Chapter 9 — The Daughter He Tried to Erase
For several minutes, nobody spoke.
The notebook sat on the table between us.
A small black book.
Nothing impressive.
Nothing that looked dangerous.
But inside those pages was the truth about everything Nathan Ashford had done.
My marriage.
His betrayal.
His relationship with Celeste.
The attack on my family.
All of it had been planned.
I looked at Celeste.
“You knew about this?”
Her eyes lowered.
“Not everything.”
“That’s not an answer.”
She swallowed.
“I knew Nathan wanted control of something connected to your family.”
My hands tightened.
“And you helped him.”
The guilt on her face was obvious.
“Yes.”
The honesty surprised me.
I expected another lie.
Another excuse.
But for once, Celeste had nothing left to protect.
“I thought I was helping myself,” she said quietly.
“I thought Nathan was going to make me powerful.”
A bitter smile appeared.
“I didn’t realize I was just another piece on his board.”
My father remained silent.
But I could tell he was analyzing every word.
People like my father did not trust apologies.
They trusted evidence.
“Why should we believe you?” he asked.
Celeste looked at him.
“Because Nathan is going to kill me.”
The room went still.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Explain.”
Celeste looked terrified.
“After Blackthorn Manor, he called me.”
“What did he say?”
She hesitated.
Then she repeated his words.
“He said there were no loose ends allowed.”
A cold silence followed.
Loose ends.
That was how Nathan saw people.
Not as humans.
Problems.
Risks.
Things to remove.
I looked down at the notebook again.
The more I read, the clearer everything became.
Nathan had studied my family for years.
He knew about the Vale Legacy Trust.
He knew about the hidden assets.
He knew that my father had protected everything under layers of secrecy.
But there was one thing he didn’t understand.
He underestimated me.
He thought a quiet woman was an easy target.
He thought kindness meant weakness.
He thought patience meant fear.
He was wrong.
My father closed the notebook.
“Where is Nathan now?”
Celeste shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
“Think carefully.”
She looked frightened.
“He has a private location.”
“What location?”
“I don’t know the address.”
My father’s expression hardened slightly.
“But?”
Celeste hesitated.
“He always talked about a place outside the city.”
“What kind of place?”
“A house.”
“A safe house?”
She nodded.
“He called it the second office.”
Daniel immediately started typing on his tablet.
“Any details?”
Celeste closed her eyes, trying to remember.
“There was a lake.”
“A black gate.”
“A stone building.”
“And he always mentioned an old clock tower nearby.”
Daniel looked up.
“I may know it.”
My father turned.
“Where?”
“There are only three private properties in the region matching that description.”
He sent the information to his team.
I watched everything happen around me.
Security.
Investigations.
Plans.
A world I had never known existed.
But despite everything…
I felt strangely calm.
Because for the first time, I was not running from Nathan.
I was moving toward him.
Two hours later, we discovered something unexpected.
Nathan had not been hiding.
He had been preparing.
The investigation team found activity at one of his abandoned properties.
Someone had accessed the building.
Recently.
Daniel placed satellite images on the screen.
“He’s there.”
My father studied the image.
“Are you certain?”
“Yes.”
I looked at the screen.
The place appeared empty.
A large stone building surrounded by trees.
No lights.
No vehicles.
Nothing.
But Nathan was inside.
Waiting.
“What does he want?” I asked.
My father looked at me.
“The same thing he always wanted.”
“Control.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at me.
“He doesn’t want control anymore.”
I pointed at the screen.
“He wants revenge.”
My father became quiet.
Because he knew I was right.
Nathan had lost his company.
His reputation.
His influence.
The things he used to define himself.
Now he had only one thing left.
His anger.
That night, we moved toward the property.
I insisted on going.
My father immediately refused.
“No.”
I looked at him.
“Dad.”
“No.”
His voice was firm.
“You have already been through enough.”
I stepped closer.
“And if I stay behind?”
He said nothing.
“Then Nathan wins again.”
That stopped him.
Because we both knew the truth.
This was no longer only his battle.
It was mine.
I was the person Nathan targeted.
I was the person he tried to erase.
And I was the person who would finally face him.
After several seconds, my father nodded.
“Stay close.”
“I will.”
The team approached the property quietly.
The old stone building appeared abandoned.
But as we reached the entrance…
The lights suddenly turned on.
A speaker above the door activated.
And Nathan’s voice filled the night.
“Eleanor.”
I froze.
He knew we were coming.
“You always were smarter than I gave you credit for.”
The door slowly opened.
Inside was darkness.
Then Nathan spoke again.
“But you still made one mistake.”
My father stepped in front of me.
“What mistake?”
A cold laugh came from inside.
“You brought her here.”
Silence.
Then Nathan’s voice became softer.
“Because now I can finally tell her the truth.”
My heart tightened.
“What truth?”
The lights inside the building flickered.
And on the wall appeared an old photograph.
A photograph of my mother.
My father’s expression changed instantly.
Because whatever Nathan had discovered…
May you like
It was something even my father had been hiding.
To be continued…
