supposed to go to her.””
His eyes were locked on mine.
Not with anger.
Not with hatred.
With confusion.
Fear.
And something I couldn’t name.
I looked at the document in his hands.
“Me?””
Nobody answered.
Victoria smiled.
A small, satisfied smile.
“Yes.””
The word sent a chill through me.
“No,” I whispered.
“That’s impossible.””
Victoria tilted her head.
“Is it?””
I looked at Thomas.
He looked away.
That was when I knew.
There was something he knew.
Something everyone seemed to know except me.
“Thomas,” I said.
His eyes met mine.
“Tell me this isn’t true.””
He didn’t answer quickly enough.
And that silence was more painful than any confession.
Malik stepped closer.
“You knew?””
Thomas sighed.
“I knew the trust had a second beneficiary.””
“Her?””
“Yes.””
Malik laughed.
A broken, exhausted sound.
“So my entire life has been a lie.””
“Not your entire life.””
“Don’t.””
His voice sharpened.
“Everyone keeps trying to make this sound better.””
He pointed at the document.
“My father.””
He looked at Harold.
“My mother.””
Then at Thomas.
“You.””
Finally, his eyes stopped on me.
“Her.””
I felt tears forming.
“Malik, I swear, I didn’t know.””
“I believe you.””
His answer surprised me.
But then he continued.
“That’s the problem.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
He looked down.
“If you’re telling the truth, then someone controlled both of us.””
The room became silent again.
And suddenly, the situation felt even more terrifying.
Because this was never just about money.
Someone had built an entire chain of events.
A wedding.
A relationship.
A betrayal.
Everything.
Victoria walked toward us.
“You’re finally understanding.””
Malik looked at her.
“What did your father want?””
She smiled.
“Justice.””
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“Your father doesn’t know what justice means.””
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“My father lost everything because of your family.””
“Your father destroyed himself.””
“Did he?””
She looked around the room.
“At least he didn’t hide behind lies for twenty years.””
Harold stepped forward.
“You don’t get to speak about lies.””
Victoria looked at her.
“Really?””
The two women stared at each other.
And I realized there was history there.
A painful history.
“Your father caused Andrew’s death,” Harold said.
Victoria’s smile disappeared.
“My father never touched Andrew.””
“Maybe not directly.””
Thomas’s face became serious.
“But he made sure Andrew was cornered.””
Victoria looked away.
For the first time, she seemed less confident.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
“You still don’t know everything.””
Malik looked at her.
“What does that mean?””
Victoria walked toward the center of the ballroom.
“It means everyone here has been protecting their own version of the truth.””
She pointed at Harold.
“She hid your real father.””
Then Thomas.
“He hid the trust.””
Then me.
“And she doesn’t even know why she was chosen.””
My stomach tightened.
“Chosen for what?””
Victoria smiled.
“Ask your parents.””
I looked at Thomas.
Then Harold.
“Why me?””
Harold’s face changed.
She looked heartbroken.
“Because your father trusted you.””
I froze.
“My father?””
I had never heard anyone mention my father.
Not like this.
Victoria laughed softly.
“There it is.””
“What?””
“The part nobody told you.””
My heart started pounding.
Thomas stepped forward.
“Victoria, stop.””
“No.””
She looked at me.
“She deserves to know.””
Malik looked confused.
“Know what?””
Victoria took out another photograph.
She placed it beside the trust document.
This time, it wasn’t a picture of me.
It was a picture of a man.
A man I had seen before.
But only in old family photos.
My father.
I stared.
“What does he have to do with this?””
Harold whispered:
“Everything.””
I turned toward her.
“You knew?””
She nodded slowly.
“I knew who you were.””
The words felt like a betrayal.
“What do you mean?””
She walked closer.
“When I first met you three years ago, I knew your father’s name.””
My breathing became uneven.
“My father?””
“Yes.””
“Who was he?””
Harold looked at Thomas.
Thomas looked away.
Finally, Harold said:
“Your father was Andrew’s closest friend.””
The room tilted.
I grabbed the edge of the table.
“No.””
“Yes.””
She continued.
“He worked with Andrew. He knew about Richard’s fraud.””
My mind raced.
“My father died when I was young.””
“I know.””
“Then why didn’t anyone tell me?””
Harold’s eyes filled with sadness.
“Because your father left something behind.””
“What?””
“The original evidence.””
A cold feeling spread through me.
“The evidence against Richard?””
Harold nodded.
“The evidence that could prove everything.””
Victoria smiled.
“And that evidence was hidden inside the trust.””
Malik looked at the document.
“So the trust wasn’t just money.””
“No,” Thomas said.
“It was a safety box.””
I looked at him.
“Why would my father put it under my name?””
Thomas answered quietly.
“Because he knew Richard would look for Andrew’s family.””
“And he knew Richard wouldn’t look for me.””
I stopped.
“Because I wasn’t part of Andrew’s family.””
“Exactly.””
The pieces started falling into place.
My relationship with Malik.
The wedding.
The money.
The documents.
The fake video.
Someone wanted the trust.
But why frame me?
Victoria answered my thoughts.
“Because if you became the beneficiary, Richard needed you removed.””
Malik looked at her.
“And Daniel?””
Victoria smiled.
“Daniel was supposed to make sure she never reached the truth.””
I felt sick.
“So Daniel was watching me?””
“Yes.””
“From the beginning?””
Victoria nodded.
“And you were the easiest person to manipulate.””
“Why?””
“Because you trusted people.””
The words hurt.
Not because they were insulting.
Because they were true.
I had believed Malik loved me.
I had believed our meeting was fate.
I had believed everyone around us was honest.
Victoria looked at Malik.
“And you were the perfect target too.””
Malik frowned.
“Why?””
“Because you hated feeling poor.””
The words struck him.
Hard.
“You spent your whole life trying to prove you belonged among powerful people.””
She glanced around the ballroom.
“This wedding was the symbol of everything you wanted.””
Malik said nothing.
Because she wasn’t wrong.
“You were so focused on becoming someone important,” Victoria continued, “you never questioned who helped you get there.””
A painful silence followed.
Then Malik turned to me.
“I’m sorry.””
I blinked.
“What?””
He looked ashamed.
“I spent tonight looking for someone to blame.””
His eyes moved toward Harold.
“First her.””
Then me.
“I almost did it again.””
I didn’t know what to say.
Because despite everything, I could see the damage.
Not just to our wedding.
To him.
To all of us.
Then the ballroom lights suddenly went out.
A scream came from the guests.
The emergency lights flickered on.
Everyone looked around.
The manager rushed toward the office.
“Someone cut the power.””
Thomas immediately moved.
“No.””
His face changed.
“This wasn’t about the wedding.””
A loud crash came from the hallway.
Then footsteps.
Running.
Security rushed past us.
“What happened?”” Malik asked.
The guard’s face was pale.
“Someone broke into the private office.””
Thomas went still.
“What did they take?””
The guard looked at him.
“The trust documents.””
Everyone froze.
I looked at the table.
The original document Victoria brought was gone.
Someone had taken it.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
Because Malik’s phone buzzed.
A message appeared.
Unknown number.
A picture loaded.
It showed the person holding the stolen documents.
A person standing outside the venue.
A person we all recognized.
My blood turned cold.
Because the person in the picture wasn’t Daniel.
Wasn’t Richard.
Wasn’t Victoria.
It was someone who had been protecting us all night.
Someone who claimed to be on our side.
The message below the photo read:
*You were looking for the truth. I’m giving it back to the person who deserves it.*
Malik stared at the screen.
Then whispered:
“Mom?””
May you like
Because the person holding the stolen trust documents…
was Harold.
