Chapter 2: The Secret Her Father Took to the Grave
Naomi couldn't feel her fingers.
She stared at the envelope in Edward's hand as if the paper itself might suddenly disappear.
“My father is dead,” she whispered.
Edward lowered himself slightly, resting one hand on the polished handle of his cane.
“I know what you've been told.””
“No.”” Naomi shook her head.
“You told me he died in a car accident. You came to the hospital. You told me yourself.””
Edward closed his eyes.
“That was what I believed at the time.””
Naomi's expression changed.
“What do you mean, at the time?””
Before Edward could answer, Brianna stepped between them.
“This is insane. You're all letting him manipulate you.””
Daniel still held the paternity report.
“Brianna, I asked you a question.””
She turned toward him.
“Not now.””
“Actually, now seems like the perfect time.””
Daniel lifted the paper.
“Is this report real?””
Brianna glanced toward Victoria.
Her mother-in-law gave the smallest shake of her head.
It was almost invisible.
But Naomi saw it.
So did Daniel.
“Answer me,” he demanded.
Brianna swallowed.
“I don't know what you're looking at.””
Daniel read the laboratory name again.
“This is a certified DNA testing facility. It has my name, your name, and the baby's sample number.””
“Anyone could have fabricated it!””
Edward calmly reached into the box.
“The laboratory sent the original results directly to my attorney. They were independently verified yesterday.””
Brianna's breathing became shallow.
“You had no right to test my baby!””
Daniel stared at her.
“Then why are you so frightened of the results?””
For a moment, nobody moved.
Then Victoria stepped forward.
“Enough. This is a private family matter.””
Edward turned toward her.
“You lost the right to call anything private when you helped conceal the truth.””
Victoria's face hardened.
“Watch your words.””
“I've watched my words for seven years, Victoria. I'm finished.””
He handed Naomi the envelope.
She opened it carefully.
Inside was a photograph of her father.
Daniel Carter.
He stood beside Edward in front of an unfinished skyscraper, laughing at something outside the frame.
Naomi hadn't seen that expression in years.
Her father had always laughed with his whole face.
He had been tall, broad-shouldered, and endlessly patient. He used to carry her on his back when she was little, even when she insisted she was too old for it.
He had called her his sunshine.
Naomi's throat tightened.
Behind the photograph was a handwritten letter.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
My dearest Naomi,
If you're reading this, it means the people I trusted have finally allowed the truth to reach you.
Her hands began shaking.
Edward stepped back to give her room.
Naomi continued.
I need you to understand something. The accident that changed your life was not an accident.
Her breathing stopped.
She read the sentence again.
Then again.
“What?””
Edward's face tightened.
Naomi looked up.
“What does this mean?””
He glanced toward the guests.
“Not here.””
“No.”” Her voice cracked.
“You don't get to give me a letter like this and then tell me not here.””
Daniel approached quietly.
“Mr. Whitmore, perhaps we should give her some privacy.””
Edward nodded.
“James, escort the guests to the adjoining reception room. Nobody leaves until my attorney arrives.””
Brianna immediately protested.
“You cannot hold people here!””
“I'm not holding anyone,” Edward said.
“I'm asking them to remain available as witnesses.””
Victoria laughed bitterly.
“Witnesses? To what? Your personal breakdown?””
Edward turned to her.
“To the truth about Daniel Carter.””
The name landed like a stone.
Victoria's face lost its color.
Naomi noticed.
“Why did you react like that?””
Victoria lifted her chin.
“I didn't.””
“You did.””
“Naomi, you're upset. You should sit quietly and let the adults handle this.””
Naomi's fingers tightened around the letter.
“I'm twenty-six years old. My father died. I lost the ability to walk. I spent seven years believing my life had been destroyed by one terrible accident.””
Her voice grew steadier.
“And you're telling me to sit quietly?””
Victoria said nothing.
Edward gently touched Naomi's shoulder.
“Let me explain what I know.””
He led her toward a smaller private lounge adjoining the ballroom. Daniel followed, still holding the report.
Brianna attempted to follow them, but James stepped into her path.
“Miss Brianna, please wait here.””
“Move!””
“I'm afraid I can't.””
Victoria grabbed Brianna's wrist.
“Don't make things worse.””
Brianna turned on her.
“You said everything was handled!””
