Chapter 3: The Secret Behind My Name
I stared at the envelope in Ethan Sterling’s hand.
For years, I had imagined this moment.
My father coming back.
A phone call.
A letter.
Some explanation for why he disappeared from my life.
But I never imagined it would happen in the middle of Westbridge University’s courtyard while everyone watched me stand covered in garbage.
My fingers closed around the envelope.
“Who?””
Ethan didn’t answer immediately.
That scared me more than anything.
“Mr. Sterling?””
He looked toward the crowd.
“Not here.””
Veronica noticed the change in his expression.
“What is inside that?””
Nobody answered.
She stepped closer.
“Amelia, don’t act like you’re suddenly important.””
The old anger returned.
Not because she insulted me.
Because she still believed she controlled the story.
I turned toward her.
“You should leave.””
She laughed.
“You’re telling me to leave?””
“Yes.””
Her smile disappeared.
“You think this man changes everything?””
I looked at Ethan.
Then back at her.
“No.””
I held the envelope tighter.
“The truth changes everything.””
Security arrived moments later.
Not campus security.
Sterling Global security.
The difference was obvious.
They didn’t hesitate.
They didn’t ask whether Veronica’s father was a donor.
They simply followed instructions.
Students moved away.
Cameras lowered.
For the first time that day, Veronica Hale was no longer the person everyone protected.
She looked at me with disbelief.
“This is because you won a competition?””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“Then why?””
I looked at the red stains on my clothes.
“Because you thought nobody would believe me.””
That sentence stayed in the air.
Ethan placed a hand lightly on my shoulder.
“Come with me.””
I followed him away from the field.
The helicopter waited nearby.
The entire campus watched.
But I didn’t care anymore.
Inside the aircraft, everything was quiet.
Too quiet.
A few minutes earlier, I had been humiliated in front of hundreds of people.
Now I was sitting across from one of the richest men in America.
And somehow, the second situation felt more frightening.
Ethan looked out the window.
“Your father’s name was Daniel Carter.””
I nodded.
“I know.””
“He worked with Sterling Global twenty years ago.””
I froze.
“My father worked for you?””
“Yes.””
“What did he do?””
Ethan looked at me.
“He discovered something.””
The way he said it made my stomach tighten.
“What kind of something?””
“Something dangerous.””
I waited.
But he didn’t continue.
“Why didn’t he tell me?””
Ethan was silent for a moment.
“Because he believed someone close to him was watching.””
I looked down.
“Close to him?””
“Yes.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“Who?””
Before Ethan could answer, his assistant suddenly entered.
“Mr. Sterling.””
Ethan turned.
The assistant whispered something.
His expression changed.
“What?””
“The livestream video from campus.””
I looked up.
“What about it?””
The assistant hesitated.
“It’s already spreading.””
That wasn’t surprising.
The whole point was humiliation.
Then he continued.
“But someone edited the video.””
My eyebrows tightened.
“Edited?””
“Yes.””
The assistant looked at me.
“They removed the part where Veronica poured the bucket.””
My heart sank.
“What?””
“They made it look like you attacked her first.””
Silence filled the helicopter.
Ethan’s expression became serious.
“Who uploaded the edited version?””
The assistant handed him a tablet.
I looked away automatically.
I didn’t want to see another screen.
I didn’t need to.
Because Ethan’s face told me enough.
He recognized the name.
“Impossible.””
I looked at him.
“Who?””
He slowly raised his eyes.
“The person who posted this…”
A pause.
“…was your father’s former business partner.””
My breathing stopped.
“My father’s business partner?””
Ethan nodded.
Then he said the name.
A name I had never heard before.
But one that clearly terrified him.
“Richard Hale.””
My blood turned cold.
Because Veronica Hale had the same last name.
Ethan looked at me.
“Amelia…”
His voice became quieter.
“Your father didn’t disappear because he abandoned you.””
He looked toward the campus disappearing below us.
“He disappeared because he found out the Hale family was hiding something.””
The helicopter continued rising.
May you like
And for the first time in my life, I wondered if the person who destroyed my childhood…
was the same person who had just tried to destroy my future.
