Chapter 9: The Man Who Owned The School
The front door shook.
Once.
Twice.
Then a third time.
Whoever stood outside was not asking permission.
They were coming in.
Andrew moved toward the window.
“We need another exit.””
I looked at him.
“You knew this would happen.””
“No.””
“Then why are you acting like you’ve done this before?””
He stopped.
Because he knew I was right.
Evelyn grabbed the file.
“Daniel, if they get this, Lily will never know the truth.””
I took the file from her.
“They won’t.””
The door cracked.
A voice called from outside.
“Dr. Hart, this doesn’t need to become complicated.””
I recognized the confidence.
The arrogance.
The same kind of confidence I had seen in Ethan Blake.
Money had raised him.
Power had protected him.
But now I knew where it came from.
I looked at Andrew.
“Blake.””
He nodded.
“Richard Blake.””
The father.
The billionaire behind Hawthorne Academy’s largest donations.
The man whose name appeared everywhere.
I opened the back door.
Rain poured down.
“Evelyn, go.””
She looked surprised.
“What about you?””
I looked toward the front door.
“I need answers.””
Andrew grabbed my shoulder.
“Daniel.””
I turned.
“You already lost Rachel.””
His voice was quiet.
“Don’t lose yourself too.””
I pulled away.
“I’m not the one who needs saving.””
Richard Blake entered the farmhouse like he owned it.
Maybe because he was used to owning everything.
The school.
The board.
The people around him.
He wore a perfect suit despite the rain outside.
His eyes moved around the room.
Then stopped on me.
“Daniel Cross.””
I stared at him.
“Richard Blake.””
He smiled.
“You finally found the truth.””
“You hurt my daughter.””
His smile faded slightly.
“I protected an important discovery.””
My hands tightened.
“She is a child.””
“She is evidence.””
The words hit like a punch.
I stepped forward.
“She has a name.””
Richard tilted his head.
“Lily.””
He said it like he was discussing a business asset.
Not a person.
Not my daughter.
“You have no idea what she represents.””
“I know exactly what she represents.””
I looked at him.
“She represents everything wrong with people like you.””
For the first time, his expression changed.
Anger.
Only for a second.
Then it disappeared.
“You sound like Rachel.””
I froze.
“You knew her.””
“I knew she was emotional.””
My jaw tightened.
“She was brave.””
“She was reckless.””
I stepped closer.
“She was your biggest mistake.””
Richard smiled.
“No.””
He looked toward the hallway.
“Your biggest mistake was believing you could hide Lily forever.””
I felt my stomach drop.
“You were watching us.””
“Of course.””
The answer was effortless.
“She was valuable.””
I wanted to hit him.
But I didn’t.
Because anger was what he wanted.
People like him used chaos.
I needed control.
“Why the school?””
Richard walked toward the desk.
“Because Hawthorne was the safest place to monitor her.””
I stared.
“You put her there?””
“She needed to be close.””
“To what?””
He smiled.
“To the truth.””
Before I could respond, my phone rang.
Lily.
I answered immediately.
“Sweetheart?””
Her voice came through.
“Dad?””
I heard fear.
“What happened?””
A pause.
Then:
“There’s someone here.””
My entire body went cold.
“Where are you?””
“At home.””
I stood frozen.
“Who is there?””
I heard Lily take a breath.
Then she whispered:
“Dad…”
The fear in her voice was something I had never heard before.
“He says he knows Mom.””
The call went silent.
“Lily?””
No answer.
“Lily!””
I turned toward Richard.
His face had changed.
Not surprised.
Not confused.
He knew.
And that meant one thing.
Someone else had reached my daughter before I could.
I ran for the door.
Because for the second time in her life…
May you like
My little girl was in danger.
And this time, I was too late.
