Chapter 14 - The Man Behind The Disappearance
The call ended.
But nobody moved.
Richard was alive.
And he knew everything.
Emma looked at Max.
“How does he know we’re here?”
Max didn’t answer immediately.
That scared her.
Because Max always had answers.
Except now.
Daniel looked around the room.
“We need to leave.”
A loud sound came from outside.
Cars.
Multiple cars.
Someone had arrived.
Max looked through the window.
His expression changed.
“He brought people.”
Emma’s heart raced.
“Who?”
Max looked at her.
“The people who helped him disappear.”
The front doors suddenly opened.
Several men entered.
But they weren’t criminals.
They were dressed in expensive suits.
Professional.
Controlled.
At the front was an older man.
Gray hair.
Cold eyes.
A familiar face.
Richard Carter.
Emma stopped breathing.
Her uncle.
The man from the old photographs.
The man who destroyed her family.
“You look just like your father.”
Emma stared at him.
“You’re alive.”
Richard smiled.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
His smile disappeared.
“Because your father was weak.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Don’t talk about him.”
Richard looked at Daniel.
“You.”
A small laugh.
“The loyal soldier.”
Daniel’s fists tightened.
“You used me.”
Richard smiled.
“No.”
“I gave you a choice.”
Emma looked confused.
“What choice?”
Richard turned toward her.
“Your father discovered the truth.”
“What truth?”
“That the Carter family was never supposed to own that company.”
Emma shook her head.
“That’s not true.”
Richard walked closer.
“You think your father was a hero?”
He laughed.
“He built his empire by destroying people.”
Emma looked at Max.
“Is that true?”
Max stayed silent.
Richard smiled.
“See?”
“Even he knows.”
Emma felt torn.
Because for the first time…
Nobody could deny Richard completely.
Richard continued.
“Your father wanted revenge.”
“He wanted to expose me.”
“But he didn’t understand one thing.”
“What?”
Richard looked at Emma.
“He created the same monster he was fighting.”
Emma shook her head.
“No.”
Richard pulled out a small envelope.
“I knew you would find the recordings.”
He handed it to her.
Inside was a final letter.
From Michael.
Emma opened it.
Her father’s handwriting.
But the words were different.
Not an apology.
A confession.
Emma read the first sentence.
“If you are reading this, then Richard has already told you his version.”
She continued.
“My daughter, I need you to know the truth.”
Her hands trembled.
“I made mistakes.”
A tear fell.
“I hurt people while trying to protect my family.”
She looked at Daniel.
Her father had admitted it.
Richard smiled.
“Now you understand.”
But Emma kept reading.
Because there was more.
The next line changed everything.
“I was not the person who betrayed your family.”
A pause.
“The person who betrayed us…”
Emma looked down.
Her eyes widened.
May you like
Because the next name appeared.
A name nobody expected.
