CHAPTER 12 The Mother’s Final Secret
CHAPTER 12 The Mother’s Final Secret
The underground room became colder than before.
Not because of the stone walls.
Not because of the darkness surrounding them.
But because every person inside the room was looking at Isabella Vale.
The woman Theodore had spent his entire life believing was a victim.
The woman who said she disappeared to protect him.
The woman who claimed she had been running from danger.
Now a voice from the past had accused her of starting everything.
Theodore could not look away.
“Mom…”
The word felt strange.
Almost unfamiliar.
Isabella closed her eyes.
She looked like someone who had been carrying a heavy secret for far too long.
“Theodore…”
“No.”
His voice was quiet.
But filled with pain.
“I need the truth.”
Everyone remained silent.
For once, nobody interrupted.
Nobody tried to protect him.
Isabella slowly walked toward the table.
She placed both hands on the old documents.
“I did start something.”
Theodore felt his chest tighten.
Sebastian looked shocked.
Rosalie whispered:
“Mother…”
Isabella looked at them.
“But not what they think.”
Years earlier, Isabella had discovered something hidden inside the Vale family records.
A truth that had been protected for generations.
The Vale fortune.
The Vale name.
The entire empire.
It was built on a stolen identity.
Someone had erased a bloodline from history.
Someone had taken another family’s inheritance.
And Isabella was the first person to discover the evidence.
“I found documents your grandfather buried.”
She looked at Theodore.
“Documents that proved the Vale family had lied for decades.”
Theodore stared.
“Then why hide it?”
Isabella’s eyes filled with sadness.
“Because when I tried to reveal it…”
She stopped.
“People started disappearing.”
Rosalie looked at her.
“Who?”
Isabella looked toward Sebastian.
“People who were close to the truth.”
Sebastian became quiet.
Because he remembered.
Daniel stepped forward.
“Then why did everyone believe you were dead?”
Isabella looked at him.
“Because I needed them to.”
Theodore looked confused.
“You wanted everyone to think you were dead?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because alive, I was a target.”
She looked at Theodore.
“But dead, I became invisible.”
Theodore shook his head.
“That doesn’t explain leaving us.”
The pain on Isabella’s face became obvious.
“No.”
She whispered.
“It doesn’t.”
Sebastian looked away.
For the first time, Theodore saw something different in him.
Not power.
Not control.
Regret.
“You knew,” Theodore said.
Sebastian nodded.
“I found out years later.”
“And you still let me believe she was dead.”
Sebastian looked down.
“Yes.”
Theodore laughed softly.
A broken laugh.
“You all keep saying you protected me.”
He looked around the room.
“But nobody ever protected me from the truth.”
No one responded.
Because nobody could deny it.
Suddenly, the underground monitor turned on.
The screen showed the main mansion.
The fake Eleanor stood inside the library.
Beside her was the mysterious older man.
The man who had controlled the Vale family for years.
He looked directly into the camera.
As if he knew they were watching.
Alexander stepped closer.
“That’s him.”
Theodore looked at him.
“Who?”
Alexander’s voice became cold.
“Victor Hale.”
The name meant nothing to Theodore.
But everyone else reacted.
Sebastian’s expression changed.
Daniel looked away.
Even Isabella looked afraid.
Rosalie noticed.
“Who is Victor Hale?”
Alexander answered:
“The man who built the machine behind the Vale family.”
The monitor suddenly switched.
Victor appeared closer.
His face filled the screen.
“You finally gathered everyone.”
Nobody spoke.
Victor smiled.
“I was beginning to think the Vale family had forgotten how to solve problems.”
Sebastian stepped toward the screen.
“You’re responsible for this.”
Victor laughed.
“Responsible?”
He looked amused.
“No.”
“I simply maintained order.”
Theodore stared.
“You tried to kill my sister.”
Victor’s expression remained calm.
“Incorrect.”
He looked at Rosalie.
“I saved her.”
Everyone froze.
Rosalie stepped back.
“What?”
Victor continued.
“Rosalie discovered information that could destroy the entire Vale empire.”
He smiled.
“So I made everyone believe she was dead.”
Theodore clenched his fists.
“You buried her alive.”
Victor tilted his head.
“A temporary disappearance.”
Theodore’s anger exploded.
“She could have died!”
Victor shrugged.
“But she didn’t.”
Sebastian grabbed the monitor.
“You are finished.”
Victor smiled.
“No.”
He looked directly at Theodore.
“The game is only beginning.”
Theodore stared.
“What do you want?”
Victor answered immediately.
“The heir.”
Everyone became silent.
Theodore understood.
“You want me.”
Victor nodded.
“Because you are the only person who can legally destroy everything.”
Rosalie stepped in front of Theodore.
“You won’t touch him.”
Victor smiled.
“That is exactly why you are all going to lose.”
The screen went black.
A loud explosion shook the underground room.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Everyone looked upward.
Daniel checked the security system.
“The tunnel entrance has been blocked.”
Sebastian cursed under his breath.
“We’re trapped.”
Theodore looked around.
For the first time, he understood something.
This was never just about money.
Never just about inheritance.
Victor wanted control over the truth itself.
A few seconds later, another sound came.
A slow knock.
Everyone froze.
Someone was outside the locked door.
Three slow knocks.
Theodore’s face changed.
Because he recognized the pattern.
Two taps.
Then one.
The same sound that started everything.
The same sound he heard inside Rosalie’s coffin.
The door slowly opened.
A figure stood in the darkness.
And the person said:
“Theodore…”
“I know what really happened the night Rosalie died.”
Theodore stared.
Because the person standing there was someone he never expected.
His own father.
Alexander Vale.
But this time…
May you like
He was holding a gun.
TO BE CONTINUED…
