Chapter 6: The Night Everything Changed
I stared at the message until the screen went dark.
Then I turned it back on.
The words were still there.
*Ask your mother what happened the night Lucas was born.*
My fingers felt numb.
I looked at my mother.
She was standing beside Ryan, but she no longer looked like an accomplice.
She looked like someone who had been carrying a secret too heavy for too many years.
“What happened that night?”” I asked.
Her face drained of color.
Ryan immediately looked away.
That told me everything.
Not the answer.
But the fact that they both knew it.
“Mom.””
My voice cracked.
“Who sent this message?””
She didn’t answer.
“Who was there when Lucas was born?””
She sat down slowly.
For a moment, she looked like she might finally tell me.
Then Ryan stepped forward.
“Emma, you need to be careful.””
I turned toward him.
“Careful?””
I laughed bitterly.
“You have been telling me to be careful since the day I found out my father had another child. Everyone keeps telling me to be careful. Nobody tells me the truth.””
Ryan accepted the anger.
Maybe because he deserved some of it.
Maybe because he knew I needed someone to blame.
“I was there that night,” he said.
My mother looked at him.
“Ryan…”
“No. She deserves to know.””
I stared.
“You were there?””
He nodded.
“Thirty years ago.””
The room became silent.
“My father never mentioned you.””
“He wouldn’t.””
“Why?””
Ryan looked at the floor.
“Because I was the one who helped him hide Lucas.””
My chest tightened.
“You knew?””
“Yes.””
“And you never told me?””
“No.””
The honesty hurt more than another lie would have.
“Why?””
Ryan swallowed.
“Because Daniel made me promise.””
I shook my head.
“My father made everyone promise things.””
Ryan looked at me.
“Because he knew someone was watching.””
The words felt familiar.
Someone was watching.
Someone was controlling things.
Someone had been close enough to know every move my father made.
“Who?””
Ryan didn’t answer.
My mother did.
“Your grandfather.””
I froze.
“My grandfather?””
She nodded.
“Your father’s father.””
I stared at her.
“My grandfather died before I was born.””
“Yes.””
“Then how could he be involved?””
My mother’s eyes filled with sadness.
“Because death doesn’t erase what people leave behind.””
She walked toward a cabinet and pulled out an old photograph.
The picture was faded.
Three people stood outside the first Whitmore factory.
My father.
Ryan.
And an older man I barely remembered from childhood photographs.
My grandfather.
“He built the company with Daniel,” my mother said.
I looked closer.
Something was written on the back.
A date.
And a name.
*Project Phoenix.*
“What is that?””
Nobody answered.
That scared me.
I grabbed the photograph.
“What is Project Phoenix?””
Ryan sat down.
“Your father discovered your grandfather had been using company resources for something illegal.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What kind of illegal?””
Ryan hesitated.
“Money laundering. Secret accounts. Manipulating shareholders.””
I looked at the photograph again.
“So my grandfather was the real problem?””
“No,” Ryan said quietly.
“He was the beginning.””
A chill ran through me.
“What does that mean?””
Ryan looked at my mother.
She nodded.
Then he continued.
“Your grandfather created a system inside the company. A hidden network of people who benefited from his decisions.””
“And after he died?””
“They didn’t disappear.””
I felt my heartbeat increase.
“They stayed.””
“Exactly.””
My mother sat beside me.
“Your father spent years trying to remove them.””
“And Ryan helped him.””
“Yes.””
I looked at Ryan.
“So why did everyone think you betrayed him?””
His expression changed.
“Because Daniel and I planned it.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“We needed them to believe we had turned against each other.””
My mother continued:
“If the people controlling the company thought Ryan was no longer loyal to Daniel, they would reveal themselves.””
I looked around the room.
All the lies.
All the secrets.
All the pain.
My father had created a game.
But he had never told me the rules.
“Then why leave me the dossier?””
Ryan’s face softened.
“Because he didn’t know if he would survive long enough to explain.””
The room went quiet.
I hated hearing that.
Because a part of me still believed my father would walk through the door and fix everything.
But he was gone.
And I was left holding the pieces.
Then Ryan’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
“What?””
He stood.
“What happened?””
A pause.
Then his face went pale.
“My daughter.””
I watched him freeze.
“Someone found her.””
The same fear I had seen before returned.
And suddenly I understood.
Ryan wasn’t afraid of losing the company.
He was afraid of losing someone he loved.
My phone buzzed.
Another message.
This time with a picture.
A young woman tied to a chair.
May you like
And below it:
*“You wanted the truth, Emma. Now pay for it.””*