Chapter 12: The Woman Who Controlled Everything
The message stayed on my screen.
*The next secret will destroy the only person you still trust.*
I read it again.
Then again.
Because deep down, I knew exactly who it meant.
Arthur.
The only person who had finally stood beside me.
The only member of the Mercer family who admitted the truth.
Or at least…
that was what I believed.
I looked at him.
“Tell me everything.””
Arthur didn’t move.
“Emma…”
“No.””
My voice was steady.
“No more secrets.””
The mansion became silent.
Even Richard stopped smiling.
Arthur looked exhausted.
Like he had been carrying a weight for years.
Finally, he sat down.
“When your father discovered Richard’s network, he came to me.””
My heart tightened.
“He trusted you?””
Arthur nodded.
“Yes.””
“And you betrayed him.””
The words hurt him.
Good.
They should.
“I was afraid.””
I shook my head.
“That’s your excuse for everything.””
Arthur looked down.
“I thought I could negotiate.””
“With people like Richard?””
“Yes.””
He gave a bitter smile.
“I thought money could solve anything.””
“And did it?””
“No.””
The answer was immediate.
“I lost everything that mattered.””
Richard interrupted.
“Enough emotional speeches.””
The agent turned toward him.
“Quiet.””
Richard ignored the command.
“Emma, you want the truth?””
I looked at him.
“More than anything.””
He nodded.
“Your father wasn’t killed because he found my network.””
I frowned.
“Then why?””
Richard looked at Arthur.
“Because he found what Arthur did.””
The room went silent.
I turned slowly.
“What?””
Arthur looked horrified.
“Richard, don’t.””
Richard smiled.
“Tell her.””
I looked at Arthur.
“What did you do?””
Arthur’s face changed.
Not guilt.
Fear.
And that scared me more.
“Arthur.””
He closed his eyes.
“I made a mistake.””
The words felt familiar.
Everyone always called it a mistake.
Daniel hurting me.
Victoria hiding the truth.
Michael betraying me.
Mistakes.
A convenient word for terrible choices.
“What mistake?””
Arthur whispered:
“I signed the agreement.””
I stared.
“What agreement?””
Richard answered.
“The one that gave me access to Mercer Holdings.””
I felt numb.
“You helped him?””
Arthur looked at me.
“I was trying to save the company.””
“And my father?””
Silence.
That silence destroyed whatever hope I had left.
Arthur didn’t kill my father.
But he helped create the world where it happened.
I stepped away.
All these years, I thought there were victims and villains.
But everyone had pieces of the truth.
Everyone had made choices.
Richard picked up his folder.
“Now you understand.””
I looked at him.
“Understand what?””
“That everyone around you has been protecting their own interests.””
He pointed at Arthur.
“Your father-in-law.””
Then Claire.
“Your best friend.””
Then himself.
“Me.””
He smiled.
“And even you.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What does that mean?””
Richard walked closer.
“You think your father left you nothing?””
He placed another document on the table.
I looked down.
A company transfer agreement.
My name.
My signature.
My company.
Except…
I had never signed it.
“This is fake.””
Richard smiled.
“No.””
My blood ran cold.
“It’s real.””
I stared at the signature.
Because it looked exactly like mine.
“How?””
Richard leaned closer.
“Because someone had access to your personal documents long before you met Daniel.””
I looked at Claire.
Then Arthur.
Then the room.
Someone had been planning this for years.
Not months.
Years.
The agent suddenly received a message.
His face changed.
“What?””
Everyone looked at him.
He slowly lowered his phone.
“We found Victoria Mercer.””
Arthur stood.
“Where?””
The agent looked at me.
“She’s at the hospital.””
My heart stopped.
“Why?””
The agent hesitated.
Then answered.
“Because she tried to turn herself in.””
A silence followed.
Then he added:
“And she says she has proof of who really ordered your father’s death.””
I looked toward the mansion doors.
For the first time that night…
I wanted to hear Victoria speak.
May you like
Because the woman who destroyed my life…
might finally be the only person who could reveal the truth.
