CHAPTER 10 The Father Who Came Back Too Late
CHAPTER 10 The Father Who Came Back Too Late
Theodore Vale could not move.
The man standing at the top of the staircase was impossible.
A ghost from a past everyone had already buried.
A person whose name existed only in old memories and unanswered questions.
His father.
Alexander Vale.
For eight years, Theodore had believed Alexander was dead.
For eight years, he had accepted the story everyone gave him.
A tragic accident.
A sudden loss.
A funeral.
A family forced to continue without him.
But now Alexander was standing in front of him.
Alive.
Older.
Changed.
And terrified.
“Run.”
The single word echoed through the abandoned mansion.
Nobody understood.
Nobody moved.
Then a loud crash came from outside.
The front doors shook.
Someone was trying to get in.
Alexander looked toward the entrance.
His face turned pale.
“They found us.”
Sebastian stepped forward.
“Who?”
Alexander looked at him.
“The same people who have been controlling this family for years.”
Theodore stared at him.
“You disappear for eight years…”
His voice trembled with anger.
“Then you come back and tell us to run?”
Alexander looked at his son.
Pain crossed his face.
“I know what I did.”
“No.”
Theodore shook his head.
“You don’t.”
He stepped closer.
“You don’t know what it was like growing up thinking you were dead.”
Alexander lowered his eyes.
“You’re right.”
That answer surprised Theodore.
“I don’t.”
Alexander looked at him.
“And I will regret that for the rest of my life.”
Another impact hit the front door.
The wooden frame cracked.
Sebastian immediately moved.
“We need another exit.”
Alexander nodded.
“The underground passage.”
Rosalie looked confused.
“What passage?”
Alexander looked at her.
“The one your grandfather built.”
Sebastian stared at him.
“You knew about it?”
Alexander looked at him.
“I built half of it.”
Everyone became silent.
Because every answer created another question.
Theodore followed them through the old mansion.
They moved behind a broken bookshelf.
Alexander pressed a hidden button.
The wall opened.
A dark passage appeared.
Cold air escaped from inside.
Rosalie stared.
“How many secrets does this family have?”
Alexander looked at her sadly.
“More than you should have ever known.”
Inside the underground tunnel, nobody spoke.
The narrow walls were covered with old stone.
The only light came from Sebastian’s flashlight.
Theodore walked beside Alexander.
He wanted answers.
But he didn’t know where to begin.
Finally, he asked the question that had been burning inside him.
“Why did you leave?”
Alexander stopped walking.
Everyone looked at him.
He took a deep breath.
“Because someone in this family tried to kill me.”
Sebastian’s expression changed.
“Who?”
Alexander looked at him.
“That is the question I spent eight years trying to answer.”
Theodore frowned.
“You don’t know?”
Alexander shook his head.
“I knew who gave the order.”
Everyone became still.
“Who?”
Alexander looked toward the darkness ahead.
“Your grandfather.”
Nobody spoke.
Rosalie shook her head.
“That’s impossible.”
Alexander looked at her.
“I thought so too.”
They reached the end of the tunnel.
An old metal door waited.
Alexander unlocked it.
Inside was a hidden room.
A room filled with documents.
Photos.
Recordings.
Evidence.
A secret archive.
Theodore stepped inside.
“This is what you were hiding?”
Alexander nodded.
“This is what I was protecting.”
Sebastian looked around.
“You could have shown us.”
Alexander looked at him.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because one of you was working against me.”
The accusation filled the room.
Everyone looked at each other.
Theodore noticed.
Nobody trusted anyone anymore.
Not even family.
Alexander walked toward an old cabinet.
He removed a file.
“This contains everything.”
He placed it on the table.
“Your grandfather created a system.”
Rosalie opened the file.
“What kind of system?”
“A way to control the family fortune.”
Sebastian looked through the papers.
His face changed.
“He created fake heirs.”
Alexander nodded.
“Exactly.”
Theodore frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Alexander looked at him.
“It means the Vale inheritance was never based on blood.”
He pointed toward the documents.
“It was based on whoever controlled the information.”
Daniel stepped forward.
“And Theodore?”
Alexander looked at him.
“That is why he was hidden.”
Everyone turned.
Theodore felt his heart race.
“Why?”
Alexander’s voice became quiet.
“Because Theodore is the only true heir.”
Silence.
Sebastian stared at him.
“What?”
Alexander looked at Theodore.
“Your biological bloodline connects to the original Vale family.”
Theodore shook his head.
“No.”
Alexander nodded.
“Yes.”
“That doesn’t make sense.”
“It does when you know the truth.”
Alexander opened another document.
“The Vale name was stolen generations ago.”
He looked at Sebastian.
“Your family inherited power.”
Then he looked at Theodore.
“But you inherited the bloodline.”
Suddenly, a sound came from the tunnel.
Footsteps.
Someone was approaching.
Sebastian immediately grabbed a weapon from the table.
Everyone became alert.
Alexander whispered:
“They followed us.”
Theodore looked toward the door.
“Who?”
Alexander’s face became serious.
“The person who has been cleaning up every secret.”
The footsteps stopped.
The metal door slowly opened.
A figure appeared.
Everyone froze.
Because the person standing there was someone they never expected.
Someone who had been helping them.
Someone they trusted.
Someone who knew every secret.
Dr. Adrian Mercer.
Rosalie stepped back.
“No.”
Mercer looked at them.
His face was full of regret.
“I’m sorry.”
Sebastian raised the weapon.
“You lied to us.”
Mercer closed his eyes.
“Yes.”
Theodore stared at him.
“You tried to kill my sister.”
Mercer looked at Rosalie.
“I tried to save her.”
Nobody understood.
“What?”
Mercer stepped inside.
“The person who ordered Rosalie’s death was not trying to bury her.”
He looked at Theodore.
“They were trying to hide her.”
Rosalie’s face changed.
“Hide me from who?”
Mercer looked toward the darkness behind him.
Then he whispered:
“From the real enemy.”
A shadow appeared behind him.
Mercer’s expression changed.
Because he recognized the person.
And everyone heard him say:
“No…”
The shadow stepped forward.
“Hello, Adrian.”
The voice was familiar.
Too familiar.
Theodore’s blood ran cold.
Because the person walking into the secret room…
May you like
Was someone they thought had been dead for years.
TO BE CONTINUED…
