Chapter 13: The Final Deal
The message stayed on my screen for what felt like an hour.
One photo.
One sentence.
One impossible choice.
My father was alive.
But someone wanted something from me.
The ownership papers.
The thing everyone had been fighting over for seventeen years.
Daniel looked at my face.
“What happened?””
I couldn’t speak.
I just handed him my phone.
The moment he saw the photo, his expression changed.
“Michael.””
Victoria stood up.
“What?””
Nobody answered her.
She walked closer.
“Let me see.””
Daniel stepped away.
“No.””
Her eyes narrowed.
“Daniel.””
“You don’t get to ask questions anymore.””
The words surprised everyone.
Including her.
For the first time, Daniel wasn’t looking at her like his mother.
He was looking at her like someone who had betrayed him.
I looked at the photo again.
My father was sitting in a chair.
His face had bruises.
But his eyes were open.
He was alive.
“I’m going.””
Daniel immediately shook his head.
“No.””
“I have to.””
“It’s a trap.””
“I know.””
“Then why would you go?””
I looked at him.
“Because he went through seventeen years of hell trying to protect me.””
My voice cracked.
“I’m not letting him disappear again.””
Nobody spoke.
Then Sarah walked into the restaurant.
Everyone turned.
She looked exhausted.
But determined.
“I know where they took him.””
Daniel stared.
“How?””
Sarah held up her phone.
“I tracked the message.””
I looked at her.
“Who sent it?””
She hesitated.
Then said:
“Andrew.””
The room went silent.
“But he was arrested.””
Sarah shook her head.
“No.””
“What?””
“He was never caught.””
Daniel’s face changed.
“He staged everything.””
Sarah nodded.
“He wanted everyone to think he was gone.””
I looked at Victoria.
She looked genuinely surprised.
For once.
She didn’t know what was happening.
“Where is he?””
Sarah looked at me.
“An old Bellavita storage facility.””
My stomach tightened.
“The original one?””
She nodded.
The building my father started with.
The place where everything began.
Daniel grabbed his coat.
“I’m coming.””
“No.””
He looked at me.
“Emily.””
“This is my family.””
He stared.
“Your family is exactly why I’m coming.””
I didn’t argue.
Because he was right.
Thirty minutes later, we arrived at the abandoned building.
The old Bellavita sign was still hanging above the entrance.
Rust covered the letters.
But I could still read it.
My father’s dream.
My inheritance.
My stolen history.
Sarah stayed outside with Daniel.
I walked inside.
Alone.
“Emily.””
Andrew’s voice echoed through the darkness.
I stopped.
“Where is my father?””
A light turned on.
Andrew stood near the old kitchen area.
My father was tied to a chair behind him.
My heart almost broke.
“Dad.””
My father looked at me.
“Emily, no.””
Andrew smiled.
“You came.””
I stared at him.
“Let him go.””
He laughed softly.
“You sound just like Michael.””
“You kidnapped my father.””
“I protected an investment.””
I felt disgusted.
“You’re insane.””
Andrew shook his head.
“No. I’m practical.””
He held out his hand.
“The papers.””
I didn’t move.
“First, my father.””
Andrew smiled.
“Still negotiating.””
He walked closer.
“You really are his daughter.””
I looked at my father.
“Are you okay?””
My father nodded.
“Don’t give him anything.””
Andrew sighed.
“Always stubborn.””
Then he looked at me.
“You know what your father never understood?””
I said nothing.
“He thought loyalty mattered.””
He laughed.
“In business, only control matters.””
I slowly pulled the papers from my bag.
Andrew’s eyes followed them.
“You have no idea how many people fought for those.””
I held them tightly.
“Why?””
His smile faded.
“Because Bellavita is worth hundreds of millions now.””
The number didn’t surprise me.
The greed did.
“You destroyed lives for money?””
Andrew shrugged.
“Everyone has a price.””
I looked at my father.
“And mine?””
Andrew smiled.
“Your father’s weakness.””
My hands tightened.
“What?””
“His daughter.””
The words made my blood boil.
Then I noticed something.
A small red light blinking near the doorway.
A camera.
Recording.
Andrew didn’t know.
Daniel was listening.
I looked at Andrew.
“Here.””
I handed him the papers.
He grabbed them quickly.
Then he smiled.
“Thank you.””
He opened the folder.
And froze.
“What is this?””
I smiled.
“The wrong papers.””
His face changed.
“What?””
I stepped back.
“You wanted ownership?””
I pointed toward the camera.
“You just admitted everything on video.””
Andrew looked up.
Realization hit him.
“You—”
The doors behind him opened.
Daniel walked in.
“Andrew Vale.””
May you like
Andrew turned.
And for the first time, he looked afraid.
