Chapter 8: My Father's Last Secret
I didn't sleep that night.
Malik did.
He curled up beneath his dinosaur blanket, one sock twisted around his ankle, his favorite stuffed lion tucked beneath his chin.
I stood in the doorway watching him breathe.
The house was silent except for the refrigerator and the faint ticking of the clock in the hallway.
Then my phone buzzed again.
No message.
Just an incoming call.
Private number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A woman spoke.
“Are you alone?””
My eyes narrowed.
“Who is this?””
“My name is Evelyn Brooks.””
I knew the name.
Evelyn had been my father's attorney.
She was also the only person outside our family who attended every meeting during the final year of his life.
“What do you want?””
“I think you finally found what your father left for you.””
My heart began pounding.
“Who told you to call me?””
“He did.””
“He's been dead for years.””
“I know.””
She paused.
“That's why I'm calling.””
I sat at the kitchen table.
“What did he leave?””
“A box.””
“What kind?””
“The kind people spend years pretending doesn't exist.””
I closed my eyes.
“Where is it?””
“I have it.””
“Why now?””
“Because your father gave me instructions.””
“What instructions?””
“Never open it unless someone inside your company tries to take control of it.””
I stared at the dark window.
“Someone is trying to take control of my company.””
“I know.””
“Then tell me where to meet you.””
We arranged a meeting for the next morning.
At nine, Evelyn sat across from me in a quiet café near the river.
She was older than I remembered.
Her silver hair was tied neatly behind her head.
Without saying a word, she placed a small metal box on the table.
It was scratched.
Old.
There was a single engraving on the lid.
*For Nadia. When the truth becomes expensive.*
My throat tightened.
I touched the engraving.
“He wrote that?””
“Yes.””
“What truth?””
Evelyn folded her hands.
“Your father believed your company was being infiltrated.””
I looked up.
“By whom?””
“He never knew.””
“Then what did he know?””
“He knew someone was trying to manipulate the company's ownership structure.””
I frowned.
“That was before Marcus joined us.””
“Yes.””
That answer hit me harder than I expected.
“Marcus wasn't there?””
“No.””
“Then he wasn't the beginning.””
“No.””
I opened the box.
Inside were three things.
A flash drive.
A folded letter.
And an old photograph.
I picked up the photograph first.
My father stood outside the original store.
I was beside him.
I couldn't have been more than twenty-six.
And standing behind us was a man I hadn't seen in decades.
I stared.
“Who is that?””
Evelyn's expression changed.
“You don't recognize him?””
“No.””
“You should.””
I turned the photo over.
There was a handwritten note.
*He told me he was family.*
I looked up.
“What does that mean?””
Evelyn shook her head.
“I was hoping you would know.””
I unfolded the letter.
My father's handwriting filled the page.
*Nadia,*
*If you're reading this, it means someone has finally become desperate enough to move against you.*
I stopped.
My eyes blurred.
I continued.
*The person you trust most may not be the person you should fear. Look at the original partnership agreement. Look at the signature beneath mine.*
I read the next line twice.
*Your mother knew.*
My hands went cold.
My mother had been dead for fifteen years.
And she had never mentioned a partnership.
I looked at Evelyn.
“My parents weren't business partners.””
“They were.””
“With whom?””
Evelyn slid another paper across the table.
An original incorporation document.
I scanned the signatures.
My father's name.
Then another.
*Daniel Mercer.*
The same name appeared on the photograph.
My pulse hammered.
“Who was Daniel Mercer?””
Evelyn hesitated.
“Your father's closest friend.””
“And?””
“And your mother's first husband.””
I stared at her.
“My mother was married before my father.””
“Yes.””
“You never told me that.””
“Your parents paid me not to.””
The room seemed suddenly too small.
“Why?””
“Because Daniel disappeared.””
My fingers tightened around the paper.
“When?””
“Three years before you were born.””
“And my father?””
“He was the last person seen with him.””
I looked at the photograph again.
My father.
Daniel Mercer.
The company.
My mother's secret.
Marcus's takeover plan.
Suddenly, none of it felt separate.
It felt like pieces of the same machine.
My phone buzzed.
This time it was a voicemail from Ethan.
I played it.
His voice came through, breathless.
“Ms. Reed, you need to get back to the store immediately.””
A pause.
Then:
“Someone broke into the office.””
Another pause.
“They weren't looking for money.””
I stood so quickly my chair scraped the floor.
“What were they looking for?”” I whispered.
Ethan's voice shook.
“The original employee records.””
May you like
Then he said something that made my blood freeze.
“And whoever broke in left a message on your desk.””