CHAPTER 13 The Secret Daughter of Westwood
CHAPTER 13 The Secret Daughter of Westwood
The word left Margaret’s mouth like a confession.
“Caleb.”
Adrian felt the entire world stop.
For several seconds, he could not understand what he had just heard.
His brother.
His younger brother.
The same man who stood beside him after Claire died.
The same man who told him to let go.
The same man who said searching for answers would only destroy him.
Caleb had a daughter.
And Claire knew.
Adrian looked down at the letter in his hand.
The handwriting was unmistakable.
Claire had known the truth.
She had carried that secret alone.
Until someone tried to silence her.
“Mom…”
His voice was barely a whisper.
“How long?”
Margaret looked away.
“Adrian…”
“How long did you know?”
The pain in his voice was impossible to ignore.
Margaret closed her eyes.
“Since before Claire died.”
The answer broke something inside him.
Before Claire died.
Everyone knew.
Everyone except him.
Adrian stepped back.
“You all knew.”
“No.”
Margaret shook her head quickly.
“Not everyone.”
“But enough people knew.”
Silence.
Adrian looked at the walls around him.
The room where he and Claire built their life.
The room where she hid her fears.
The room where she wrote a letter to a child nobody was supposed to know existed.
“How could you keep this from me?”
Margaret’s eyes filled with tears.
“Because Claire asked me.”
Adrian looked at her.
“Stop saying that.”
His voice became sharper.
“Stop using Claire as a reason for every secret.”
Margaret flinched.
“She believed telling you would put you in danger.”
“Why?”
“Because Caleb was not the only person involved.”
Adrian froze.
Again.
Another hidden layer.
“Who else?”
Margaret looked toward the door.
Like she was afraid someone might hear.
“Your father.”
Adrian shook his head.
“My father?”
“Victor knew about Lily.”
The room became silent.
“My father knew Caleb had a child?”
Margaret nodded.
“He discovered it years ago.”
Adrian tried to understand.
“But why would anyone hide a child?”
Margaret sat down slowly.
“Because Lily was not just a child.”
Adrian frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Margaret looked at him.
“Lily was connected to a decision that could destroy Westwood Technologies.”
Adrian stared.
“Everything comes back to the company.”
“Yes.”
Margaret took a deep breath.
“Your father made mistakes.”
Adrian looked shocked.
“My father?”
“He was not the perfect man everyone believed he was.”
The confession was painful.
“Victor built an empire.”
Margaret continued.
“But he also made enemies.”
Adrian looked at the letter.
“And Lily?”
Margaret lowered her voice.
“Lily was proof of something Victor wanted hidden.”
“What?”
Margaret hesitated.
Then:
“Caleb was not Victor’s biological son.”
Adrian froze.
The sentence was impossible.
“What?”
Margaret looked away.
“Victor raised Caleb as his own.”
Adrian stared.
“You’re saying…”
“Yes.”
Margaret nodded.
“Caleb was adopted.”
The room felt smaller.
Every piece of Adrian’s family history was collapsing.
His father.
His brother.
His mother.
Claire.
Everything he knew was changing.
“But what does that have to do with Lily?”
Margaret’s eyes filled with sadness.
“Because Lily was the last connection to Caleb’s real family.”
Adrian looked confused.
“Why would that matter?”
“Because Caleb’s real family had information about Westwood Technologies.”
“What information?”
Margaret did not answer.
Instead, she looked at the letter.
“Claire found documents.”
“What documents?”
“Documents showing that Caleb’s adoption was connected to a financial agreement.”
Adrian stared.
“A financial agreement?”
“Yes.”
“Between who?”
Margaret whispered:
“Victor and Caleb’s biological family.”
Adrian felt sick.
“So my father bought his way into raising Caleb?”
Margaret shook her head.
“No.”
“Then what?”
She looked at him.
“Your father paid them to disappear.”
Silence.
The truth was becoming darker.
Adrian walked toward the window.
The city lights blurred through the glass.
Three years.
Three years he thought Claire died because of an accident.
But she had been uncovering secrets that went back decades.
Then his phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
He opened it.
One photo.
A little girl.
Four years old.
Standing outside a playground.
His heart stopped.
Because he recognized the necklace around her neck.
The same silver necklace he found in Emily’s apartment.
The message underneath was simple.
“This is Lily.”
Another message arrived.
“She is the reason Claire died.”
Adrian stared.
Then a third message appeared.
“And she is the reason you are next.”
His blood turned cold.
Someone was watching him.
Someone knew he found Lily.
Someone wanted him afraid.
But Adrian was no longer afraid.
Because for three years, he had lived with unanswered questions.
Now he finally had something worth fighting for.
Claire.
The truth.
And the little girl his wife died protecting.
At that exact moment, somewhere across Chicago…
A man watched Adrian’s reaction through a hidden camera.
He picked up his phone.
“The boy found Lily.”
A pause.
A cold smile appeared.
“Then it’s time to finish what Claire started.”
The call ended.
May you like
And the person behind everything finally stepped out of the shadows.
TO BE CONTINUED…
