CHAPTER 10: THE SECRET OF THE LAST NIGHT
CHAPTER 10: THE SECRET OF THE LAST NIGHT
For several seconds, I couldn’t speak.
The phone remained pressed against my ear even though the call had already ended.
The voice was gone.
But the words remained.
“Vanessa Hale knows who killed your father.”
Every memory I had buried for fifteen years came rushing back.
The newspaper articles.
The investigators.
The funeral.
The questions nobody answered.
My father’s final phone call.
The strange feeling that something about his death had never made sense.
I looked at Vanessa.
She was standing across from me.
She wasn’t surprised.
That was the part that terrified me.
She wasn’t shocked by the accusation.
She looked like someone who had been waiting for this moment.
“You knew.”
My voice was quiet.
Vanessa didn’t respond.
“Vanessa…”
I stepped closer.
“You knew what happened to my father.”
Her eyes dropped.
For the first time, she looked exhausted.
Not physically.
Emotionally.
Like she had been carrying a secret too heavy for too long.
“Yes.”
The word barely left her mouth.
But it destroyed everything.
I turned away.
Because hearing the truth from her hurt more than any lie.
“How long?”
She stayed silent.
“How long have you known?”
“Years.”
My hands tightened.
“And you said nothing.”
“I tried.”
I looked back.
“You tried?”
She nodded.
“Many times.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Because every time I got close to the truth, someone stopped me.”
The answer caught me off guard.
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
I shook my head.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“Yes.”
She walked closer.
“Because whoever did this has been watching both of us.”
I looked at her.
“Both of us?”
“Yes.”
She took a deep breath.
“My father wasn’t just investigating your company.”
“What was he investigating?”
Vanessa hesitated.
Then she said:
“Your father.”
I frowned.
“What about my father?”
“He discovered something about Richard Mercer before he died.”
The name hit me.
My father’s name.
I hadn’t heard it spoken with this much seriousness in years.
“What did he discover?”
Vanessa looked toward the window.
“That your father had been trying to expose someone inside his own company.”
My mind raced.
“My father owned that company.”
“Yes.”
“Who could he expose?”
She looked at me.
“Someone powerful.”
“Who?”
Her silence answered before her words did.
“I don’t know.”
I became frustrated.
“Everyone keeps saying that.”
“Because it’s true.”
She looked directly at me.
“You think I wanted to spend years chasing shadows?”
Her voice became emotional.
“You think I wanted to manipulate you?”
“You did manipulate me.”
Her face fell.
“I know.”
The honesty stopped me.
She wasn’t defending herself.
She wasn’t pretending.
She was admitting it.
That made everything more complicated.
“You came into my life for revenge.”
“Yes.”
“You planned to destroy me.”
“At first.”
Again.
That phrase.
At first.
I hated how much those words mattered.
Because part of me wanted to know what changed.
But another part of me knew I couldn’t trust her.
Not yet.
“Then what changed?”
Vanessa looked at me.
A long silence passed.
Finally, she whispered:
“You.”
I said nothing.
“I expected you to be the monster my father described.”
Her voice softened.
“But you weren’t.”
She looked down.
“You were kind.”
I almost laughed.
“Kind?”
“Yes.”
She wiped a tear.
“You remembered the names of your employees’ children.”
“You visited injured workers in the hospital.”
“You paid medical bills for people who didn’t even work for you anymore.”
Her voice broke slightly.
“I hated that.”
“Why?”
“Because it made my plan harder.”
I stared at her.
She continued.
“I was supposed to hate you.”
The room became quiet.
“But I started seeing the truth.”
“What truth?”
“That my father’s story wasn’t complete.”
I looked at her carefully.
“Then why keep the engagement?”
She looked away.
“Because leaving would have put you in danger.”
That answer surprised me.
“What?”
Vanessa nodded.
“Once I realized someone else was involved, I knew you were not the target I thought you were.”
“Then what was I?”
She whispered:
“A piece on a board.”
The words made my stomach turn.
Someone else.
Someone above Vanessa.
Someone above Daniel.
Someone who had been moving people around like pieces.
A knock suddenly came from the office door.
We both froze.
I hadn’t heard anyone approach.
The door slowly opened.
Ethan stood there.
His face was pale.
“Alexander.”
I immediately noticed something was wrong.
“What happened?”
He looked at Vanessa.
Then at me.
“I found something.”
“What?”
He walked inside and handed me a document.
“I traced the company that received the payments connected to Vanessa.”
I opened it.
My eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
The company owner was listed.
I felt my heart drop.
Because I knew the name.
Everyone in the business world knew the name.
A man considered untouchable.
A man who had influence in politics.
Finance.
Media.
Someone who could destroy careers with a single phone call.
I looked at Ethan.
“Are you sure?”
He nodded.
“Positive.”
Vanessa looked at the document.
Her expression changed.
Fear.
Real fear.
“Who is it?”
I slowly answered.
“The person who funded everything.”
The room became silent.
Then I said the name.
“Victor Blackwood.”
Vanessa closed her eyes.
Because she knew.
Ethan looked confused.
“Who is he?”
I stared at the document.
“Someone my father trusted.”
A cold feeling moved through me.
Because the truth was becoming clearer.
My father’s death.
My illness.
Vanessa’s secret identity.
The hidden payments.
They were not separate events.
They were connected.
And the person behind everything wasn’t trying to steal my company.
They were trying to erase the Mercer family completely.
My phone vibrated again.
Another message.
This time, only four words.
“You found him too late.”
I looked at Vanessa.
Then Ethan.
Then the message.
And for the first time, I realized something terrifying.
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The person controlling this game knew exactly what we were doing.
They were always one step ahead.
