Chapter 8: The Woman Behind The Plan
I stared at the name.
My mind refused to accept it.
The person who had started this.
The person who had marked me as a target.
Was someone I trusted.
Someone who had sat beside me at family dinners.
Someone who had comforted me when Adrian worked late.
Someone who had told me everything would be okay.
The name on the file was:
Claire Whitmore.
My mother.
I looked up slowly.
Nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
Even Thomas looked uncomfortable.
Because this was no longer about Adrian.
This was about betrayal from the person I never thought could hurt me.
My mother’s face turned pale.
“Evelyn.””
I closed the file.
“No.””
She stepped forward.
“Please listen.””
I backed away.
“No. You listen.””
My voice shook.
“You knew.””
Tears filled her eyes.
“I did what I had to do.””
Those words hurt more than a denial.
“What you had to do?””
She nodded.
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
She looked at Thomas.
Then at Daniel.
Finally, at me.
“Your father destroyed people.””
I clenched my jaw.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
My mother’s voice broke.
“Your father built Valecrest by making promises he never intended to keep.””
Thomas looked at her.
“For once, you’re telling the truth.””
She ignored him.
“When I found out what he had done, I wanted to fix it.””
“How?””
She looked at the file.
“By giving Adrian a chance.””
The words made no sense.
“Giving Adrian a chance?””
“Yes.””
My mother sat down.
“Adrian’s family deserved justice.””
I stared at her.
“So you arranged my marriage?””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“I didn’t arrange it.””
She looked away.
“But when Adrian showed interest in you, I didn’t stop him.””
The silence was unbearable.
“You knew he didn’t love me.””
Her eyes closed.
“I thought he would change.””
I laughed quietly.
“That’s your excuse?””
“No.””
She wiped her tears.
“I thought if he spent enough time with you, he would see you were not your father.””
I looked at her.
“And if he didn’t?””
She didn’t answer.
That was enough.
My chest felt heavy.
Six years.
Six years of believing my mother wanted me happy.
When maybe she only wanted me to become a bridge between two enemies.
Thomas spoke quietly.
“Adrian was never supposed to fall in love with you.””
I turned toward him.
“Did he?””
Nobody answered.
I hated that I wanted to know.
Because some small part of me still remembered the man he pretended to be.
Thomas continued.
“At first, he followed the plan.””
I looked at him.
“And then?””
“Then something changed.””
I frowned.
“What?””
Thomas looked toward the window.
“He started protecting you.””
The room became silent.
“Protecting me?””
“Yes.””
I shook my head.
“He destroyed me in front of four hundred people.””
Thomas nodded.
“Recently.””
He looked back at me.
“But for years, he sabotaged attempts against you.””
I stared at him.
“What are you talking about?””
Daniel opened another file.
Inside were reports.
Threats.
Business attacks.
Attempts to damage Valecrest.
Each one had been stopped.
By Adrian.
I looked at the pages.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
Thomas sighed.
“Adrian came to hate your family.””
He paused.
“But he started loving you.””
I looked away.
I didn’t want to hear that.
Because if it was true, everything became more complicated.
If Adrian had once loved me, why did he destroy me?
My phone suddenly rang.
Daniel looked at the screen.
“Unknown number.””
I answered.
“Hello?””
Adrian’s voice came through.
“Evelyn.””
My body stiffened.
“Where are you?””
“Somewhere I should have taken you years ago.””
Anger rose immediately.
“You don’t get to act mysterious after everything you did.””
“I know.””
His voice was quieter.
“I deserve that.””
That stopped me.
Adrian never admitted fault.
Not once.
“Why are you calling?””
A pause.
Then:
“Because I found out who is really behind all of this.””
I looked around the room.
Everyone watched me.
“Who?””
His answer came softly.
And the name he said made my blood run cold.
“Your father’s oldest friend.””
I frowned.
“My father’s oldest friend is dead.””
“No.””
Adrian’s voice lowered.
“He’s alive.””
I felt the world shift.
“Who?””
Another pause.
Then:
“The man who has been running Valecrest from the shadows.””
The call ended.
And Daniel’s computer suddenly flashed with an alert.
A new file had been uploaded.
May you like
The sender’s name appeared on the screen.
Robert Whitmore.
