Chapter 8: The Enemy Behind The Family
The next morning, I woke up with one thought.
Find the man behind everything.
My family had been pieces on a chessboard.
My father.
My mother.
Ryan.
Vanessa.
Even Claire.
They were all involved.
But someone else was moving them.
Someone powerful enough to make my father risk everything.
James spent the morning reviewing documents while Olivia helped him connect the missing pieces.
Emily stayed close to Lily.
I noticed she still flinched whenever someone moved too quickly.
That hurt.
Because my wife was the strongest person I knew.
And my family had broken something inside her.
Around noon, James looked up.
"We found him.""
I walked over.
"Who?""
He turned his laptop toward me.
A company name appeared.
Blackstone Capital Holdings.
I recognized it immediately.
One of the largest investment firms in the country.
But there was something else.
The owner.
Richard Vale.
I had met him once.
A year ago.
He tried to buy my company.
I refused.
Because his offer wasn't about partnership.
It was about control.
"He contacted your father after you rejected his offer," James explained.
Olivia nodded.
"Richard doesn't build companies.""
She looked at me.
"He absorbs them.""
I leaned against the desk.
"So my father made a deal with him.""
"Yes.""
"What did they promise?""
James clicked another file.
A contract appeared.
My father had signed an agreement.
If he gained control of my company, Richard would receive ownership rights over the land.
I felt sick.
My own father had planned to hand over everything I built.
For money.
For power.
For a deal.
Then my phone rang.
This time, I knew who it was.
My father.
I answered.
"What?""
His voice was different.
Less confident.
"Michael, we need to talk.""
"No.""
"Listen to me.""
I laughed.
"Like you listened to Emily?""
Silence.
Then he said:
"I made mistakes.""
"Mistakes?""
My voice rose.
"You tied up my wife and daughter.""
"I never wanted Lily involved.""
I froze.
"You still did.""
Another silence.
Then my father said something unexpected.
"Ryan lied to me.""
I frowned.
"What?""
"Your brother changed the plan.""
I looked at Olivia.
She was listening.
My father continued.
"He told me Emily would cooperate. He said there would be pressure, but nobody would get hurt.""
I didn't know whether to believe him.
The man on the phone was still the man who allowed it to happen.
But one thing stood out.
Fear.
I heard fear in his voice.
"Where is Ryan now?""
My father hesitated.
That hesitation told me everything.
"Where is he?""
"He left.""
"Where?""
"I don't know.""
I ended the call.
Seconds later, James' phone rang.
He checked the screen.
Then his face changed.
"What?""
I looked at him.
"What happened?""
He turned the phone toward me.
A news alert was on the screen.
Ryan Callahan had withdrawn a large amount of money from a private account.
And he was heading toward the airport.
But beneath the headline was something worse.
A photograph.
Ryan wasn't alone.
Standing beside him was Richard Vale.
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And they were carrying a folder.
The same folder my father had tried to hide.
