Chapter 5: The Man Who Wanted My Inheritance
I thought I was prepared for anything.
I wasn’t.
Hearing Richard’s name attached to a legal attack against me felt different from hearing his voice on the phone.
This was no longer a family secret.
It was a war.
I walked back into Daniel’s office with James, Eleanor, and Daniel following behind me.
Ethan stayed with one of the trusted employees downstairs.
I hated leaving him out of my sight.
But I knew this conversation wasn’t meant for a child.
James placed several papers on the desk.
“Richard claims your father transferred ownership illegally.””
I stared at the documents.
“Is that true?””
James looked at me carefully.
“No.””
The answer came quickly.
“But?””
He sighed.
“But Richard has evidence that could create serious problems.””
Eleanor sat down slowly.
“I knew he would do this.””
I looked at her.
“You knew?””
She avoided my eyes.
“Richard has spent years blaming your father.””
“For what?””
She was silent.
“Eleanor.””
Finally, she spoke.
“When your father was young, he and Richard discovered something about the original Sterling Crown property.””
“What?””
“They found records proving that the land belonged to the Carter family generations ago.””
I frowned.
“Then why is Richard saying my father stole it?””
“Because your father refused to let him control it.””
I looked confused.
“Control it?””
Eleanor nodded.
“Richard believed the hotel should belong only to the person with the strongest business mind.””
Daniel interrupted.
“And your father believed ownership came with responsibility.””
I looked out the window.
That sounded exactly like him.
My father never cared about being the richest person in the room.
He cared about being the person who could help others.
But Richard had always seen things differently.
James gathered the documents.
“We need to understand what Richard is planning.””
“How much time do we have?””
His silence answered before his words did.
“Not much.””
That night, I stayed in the hotel.
Not because I wanted luxury.
Because I needed answers.
Ethan fell asleep in the Presidential Suite.
The same room Victoria had said I didn’t belong in.
I sat beside the window, watching the city below.
The room was enormous.
Beautiful.
But I felt completely alone.
My phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number.
I opened it.
It wasn’t a threat.
It was a photograph.
An old photograph.
My father.
Richard.
And another person standing between them.
A woman.
I recognized her instantly.
Because I had seen her before.
In my childhood home.
In old family portraits.
My mother.
But the picture was impossible.
My mother had always told me she never knew Richard.
Yet there she was.
Standing beside him.
I stared at the image.
Then another message appeared.
Ask your mother why she lied.
My heart raced.
My mother had been gone for years.
There was no way to ask her.
Unless…
I remembered something.
A box my mother left behind.
A box she told me never to open.
I had kept it in storage since her death.
The next morning, I called Daniel.
“We need to go somewhere.””
He looked concerned.
“Where?””
“My childhood home.””
Twenty minutes later, we arrived at the old house where I grew up.
The place looked smaller than I remembered.
But the memories were still there.
The hallway where my father taught me to ride a bicycle.
The kitchen where my mother sang while cooking.
The staircase where I fell and cried until my father carried me.
I walked into the attic.
The old wooden box was exactly where I left it.
Daniel watched as I unlocked it.
Inside were letters.
Jewelry.
Family photos.
And one envelope with my name written across the front.
My hands froze.
“Amelia.””
I recognized the handwriting.
My mother’s.
I opened it slowly.
The first sentence made my entire body go cold.
My daughter, if you are reading this, then Richard has finally returned.
I looked at Daniel.
“What?””
I kept reading.
There is something your father never told you about the night Sterling Crown was created.
My breathing became shallow.
The next line was even worse.
The man you believe is your father’s enemy…
May you like
I turned the page.
…was once the person who saved his life.
