Chapter 15 - THE FINAL SECRET OF THE GHOST
For nineteen years…
I searched for enemies.
I searched for betrayal.
I searched for the person who destroyed my family.
And I never looked at the person standing closest to us.
Claire Hale.
Victor Hale’s daughter.
The woman who appeared at the hospital.
The woman who knew about Renata.
The woman who carried information nobody should have known.
The woman who had been watching us from the beginning.
I stood beside the empty highway.
The wind moved around me.
But I couldn’t feel anything.
Because the greatest betrayal was not from the person who hated me.
It was from the person who pretended to love my family.
Isabella looked at me.
“You know her.”
I nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Who is she?”
I looked at the memory card in my hand.
“She was someone my family trusted.”
Isabella’s expression changed.
“That’s why she was dangerous.”
I turned toward her.
“You knew?”
She looked away.
“My mother knew.”
My heart tightened.
“Elena knew Claire was involved?”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t she tell me?”
Isabella whispered:
“Because Claire was not just close to you.”
A pause.
“She was close to Renata.”
The words hurt.
Because they were true.
Claire had been there.
At birthdays.
At school events.
During hospital visits.
She was never outside the circle.
She was inside.
I grabbed my phone.
I called Marcus.
He answered immediately.
“Boss.”
“Where is Claire?”
Silence.
Then:
“We lost her.”
My expression hardened.
“What do you mean?”
“She disappeared two hours ago.”
“Find her.”
“We are trying.”
“No.”
My voice became colder.
“Not trying.”
A pause.
“Find her.”
The line went silent.
“Yes, Boss.”
I ended the call.
Isabella looked at me.
“You’re becoming him again.”
I looked at her.
“Who?”
She answered:
“The Ghost.”
For a moment…
I wanted to deny it.
But I couldn’t.
Because she saw something I didn’t want to admit.
The moment my daughter was threatened…
Daniel Salgado disappeared.
And The Ghost opened his eyes.
I returned to the city with one goal.
Find Claire.
Before she disappeared forever.
But when I reached the old Salgado house…
I realized she had been waiting for me.
The front door was open.
Inside, everything looked untouched.
The furniture.
The photographs.
The memories.
A life that no longer existed.
On the table was a letter.
My name was written on it.
Daniel.
I knew you would come here.
I sat down slowly.
Claire’s handwriting.
I opened it.
You always believed Victor was your enemy.
You were wrong.
I stopped.
You believed Thomas betrayed you.
You were wrong.
You believed Elena abandoned you.
You were wrong.
My hands tightened.
The next sentence made my heart race.
The person who destroyed your life was the person who created The Ghost.
I froze.
My father.
Impossible.
I continued.
Your father knew what you would become.
He knew your anger.
Your intelligence.
Your ability to control people.
He built a system around you before you ever understood it.
I looked around the old house.
My childhood memories.
My father’s office.
The locked rooms.
Everything suddenly made sense.
Claire continued.
Elena discovered the truth.
She wanted to destroy Argentis forever.
But she needed someone who could survive the truth.
You.
I stopped reading.
Because Elena didn’t leave me.
She protected me.
The letter continued.
The attack on Renata was never about revenge.
It was a test.
They wanted to know if Daniel Salgado still existed.
Or if The Ghost had taken over completely.
A cold feeling moved through me.
The three heirs.
The attack.
The key.
Everything was a test.
Claire wasn’t trying to destroy my daughter.
She was trying to force me to become the person everyone feared.
The final line was written differently.
Almost like Claire herself was afraid.
Daniel,
If you are reading this…
I failed to stop him.
My eyes narrowed.
Stop who?
The next words appeared.
The real person controlling everything.
The person even Victor Hale feared.
The person who has been hiding behind every family.
Every company.
Every betrayal.
Every death.
I turned the page.
But there was nothing else.
The letter ended.
Someone had removed the final page.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A familiar voice spoke.
“Hello, Daniel.”
I froze.
Victor Hale.
“Where is my daughter?”
A quiet laugh.
“You still think this is about Claire?”
My grip tightened.
“Where is Renata?”
A pause.
Then Victor said:
“She is with the only person who can protect her.”
“Who?”
His answer was quiet.
“Her grandfather.”
My blood froze.
“My father is dead.”
Victor laughed.
“That’s what everyone believes.”
Silence.
Then he continued:
“Daniel…”
“Your father never disappeared.”
I couldn’t speak.
“He was waiting.”
“For what?”
Victor answered:
“For you to become exactly what he created.”
The call ended.
I stood alone in the house where my life began.
And for the first time…
I understood the truth.
The Ghost was never born because of enemies.
The Ghost was born because someone wanted a weapon.
And I had spent nineteen years believing I buried that weapon.
But I was wrong.
Because the man who created The Ghost…
Was coming back.
May you like
And he wanted his son.
TO BE CONTINUED...
