Chapter 8: The Truth About Lucas
Ryan didn’t speak.
That was the worst part.
After everything.
After all the secrets.
All the betrayals.
He stood there silently.
And silence was an answer.
“Ryan.””
My voice was barely above a whisper.
“What did my father do?””
Victor watched us like he was enjoying a performance.
Ryan looked at him.
“You don’t get to tell this story.””
Victor smiled.
“I’m not telling anything.””
He pointed at Ryan.
“He is.””
The warehouse became painfully quiet.
Ryan closed his eyes.
Then he spoke.
“Lucas wasn’t abandoned.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“What?””
“He was taken away.””
“By who?””
Ryan looked at me.
“By Daniel.””
I stepped back.
“No.””
“Emma—”
“No.””
My father.
The man who warned me about betrayal.
The man who told me to trust actions.
Had he taken Lucas away?
Ryan’s voice cracked.
“Your father found out Lucas existed when Lucas was six months old.””
I shook my head.
“That’s impossible.””
“No.””
Ryan looked broken.
“That’s the truth.””
Victor smiled.
“Finally.””
I ignored him.
“Why?””
Ryan swallowed.
“Because your grandfather threatened Daniel.””
I stared.
“What does that mean?””
“Your grandfather knew about Lucas. He wanted Daniel to erase him from the family records.””
“And my father agreed?””
Ryan looked away.
“At first.””
The words hurt.
“At first?””
Ryan nodded.
“Daniel was afraid. He thought protecting you meant removing every threat.””
I felt tears building.
“That doesn’t sound like him.””
Ryan whispered:
“People are complicated, Emma.””
I hated that answer.
Because it was true.
My father wasn’t a legend.
He was a person.
A person who could make mistakes.
Ryan continued.
“But Daniel changed.””
“When?””
“When he realized Lucas wasn’t a threat.””
“Then why didn’t he bring him back?””
Ryan looked toward Victor.
“Because someone else made sure he couldn’t.””
Victor’s smile disappeared.
For the first time, he looked angry.
Ryan continued:
“Your grandfather’s network had already taken control. They threatened Daniel. They threatened Lucas. They threatened everyone.””
I looked at Victor.
“You were part of it.””
Victor didn’t deny it.
Instead, he said:
“You have no idea how much your father destroyed.””
I stepped forward.
“My father tried to fix his mistakes.””
Victor laughed.
“No. Your father tried to hide them.””
Then Ryan’s phone rang.
Everyone froze.
He answered.
A woman’s voice came through.
His daughter.
“Dad?””
Ryan almost collapsed.
“Where are you?””
“I don’t know.””
The call cut.
But it was enough.
She was alive.
The police moved.
Victor noticed.
His face changed.
“You think you’ve won?””
The officers surrounded him.
But Victor smiled.
Because he still had something.
“You still haven’t read the last page.””
I looked at the file in Ryan’s hand.
My father’s final file.
The one Victor wanted.
I took it.
The last page.
The page everyone was afraid of.
I opened it.
And read.
My hands started shaking.
Because it wasn’t about Ryan.
It wasn’t about Victor.
It wasn’t about Lucas.
It was about me.
*“Emma, if you found this page, then you know the truth about Lucas. But there is one more thing you must understand.””*
I kept reading.
*“You were never chosen because you were my daughter.””*
My heart stopped.
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The next sentence changed everything.
*“You were chosen because you were the only person I trusted to destroy what I built.””*