Chapter 5: The Father Who Never Died
I didn’t sleep that night.
Not because I couldn’t.
Because every time I closed my eyes, I saw the same thing.
My father standing beside my wrecked car.
Alive.
Watching.
Waiting.
By sunrise, I was sitting in my office overlooking Manhattan.
The same office where I had built Bennett Technologies from a small startup into a billion-dollar company.
The same office Chad used to walk into without knocking.
Now his security badge no longer worked.
His name had been removed from the executive system.
But I still felt like he was one step ahead.
Because he had known.
He had known things I didn’t.
Daniel placed a folder on my desk.
“We traced the message.””
I looked up.
“And?””
“Encrypted server.””
“Can you break it?””
“Eventually.””
I frowned.
“You sound like you already know who sent it.””
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“I have a theory.””
“Tell me.””
He took a breath.
“Your father.””
I leaned back.
“Why?””
“Because the message mentioned the accident. The same thing he talked about on the phone.””
I stared out the window.
“If my father was alive all this time, why didn’t he come back?””
Daniel didn’t answer.
Because neither of us knew.
A knock came at the door.
Isabella entered.
She looked different outside the gala.
No uniform.
No tray.
Just a woman carrying a folder.
“I found something.””
I motioned for her to sit.
“What?””
She opened the folder.
“Your father’s old financial records.””
I looked at Daniel.
“How did you get these?””
“My father kept copies before he disappeared.””
I studied her.
“Your father disappeared?””
She nodded.
“He wasn’t fired.””
A chill moved through me.
“What?””
“Everyone thought he left after Chad replaced him.””
She looked down.
“But he was threatened.””
The room became quiet.
“Threatened by who?””
She slid a document across the desk.
A warning letter.
No signature.
But the message was clear.
*Stop investigating Bennett Technologies or your family will suffer.*
I looked at Isabella.
“Why didn’t you show me this before?””
“Because I needed proof.””
“You had proof.””
“I had pieces.””
Her voice softened.
“Just like you.””
That answer stopped me.
Because she understood something most people didn’t.
Truth wasn’t found in one moment.
It was built from broken pieces.
I picked up the document.
“Where is your father now?””
Her expression changed.
“I don’t know.””
The sadness in her voice was real.
For the first time, I saw beyond the mystery.
She wasn’t just helping me.
She was searching too.
A notification appeared on my laptop.
A security alert.
Someone had accessed my private files.
Daniel immediately stood.
“How?””
I checked the screen.
The login location appeared.
My old family home.
The house where I grew up.
The house that had been empty since my father’s funeral.
“That’s impossible,” I whispered.
Isabella looked at me.
“You still own it?””
“Yes.””
“Then someone is inside.””
Within twenty minutes, we were driving there.
The old Bennett estate sat outside the city, surrounded by trees and silence.
The house looked exactly the same.
But the front door was open.
I stepped out of the car.
Daniel reached for his phone.
“Should I call the police?””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“Ethan—”
“If my father is alive, I need answers.””
We entered slowly.
Dust covered the furniture.
The air smelled like old wood and forgotten memories.
Then I saw it.
A light coming from upstairs.
Someone was inside.
I climbed the stairs.
Every step echoed.
At the end of the hallway was my father’s old office.
The door was slightly open.
I pushed it.
Inside, someone sat behind the desk.
My heart stopped.
Because the man turned around.
Older.
Tired.
But unmistakable.
My father looked at me.
“Ethan.””
I couldn’t move.
“You’re alive.””
He nodded.
“I’m sorry.””
Six months of pain.
Six months of confusion.
Six months of believing I had lost everything.
All came out at once.
“Why?””
My father looked down.
“Because if I came back sooner, they would have killed you.””
I stepped closer.
“Who?””
He looked at me.
And the fear in his eyes was worse than anything I had seen.
“Your mother.””
I froze.
“What did you say?””
May you like
My father swallowed.
“Your mother wasn’t the victim you thought she was.””
