Chapter 8: The Child Hidden By A Billionaire
I didn’t sleep that night.
How could I?
My entire identity was hanging by a thread.
I sat alone in my father’s old office, staring at the documents spread across the desk.
Two children.
One hospital.
One missing.
And a father who spent decades hiding the truth.
The person I thought I was suddenly felt like a stranger.
At sunrise, Victoria entered the room.
She looked exhausted.
“I knew you would be here.””
I didn’t look up.
“Did you know everything?””
She stopped.
“No.””
“Did you know I might not be Richard Hale’s son?””
Her silence lasted too long.
I finally looked at her.
“That means you suspected.””
She sat across from me.
“I suspected something was wrong.””
“Why?””
“Because your father was terrified of one person.””
“Who?””
She looked at the documents.
“Your aunt.””
I frowned.
“My mother’s sister?””
Victoria nodded.
“Her name was Elizabeth.””
I searched my memory.
I had never heard that name.
“Why would my father fear her?””
Victoria took a deep breath.
“Because she knew the truth.””
“What truth?””
“That your father’s fortune was not built the way everyone believed.””
I leaned forward.
“Explain.””
Victoria looked toward the window.
“Richard and Elizabeth were business partners before everything happened.””
“Partners?””
“Yes.””
She paused.
“They created the company together.””
That shocked me.
“My father always said he built everything alone.””
Victoria gave a bitter smile.
“That was the story he wanted people to believe.””
She continued.
“Elizabeth discovered Richard was moving money through illegal accounts.””
I stared at her.
“Are you saying my father was a criminal?””
Victoria shook her head.
“I’m saying your father was desperate enough to become someone he wasn’t.””
The detective entered the office.
“Mr. Hale.””
I turned.
“We found something.””
He placed a folder on the desk.
“Your father’s private financial records.””
I opened it.
Inside were payments.
Large payments.
Sent every month.
To someone named Elizabeth Carter.
My mother’s sister.
“She was alive?””
The detective nodded.
“For years.””
My hands went cold.
“Then why did everyone say she disappeared?””
Nobody answered.
Until Thomas appeared behind the detective.
“Because your father paid her to disappear.””
I stood.
“Why?””
Thomas looked at me.
“Because she threatened to expose him.””
I laughed quietly.
“So he erased her.””
“No.””
Thomas shook his head.
“That’s the strange part.””
He pointed to the records.
“Your father kept paying her until the month he died.””
I looked confused.
“Why would he pay someone he wanted gone?””
Thomas looked at Victoria.
“Because he was afraid of what she knew.””
The room became silent.
Then my phone rang.
I almost ignored it.
But the number on the screen made my heart stop.
It was an unknown number.
I answered.
“Hello?””
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then an elderly woman’s voice whispered:
“Alexander?””
I froze.
Nobody had called me that way except family.
“Who is this?””
A pause.
Then:
“I’m the woman your father spent thirty years trying to silence.””
My blood ran cold.
“Elizabeth?””
The woman inhaled sharply.
“So he told you my name.””
I stood completely still.
“Where are you?””
Her voice trembled.
“Somewhere your father never thought I would reach.””
“Where?””
Another pause.
Then she said:
“Your mother’s grave.””
My heart stopped.
“What?””
The line crackled.
May you like
Before disconnecting, she whispered one final sentence.
“Alexander… you were never Richard Hale’s son.””
