Chapter 9 - The Enemy Wearing a Family Name
The words stayed in the room.
Someone in your own family.
Nathan Coleman had faced criminals.
Rivals.
Enemies.
But family?
That was different.
Because enemies stand across from you.
Family stands beside you.
They know your habits.
Your weaknesses.
Your heart.
“Who?” Nathan demanded.
Gerald looked down.
“I can’t say without proof.”
Nathan stepped closer.
“After everything that happened, you still protect them?”
“I’m protecting you.”
“That’s not an answer.”
Gerald sighed.
Then handed Nathan the key.
“Your wife left this for you.”
Nathan stared at it.
“Where does it go?”
“The old wine cellar.”
I frowned.
“The wine cellar?”
Gerald nodded.
“Your wife believed someone was searching the mansion.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Elena made me promise.”
Nathan looked hurt.
“My wife trusted you.”
“Yes.”
“Then why keep secrets from me?”
Gerald looked at him.
“Because she knew you would destroy everything before you found the truth.”
And for the first time...
Nathan had no response.
The old wine cellar was beneath the west wing.
A part of the mansion that had been closed for years.
Dust covered everything.
Old bottles.
Broken furniture.
Forgotten memories.
Gerald unlocked a hidden door behind a shelf.
Inside was a small room.
A secret room.
Elena had built it herself.
There were files everywhere.
Photos.
Documents.
Recordings.
Proof.
She had been investigating someone for months.
I picked up one file.
Bank transfers.
Millions of dollars.
Payments made to Dr. Trevor Ashford.
Another file.
Medical research.
Unauthorized experiments.
Another.
Security access records.
Someone had been monitoring the twins.
But then Nathan found something that changed everything.
A video recording.
Elena appeared on the screen.
She looked tired.
Scared.
But alive.
“If you’re watching this, it means something happened to me.”
Nathan immediately stepped closer.
His wife’s voice filled the room.
“Nathan, I need you to listen carefully.”
The video continued.
“Your sons are not sick because of a disease.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
He already knew.
“They are being poisoned.”
A tear appeared in his eyes.
“But the person behind this isn’t after your money.”
A pause.
“They’re after control.”
The screen flickered.
Then Elena said the words that made everyone freeze.
“The person helping Trevor Ashford is someone you would never suspect.”
The video stopped.
A corrupted file message appeared.
“No.”
Nathan hit the table.
“No!”
Gerald immediately checked the system.
“She recorded more.”
“Find it.”
“We need the password.”
I looked at the screen.
“What password?”
Gerald pointed.
“There is a question.”
The computer displayed:
What was Elena’s greatest fear?
Nathan stared.
He knew his wife.
He typed.
Nothing.
Wrong.
He tried again.
Nothing.
His hands shook.
“I don’t know.”
I looked at him.
“You do.”
He looked at me.
“What?”
“You knew her better than anyone.”
I thought about Elena.
A woman who secretly investigated danger.
A mother who tried to protect her children.
A woman who left clues after death.
“She wasn’t afraid of dying.”
Nathan looked back at the screen.
“She was afraid of failing her children.”
He typed:
MY CHILDREN
The screen unlocked.
A new video appeared.
This one was recorded the night before Elena died.
Nathan pressed play.
Elena looked directly into the camera.
“Nathan…”
Her voice trembled.
“I found the person who has been poisoning our family.”
Everyone leaned closer.
Then she whispered:
“It’s not Trevor.”
Nathan froze.
The room became silent.
Because the one person everyone believed was the enemy...
was only a part of something much bigger.
Elena looked terrified.
“Trust nobody inside this house.”
Then she said the final sentence.
The sentence that changed everything.
“The person you love most is the one who betrayed you.”
The video ended.
And at that exact moment...
the mansion alarm exploded.
A security guard’s voice came through the speakers.
“Mr. Coleman!”
Nathan grabbed the microphone.
“What happened?”
A long pause.
Then the guard answered:
“Someone entered the children’s room.”
Nathan ran.
We followed.
When we reached the room...
Marcus and Mason were safe.
But standing beside their beds...
was someone holding a knife.
Someone none of us expected.
May you like
Someone Nathan had trusted for years.
TO BE CONTINUED...