Victoria's grip tightened.
“Keep your voice down.””
Naomi heard them.
She turned toward Edward.
“What did she mean?””
Edward's expression darkened.
“That's one of the questions we need to answer.””
Inside the lounge, Edward closed the doors.
The room smelled of leather furniture and fresh lilies. A fire burned softly in the marble fireplace.
Naomi positioned her wheelchair near the sofa.
Edward sat opposite her.
For several seconds, he looked down at his hands.
Then he began.
“Your father and I built Whitmore Carter Holdings together. He was the brilliant one. I understood property and finance. Daniel understood people, technology, and the kind of risks other men were afraid to take.””
Naomi smiled faintly.
“He used to say you were terrible at choosing restaurants.””
Edward let out a sad laugh.
“He was right.””
The smile disappeared.
“Seven years ago, Daniel discovered that someone inside our company had been diverting money through shell corporations. Millions of dollars were disappearing.””
“Who?””
“We never proved it.””
“Did you suspect someone?””
Edward hesitated.
“Yes.””
Naomi leaned forward.
“Who?””
Before Edward could answer, Daniel Reed spoke.
“Victoria.””
Edward looked at him sharply.
Daniel placed the paternity report on the table.
“I've known Victoria for almost a year. She introduced me to several investors. Some of the companies she recommended were registered through the same holding structure.””
Victoria's name made Naomi's stomach tighten.
Edward nodded slowly.
“Your father discovered the transfers. He intended to report them.””
Naomi looked down at the letter.
“Then what happened?””
“Three days before his final business meeting, he called me. He said he had found something dangerous. He asked me to meet him the following morning.””
Edward's voice broke slightly.
“I never made it.””
“Why?””
“I was told Daniel's car had crashed on Route 18. By the time I arrived at the hospital, you were already in surgery.””
Naomi remembered the hospital.
The bright lights.
The antiseptic smell.
The nurses' hurried footsteps.
She remembered waking up and asking for her father.
Nobody had answered directly.
She had been told he was gone.
She had spent months crying into her pillow, unable to understand why he hadn't said goodbye.
“Who told you he was dead?””
Edward looked at her.
“Victoria.””
Naomi went completely still.
“She told you?””
“She said the police had identified his body. She said the family needed to focus on your recovery.””
Naomi stared at him.
“And you believed her?””
Edward lowered his eyes.
“I was grieving. I was angry. I was also recovering from heart surgery. I made mistakes.””
“Seven years of mistakes?””
He accepted the accusation without defending himself.
Then he reached into his jacket.
He produced a small silver key.
“This belonged to your father.””
Naomi recognized it immediately.
It had been attached to a leather keychain he used to carry everywhere.
“Where did you get that?””
“Your father gave it to me the day before the accident.””
Edward placed it in her palm.
“He told me that if anything happened to him, I should give this to you.””
Naomi examined the key.
There was a tiny number engraved on one side.
314.
“What does it open?””
“A safety deposit box at a private bank. Your father arranged it under your name.””
Naomi looked at him.
“Why didn't you give it to me before?””
“Because I was told the key had been destroyed.””
A cold silence filled the room.
Naomi looked down at the letter again.
There was another page tucked inside.
She unfolded it.
This time, the writing was shorter.
Naomi, if the key has reached you, look for the recording. Do not trust the person who claims to have protected you.
She read it twice.
Then she slowly lifted her head.
“Edward…”
“Yes?””
“Who was driving the car that night?””
Edward didn't answer immediately.
His eyes moved toward the closed lounge doors.
Then he said something that made Naomi's blood run cold.
“The police report said your father was driving.””
Naomi stared.
“But?””
Edward swallowed.
“The hospital records suggest someone else was behind the wheel.””
Before Naomi could ask another question, James appeared in the doorway.
His face was unusually pale.
“Mr. Whitmore.””
“What is it?””
“Your attorney is here.””
Edward stood.
“Good.””
James hesitated.
“There's something else, sir.””
Naomi looked at him.
“What?””
James lowered his voice.
“The attorney didn't come alone.””
“Who came with him?”” Edward asked.
James glanced toward the ballroom.
“Someone claiming to be Daniel Carter.””
Naomi's hands slipped from the letter.
May you like
For seven years, she had mourned a dead man.
And now someone was standing downstairs, claiming to be her father.
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