Chapter 8 - THE MASK FALLS
Leo didn’t sleep that night.
Neither did I.
We sat in the living room surrounded by documents, bank statements, and unanswered questions.
For years, I thought my biggest problem was Agnes.
I was wrong.
Agnes was only one piece.
The real problem was how many people had been lying.
The next morning, Leo called his business partner, Mark.
He put the phone on speaker.
“Hey, man,” Mark answered casually.
Too casually.
“Where are you?”
A pause.
“At home.”
Leo looked at me.
“Really?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Because I saw you last night.”
Silence.
Just one second.
But it was enough.
Leo heard it.
I heard it.
Mark was caught.
“Leo—”
“Don’t.”
His voice was cold.
“I trusted you.”
Mark sighed.
“Listen. You don’t understand what’s happening.”
“Then explain.”
Another pause.
Then Mark said:
“Your mother forced my hand.”
My heart raced.
Leo stood.
“What?”
“She threatened me.”
“With what?”
Mark didn’t answer.
That was the problem.
Everyone knew something.
Everyone was hiding something.
Leo’s voice became sharper.
“Tell me the truth.”
Finally, Mark spoke.
“Your mother knew about your financial problems before you did.”
I looked at Leo.
He went still.
“What are you talking about?”
“She found out your company was struggling.”
Mark continued.
“She wanted control.”
My hands went cold.
“Control of what?”
Mark hesitated.
“Everything.”
The call ended.
Leo stared at the phone.
Then quietly said:
“My mother destroyed my company.”
I wanted to comfort him.
But I also remembered something.
The house.
The years.
The way Agnes treated me.
Suddenly, it made sense.
This wasn’t about love.
It was about control.
Agnes didn’t just want to control me.
She wanted to control everyone around her.
That afternoon, we went back to the house.
Not to fight.
To collect evidence.
The moment we walked inside, Agnes smiled.
“I knew you’d come back.”
Leo looked at her.
“You knew?”
She shrugged.
“I know my son.”
“No.”
His voice was different.
“You know how to manipulate people.”
For the first time, Agnes lost her smile.
Good.
Because I wanted her to feel something.
Anything.
“You have no idea what you’re saying.”
Leo stepped closer.
“I know enough.”
Then Chloe appeared.
And she wasn’t smiling either.
She looked nervous.
“Mom…”
Agnes turned.
“What?”
Chloe looked at us.
“I need to tell you something.”
Agnes’s face changed.
“Don’t.”
That single word told us everything.
Chloe looked terrified.
And then she whispered:
“I know where the money went.”
Everyone froze.
Leo stared.
“What?”
Chloe looked at her mother.
May you like
Then at me.
“I know because I helped her.”
