Chapter 4: The Name Buried in the Records
Ethan stared at the screen for almost five minutes.
His father had been dead for six years.
Yet there it was.
A company registration.
A signature.
An authorization.
All connected to Daniel Mercer.
Impossible.
Claire stood behind him, reading over his shoulder.
“Ethan?””
He didn’t answer.
“Talk to me.””
He leaned back slowly.
“My father’s name is on this.””
Claire frowned.
“Your father?””
“He’s listed as the founder.””
“That can’t be real.””
“I know.””
But the problem was that everything looked real.
The documents had dates.
Digital confirmations.
Approval records.
Someone had built an entire trail.
A trail designed to lead nowhere.
Ethan printed the files.
Then he noticed something else.
A small note attached to one transaction.
A reference number.
He searched it.
And found a hidden account.
Not a company account.
A personal account.
The owner name appeared.
Ethan’s breathing stopped.
“Brooke.””
Claire looked at him.
“What?””
“The account belongs to Brooke.””
That afternoon, Ethan confronted his sister.
Not at the house.
At the office.
The place where their father’s portrait still hung above the entrance.
Brooke was sitting behind the desk when he walked in.
“You found it.””
She didn’t sound surprised.
Ethan closed the door.
“You knew I would.””
Brooke looked at the portrait.
“Dad always said you were the smart one.””
“And you hated that.””
Her eyes moved toward him.
“I hated that he believed it.””
Ethan felt anger rising.
“You stole from the company.””
“No.””
“You framed Claire.””
“No.””
“Then tell me what happened.””
Brooke stood.
For the first time, her anger disappeared.
“I was trying to protect myself.””
“From what?””
She laughed.
“From being erased.””
Ethan stared.
“I don’t understand.””
“You never did.””
She walked toward the window.
“When Dad died, everyone talked about you carrying the family name.””
She pointed at the office.
“You got this.””
Then at herself.
“I got nothing.””
“That’s not true.””
“It is.””
Her voice cracked.
“You were the son he trained. The son he trusted.””
Ethan shook his head.
“So you destroyed my marriage?””
“No.””
She turned.
“I wanted you to see what it felt like to lose something.””
The words were terrifying.
Because she believed them.
Ethan stepped back.
“You’re my sister.””
“And Claire is your wife.””
“Yes.””
“Exactly.””
Before he could respond, his phone rang.
It was Claire.
He answered immediately.
“What happened?””
Her voice was tense.
“Ethan, you need to come home.””
“Why?””
A pause.
Then:
“Because someone broke into the house.””
Ethan’s heart dropped.
“Is Sophie okay?””
“She’s fine.””
“Are you?””
Another pause.
Then Claire whispered:
“No.””
When Ethan arrived, the front door was open.
Police lights flashed across the driveway.
Claire stood near the stairs.
She looked pale.
“What happened?””
She pointed upstairs.
“The office.””
Ethan ran.
The room had been searched.
Drawers emptied.
Files torn apart.
But whoever broke in wasn’t looking for money.
They were looking for something specific.
“What’s missing?””
Claire swallowed.
“The backup drive.””
Ethan froze.
“What backup drive?””
“The one from the security system.””
The same footage.
The same evidence.
The proof that exposed Brooke.
Someone had just removed it.
Then Sophie appeared behind Claire.
“Daddy?””
He turned.
She was holding a piece of paper.
“I found this under my bed.””
Ethan took it.
A handwritten note.
Only four words.
STOP LOOKING OR SHE GETS HURT.
Claire grabbed Ethan’s arm.
And for the first time since the nightmare began, Ethan wasn’t just angry.
He was afraid.
May you like
Because whoever started this wasn’t trying to destroy their marriage anymore.
They were trying to silence them.
