Chapter 18 — The Secret Buried With My Mother
Chapter 18 — The Secret Buried With My Mother
The ballroom doors closed behind the last guest.
For the first time that night, there were no cameras.
No whispers.
No strangers watching.
No one waiting to judge me.
Only my father, Dominic, Chloe, Eleanor, and the truth that had been hidden for years.
My father stood near the center of the room.
His expression had changed.
I had seen him angry.
I had seen him disappointed.
But this was different.
This was fear.
And that scared me more than anything.
“Dominic,” my father said quietly.
“Where did you find those documents?”
Dominic looked at me.
Then at my father.
“I found them in the Whitmore estate archives.”
My heart tightened.
“The old estate?”
He nodded.
“The one that belonged to your parents.”
My father’s jaw clenched.
“That area is restricted.”
“I know.”
“Then how did you get inside?”
Dominic looked away.
“I was looking for financial records.”
The answer surprised me.
“Financial records?”
He nodded.
“When the company started struggling, I was trying to understand my family’s situation. I thought maybe there was something I missed.”
My father’s expression remained cold.
“And instead, you found documents about my wife.”
Dominic swallowed.
“Yes.”
I looked at him.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
His face filled with regret.
“Because I was afraid.”
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because that answer had become too familiar.
“Afraid of what this time?”
Dominic looked at me.
“Afraid that I would destroy everything.”
I stared at him.
“You already did.”
The words hurt him.
But they were true.
My father walked toward the table and placed his hands on it.
“My wife’s death was investigated.”
His voice was quiet.
“But there were questions.”
I turned toward him.
“Questions?”
He looked at me.
“Vivienne…”
I had never heard hesitation in my father’s voice before.
Not once.
“What questions?”
He took a deep breath.
“Your mother’s car accident happened during a difficult time for the company.”
I listened carefully.
“There were people trying to gain control of Whitmore Global.”
My eyes widened.
“Are you saying someone caused it?”
My father didn’t answer immediately.
And that silence was enough.
My heart sank.
“All these years…”
I whispered.
“You knew?”
His expression broke.
“I suspected.”
The room became silent.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?”
My father looked away.
“Because you were young.”
“I deserved the truth.”
“I know.”
His voice cracked slightly.
“But I had already lost your mother.”
He looked at me.
“I couldn’t risk losing you too.”
For a moment, I saw something beyond the powerful businessman everyone feared.
I saw a father.
A man who had been carrying pain alone.
But pain did not erase secrets.
And secrets still hurt.
Dominic stepped forward.
“The documents I found suggested someone inside the company had information about the accident.”
My father looked at him.
“Who?”
Dominic hesitated.
“That’s the problem.”
“What?”
“The documents were incomplete.”
My father frowned.
“Some pages were missing.”
A cold feeling moved through me.
Missing pages.
Hidden accounts.
Secret plans.
The same pattern had followed us all night.
Someone had been hiding the truth.
Chloe suddenly spoke.
“I know who removed them.”
Everyone turned.
Eleanor immediately looked at her.
“Chloe.”
But Chloe ignored her.
For the first time, she looked tired of lying.
“I found out months ago.”
My father’s eyes narrowed.
“What did you find?”
Chloe looked at me.
“I found records connecting my grandfather’s old company to the Whitmore accident.”
The room went silent.
My father stared at her.
“What?”
“My grandfather had business conflicts with your company years ago.”
My father stepped closer.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Chloe laughed bitterly.
“Because nobody was telling the truth.”
She looked at Eleanor.
“Not you.”
Then at Dominic.
“Not him.”
Then at me.
“And not even her.”
I frowned.
“Me?”
Chloe nodded.
“You didn’t know.”
The words surprised me.
For once, Chloe wasn’t accusing me.
She was admitting something.
“You were the only person who wasn’t part of this.”
My father looked at Chloe carefully.
“Where are the missing documents?”
Chloe hesitated.
Then slowly reached into her purse.
She pulled out a small envelope.
My heart stopped.
“You had them?”
She nodded.
“I found them when I investigated Vivienne.”
My father immediately took the envelope.
He opened it carefully.
Inside were several old documents.
Pages yellowed with age.
He read silently.
Then his expression changed.
“What is it?” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Dad?”
He looked at me.
And I saw tears forming in his eyes.
My father rarely cried.
Almost never.
“There’s a letter.”
My breathing stopped.
“A letter from your mother.”
He handed it to me.
My hands trembled as I opened it.
The handwriting was familiar.
The handwriting I hadn’t seen since I was a child.
My eyes filled with tears.
The first line read:
“My dearest Vivienne, if you are reading this, then the truth has finally found you.”
I could barely breathe.
The letter continued.
“There are people who will try to convince you that your kindness is weakness.”
“Do not believe them.”
A tear fell onto the paper.
Then I reached the final paragraph.
And those words changed everything.
“The person responsible for what happened to me is someone you trust.”
The room went silent.
My father froze.
Dominic stopped breathing.
Even Chloe looked shocked.
Because my mother’s final message contained one terrifying warning:
May you like
The person who destroyed my past was still standing in this room.
To be continued...
