Chapter 9 - My Father’s Last Warning
I stared at the screen.
Richard Hale.
My father.
The same man who dragged me through my own house.
The same man who watched me fall while carrying his grandchild.
The same man who never apologized.
Margaret looked at me.
“Don’t answer.”
But I did.
“Hello?”
Silence.
Then his voice.
“Emily.”
I felt nothing.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Just emptiness.
“What do you want?”
He sighed.
“You need to stop this.”
I almost smiled.
“Stop what?”
“Looking into things you don’t understand.”
My grip tightened around the phone.
“You mean looking into why my husband died?”
A pause.
Too long.
“You don’t know what you’re dealing with.”
I stood.
“No, Dad.”
My voice became stronger.
“I know exactly what I’m dealing with.”
I looked at Margaret.
“A man who attacked his pregnant daughter.”
Silence.
“A man who tried to steal her home.”
Silence.
“A man who helped people destroy the life Daniel built.”
His voice changed.
“You think Daniel was perfect?”
The words bothered me.
Not because I believed him.
Because I knew he was trying to hurt me.
“Don’t talk about Daniel.”
“You don’t know everything about your husband.”
I closed my eyes.
“Neither do you.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Richard whispered:
“He should have left you alone.”
My blood froze.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me.”
“Dad…”
But the call ended.
I stared at the phone.
Margaret immediately spoke.
“Record that.”
“I did.”
She looked relieved.
“Good.”
Thomas looked worried.
“Emily, he’s getting desperate.”
“Good.”
They both looked at me.
I picked up Daniel’s file.
“Desperate people make mistakes.”
Later that afternoon, we discovered the biggest mistake Richard had made.
A hidden account.
Created under a false name.
But connected to him.
Inside were payments.
Dates.
Messages.
Evidence.
And one file.
A video.
Margaret opened it.
The recording showed a meeting.
Richard.
Kelsey.
Victor.
My father was laughing.
Laughing.
Like Daniel’s death was just another business problem.
Then Victor spoke.
“Once Mercer is gone, the company falls.”
Kelsey smiled.
“And Emily?”
Richard answered.
“She’ll be too broken to fight.”
My heart shattered.
Because I heard my father say it.
He didn’t see me as his daughter.
He saw me as an obstacle.
The video continued.
Victor asked:
“What about the baby?”
Richard leaned back.
“After everything is transferred, we handle custody.”
I stopped breathing.
Margaret immediately paused the video.
“No.”
My voice was barely a whisper.
“They wanted my baby.”
Thomas looked sick.
“They planned everything.”
I stared at the frozen image of my father.
The man who was supposed to protect me.
The man who was supposed to love me.
Then I stood.
“Send everything to the police.”
Margaret nodded.
“Emily…”
“No.”
I looked at her.
“They took my husband.”
My voice shook.
“They tried to take my home.”
I touched my stomach.
“And they came after my child.”
A tear fell.
“They don’t get another chance.”
At that moment, Margaret’s assistant rushed into the room.
“Margaret.”
Everyone turned.
She looked frightened.
“What happened?”
“The hospital just called.”
My heart stopped.
“What hospital?”
“The maternity ward.”
I grabbed the desk.
“Why?”
The assistant looked at me.
“They found someone trying to access Emily’s medical records.”
Silence.
“Who?”
The assistant looked at the paper in her hand.
May you like
Then whispered:
“Kelsey Hale.”
