Chapter 10: The Account That Was Never Supposed to Exist
I stared at Vanessa’s message until the screen went dark.
*But you still don’t know what your mother hid from you.*
For the first time in days, I wondered if Vanessa was telling the truth.
Not because I trusted her.
I didn’t.
But because every time I thought I understood my mother’s plan, another secret appeared.
Another hidden layer.
Another person who knew more than I did.
I looked at Robert.
“What else did my mother hide?””
He didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me more than if he had.
“Robert.””
He sighed.
“Your mother was preparing for the possibility that Vanessa would get access to the company.””
Claire crossed her arms.
“She knew Vanessa was dangerous.””
Robert nodded.
“She also knew your father was too afraid to stop her.””
I looked away.
That sentence hurt because it was true.
My father wasn’t a monster.
That would have been easier.
Monsters were simple.
You knew where they stood.
My father was worse.
He was someone who loved me and still failed me.
Someone who chose comfort over courage.
“What did she hide?”” I asked again.
Robert pulled out another folder.
“This.””
Inside were pages of financial records.
But these weren’t like the ones we had already found.
These were older.
Much older.
The first page had my mother’s handwriting.
*Emergency Protection Plan.*
I frowned.
“Protection plan?””
Robert nodded.
“Your mother knew that if something happened to her, people would fight over everything she left behind.””
I touched the paper.
“She was preparing for her own death.””
“Yes.””
My chest tightened.
“She shouldn’t have had to.””
Nobody responded.
Because nobody could disagree.
I flipped through the documents.
Then I saw a number.
An account number.
The same one my mother mentioned.
“Where is this account?””
Claire looked at Robert.
He hesitated.
“Switzerland.””
I looked up.
“What?””
“Your mother created it before she got sick.””
“Why?””
“To protect company assets.””
I stared at the documents.
“How much is in it?””
Robert looked at me.
“Not money.””
My confusion grew.
“Then what?””
He pointed to a page.
“Ownership records.””
I read the words carefully.
Then my hands went cold.
The account contained the original documents proving my mother owned sixty percent of the company.
Not my father.
Not Vanessa.
My mother.
And after her death, those shares were supposed to transfer to me.
But only if the documents remained hidden.
Only if nobody else accessed them.
Claire whispered:
“Vanessa wasn’t after the trust.””
I looked at her.
“She was after the company.””
Robert nodded.
“The trust was just the beginning.””
Everything suddenly made sense.
The car.
The envelope.
The key.
Vanessa didn’t care about an old Honda.
She cared about what was hidden inside it.
My phone rang.
My father.
I almost ignored it.
But I answered.
“Emily.””
His voice sounded broken.
“Where are you?””
“Why?””
“Because Vanessa knows about the documents.””
My grip tightened.
“How?””
“She found your storage unit.””
My heart dropped.
“What?””
“She was there.””
“When?””
“An hour ago.””
I looked at Claire.
“What did she take?””
My father was silent.
Then:
“The original folder.””
I closed my eyes.
“No.””
“I’m sorry.””
“Where is she?””
“I don’t know.””
A sound came from the background.
A door closing.
I froze.
“Dad?””
No answer.
“Dad?””
The call ended.
I immediately called back.
Nothing.
Claire stood.
“Something happened.””
I knew.
I felt it.
We drove to my father’s house.
The front door was open.
That was the first warning.
The second was the silence.
“Dad?””
No answer.
I walked inside.
The house looked untouched.
Almost too untouched.
Then I saw something on the floor.
A photograph.
My mother.
But not the one I knew.
This one was taken the day before she entered the hospital.
And written on the back were four words.
*Ask him about Sarah.*
I turned to Claire.
“Who is Sarah?””
Claire’s face changed.
A name she recognized.
A name she feared.
Before she could answer, a voice came from behind me.
My father.
“Emily…”
I spun around.
He looked terrified.
“Who is Sarah?””
He closed his eyes.
May you like
And whispered:
“She was your mother’s biggest secret.””
