Chapter 7: The Girl With Two Names
The name on the document burned into my mind.
Isabella Reed.
The same woman who defended me when everyone else looked away.
The same woman who spoke to me like I mattered.
The same woman who offered me dinner without knowing my last name.
For a moment, I refused to believe it.
“No,” I whispered.
Marcus looked at the document again.
“I know what it looks like.””
“It looks wrong.””
Richard watched me carefully.
“Ethan, I know you want to believe everyone has good intentions.””
I looked at him.
“But?””
“But sometimes the people closest to the truth are the ones hiding it.””
I hated that he was right.
Because I had learned that lesson already.
Brooke.
Chad.
People I trusted.
People who smiled while they destroyed everything I built.
But Isabella felt different.
She had been kind before she knew who I was.
That mattered.
It had to matter.
I turned toward the door.
“Where is she?””
Nobody answered.
Daniel looked uncomfortable.
“Mr. Vance…”
“Where is Isabella?””
He swallowed.
“She left.””
My chest tightened.
“When?””
“Minutes ago.””
Marcus immediately moved toward the hallway.
“I’ll check the exits.””
I followed as quickly as my chair allowed.
The gala had become chaos.
Guests whispered.
Security guards moved around.
The beautiful celebration from earlier had turned into a crime scene.
Then I saw her.
Outside the ballroom.
Standing near the service entrance.
Isabella.
She was holding a small bag.
And she looked like someone who had already accepted she would be caught.
“Isabella.””
She froze.
Slowly, she turned around.
Her face changed when she saw me.
Not surprise.
Guilt.
That hurt more than anger.
“You know,” she whispered.
I stopped in front of her.
“Tell me I’m wrong.””
She looked down.
“Ethan…”
“Tell me your name isn’t on that document.””
Silence.
That was enough.
I felt my throat tighten.
“Who are you?””
She closed her eyes.
“My name is Isabella.””
“That’s not what I asked.””
A tear moved down her cheek.
“My full name is Isabella Reed Parker.””
The hallway went silent.
Brooke, who had followed behind us, stopped breathing.
“Parker?””
Isabella looked at her.
“Yes.””
Brooke stared.
“No…”
“My father was Daniel Parker.””
Brooke stepped back.
“My uncle?””
Isabella nodded.
The family connection hit like another betrayal.
Marcus arrived behind me.
“Explain.””
Isabella looked at everyone.
“I was never trying to hurt Ethan.””
“Then why fake a document with his signature?”” Marcus asked.
Her eyes filled with pain.
“Because I was trying to find out who did.””
Nobody spoke.
I stared at her.
“Start from the beginning.””
She took a shaky breath.
“My father was blamed for stealing from the Vance Foundation twenty years ago.””
Richard’s expression changed.
“Daniel Parker?””
Isabella nodded.
“He spent his entire life saying he was innocent.””
She looked at me.
“But nobody believed him.””
I remembered the files.
The missing money.
The investigation.
The old scandal.
“My father died trying to clear his name,” Isabella continued.
Brooke looked devastated.
“I didn’t know.””
“No,” Isabella said softly.
“You didn’t.””
The words hurt because they were true.
Isabella reached into her bag.
She pulled out a folder.
“I found records showing someone framed my father.””
She handed them to Marcus.
“And the person who benefited was still connected to Vance Hospitality.””
Marcus opened the file.
His expression changed.
“Where did you get this?””
“From the same place I found the fake contract.””
“Where?””
She looked toward Richard.
“Your private archive.””
Richard frowned.
“You broke into my archive?””
“I needed answers.””
“And you thought using Ethan was the best way?””
Her eyes moved to me.
“No.””
Her voice cracked.
“I met Ethan before I knew who he was.””
I remembered the first moment.
Her asking what I wanted.
Her defending me.
Her kindness.
“I saw a man everyone treated like he was invisible,” she said.
“And I knew exactly how that felt.””
Nobody spoke.
Then Brooke whispered:
“You knew Ethan was coming tonight?””
Isabella looked at her.
“Yes.””
Brooke’s face changed.
“How?””
Isabella hesitated.
Then she said:
“Because I was the one who invited him.””
The room froze.
I stared at her.
“You invited me?””
She nodded.
“I wanted you to see what kind of people were running your company.””
My hands tightened.
“So the entire night…”
“Was a test.””
The word felt familiar.
Because it was exactly what I had planned.
I looked at Richard.
Then at Isabella.
Two people hiding things.
Two people claiming they had reasons.
And I didn’t know who to believe anymore.
Before I could speak, Marcus’s phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed immediately.
“What?””
A pause.
Then he looked at me.
“Ethan.””
“What happened?””
He lowered the phone slowly.
“The police just found something.””
“What?””
His eyes moved toward Isabella.
“They found the person who created the fake contract.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Who?””
Marcus swallowed.
“The signature analyst confirmed it.””
He looked at the paper.
“It wasn’t Isabella.””
Everyone froze.
“Then who was it?”” I asked.
May you like
Marcus looked at Brooke.
“It was someone using Isabella’s identity.””
