Chapter 8 — The Brother Who Carried the Truth
Chapter 8 — The Brother Who Carried the Truth
The reunion inside Hawthorne Palace was a moment no one would ever forget.
For twelve years, Eleanor Hawthorne had lived with an unanswered question.
Where was her son?
Was he safe?
Was he alive?
Every birthday.
Every holiday.
Every quiet night.
She wondered if Thomas would ever walk through those doors again.
And now…
he had.
Eleanor reached him before anyone else could speak.
Her hands touched his face as tears rolled down her cheeks.
“Let me look at you.”
Thomas smiled sadly.
“I know I look different.”
“No,” Eleanor whispered.
“You look like my son.”
Those words broke something inside him.
Thomas pulled his mother into a long embrace.
For the first time in twelve years, the Hawthorne family felt whole again.
But Alexander noticed something.
His brother was happy to see their mother.
He was happy to be home.
But there was still a weight in his eyes.
A burden he had carried alone.
Later that night, the family gathered in the old library.
Only Alexander, Eleanor, Thomas, and Clara were present.
The doors were closed.
No employees.
No guests.
No outsiders.
Only family.
Thomas sat across from Alexander.
The silence between them was uncomfortable.
Finally, Alexander spoke.
“Why didn’t you come home?”
Thomas looked down.
“I wanted to.”
“Then why didn’t you?”
Thomas took a deep breath.
“Because I believed someone would come after me.”
Alexander’s expression hardened.
“Who?”
Thomas looked at him.
“The same people who are after you now.”
The room became quiet.
Eleanor held her necklace tightly.
“What happened twelve years ago?”
Thomas looked at his mother.
“I found something.”
“What?”
“Something inside the foundation.”
Alexander immediately remembered the notebook.
“The financial records.”
Thomas nodded.
“Yes.”
“What did you discover?”
Thomas looked toward the fireplace.
“Someone had been moving money through fake charities.”
Alexander frowned.
“Impossible.”
“I thought so too.”
Thomas leaned forward.
“But then I found names.”
“Whose names?”
Thomas looked directly at him.
“People close to us.”
The answer shocked everyone.
Eleanor’s face changed.
“Are you saying someone in our circle betrayed us?”
Thomas nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
Alexander stood and began walking across the room.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
Thomas looked at him.
“I tried.”
The words stopped Alexander.
“What?”
“I came to you.”
“When?”
“The night I disappeared.”
Alexander froze.
Thomas continued.
“You were angry. You thought I was being reckless.”
Memories returned.
That rainy night.
That argument.
Alexander looked away.
“I didn’t know.”
“I know.”
Thomas’s voice softened.
“You were trying to protect the family.”
A painful silence followed.
“But I was trying to protect it too.”
Clara listened quietly.
She realized something.
Thomas had not abandoned his family.
He had sacrificed his relationship with them to protect them.
But there was still one question.
“Where did you go?”
Everyone looked at Clara.
She immediately apologized.
“Sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
Thomas shook his head.
“No. You deserve to know.”
He looked at Eleanor.
“After I left, I changed my name.”
Eleanor’s eyes filled with sadness.
“You hid?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because someone was watching me.”
Alexander looked serious.
“Who?”
Thomas answered:
“Victoria Whitmore’s father.”
The room went silent.
Alexander’s expression changed.
“Her father?”
Thomas nodded.
“Years ago, Richard Whitmore Sr. had connections inside several companies. He helped hide financial crimes by powerful people.”
Alexander understood.
“And you discovered it.”
“Yes.”
“Then why is Victoria involved now?”
Thomas laughed bitterly.
“Because she thinks she knows the whole story.”
At that exact moment, Victoria sat in her office watching a live security feed.
She had access to cameras near Hawthorne Palace.
She watched Thomas reunite with his family.
Her expression was unreadable.
“He’s telling them everything.”
Richard Blake looked concerned.
“Then we need to act quickly.”
Victoria nodded.
“Not yet.”
“Why?”
She smiled.
“Because Thomas is emotional.”
She looked at the screen.
“And emotional people make mistakes.”
Inside the library, Thomas removed an old envelope from his coat.
“I brought something with me.”
Alexander looked at it.
“What is that?”
“Evidence.”
Thomas placed it on the table.
“The reason I survived.”
Alexander opened the envelope.
Inside were copies of documents.
Bank records.
Names.
Dates.
Signatures.
Then Alexander saw something that made his face turn pale.
A signature.
A signature belonging to someone he trusted.
Someone who had worked with the Hawthorne family for years.
“No…”
Thomas watched his reaction.
“You know that person.”
Alexander looked up.
“Are you sure?”
Thomas nodded.
“I saw the original records myself.”
Eleanor looked frightened.
“Who is it?”
Alexander didn’t answer immediately.
Because saying the name out loud would make it real.
Finally, he whispered:
“Marcus.”
Everyone froze.
Marcus Reed.
The Hawthorne family’s head of security.
The man Alexander trusted to protect them.
The man who had access to everything.
Clara felt a chill.
“But he helped you find the person who entered the archives.”
Thomas looked at her.
“That’s exactly why he’s dangerous.”
Alexander stared at the documents.
His entire world had shifted.
The person responsible might not be outside the palace.
They might be standing inside it.
And as the family struggled to understand the betrayal…
a shadow moved through the hallway outside the library door.
Someone had been listening.
Someone had heard everything.
A hand slowly reached for the door handle.
May you like
And then…
the lights went out.
