Chapter 10: The Man Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
I stared at the name on Laura’s phone.
A name I hadn’t heard since I was a child.
Victor Hale.
For years, that name existed only in old conversations.
Whispers between adults.
Half-finished sentences.
My father changing the subject whenever I asked.
I remembered one night clearly.
I was sixteen years old, sitting at the dinner table while my father argued with someone on the phone.
His voice was louder than I had ever heard.
“You don’t get to come back after what you did.””
A pause.
Then my father said something that stayed with me.
“If you come near my family again, I’ll make sure everyone knows the truth.””
The next morning, my father acted like nothing happened.
I never asked.
I should have.
Because now a dead man had returned.
And somehow, he was connected to my wife, my brother, and my son.
“Jason?””
Laura’s voice pulled me back.
I looked at her.
“How do you know Victor Hale?””
She swallowed.
“I don’t.””
“That’s not an answer.””
“Ryan knew him.””
I stared.
“Then why is his name on your phone?””
“Because Ryan sent it.””
She looked terrified.
Not pretending.
Not performing.
Actually terrified.
For the first time, I believed she was afraid of Ryan.
Not because she had suddenly become innocent.
But because she had finally realized she was never in control.
“What does Ryan want?””
Laura shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
“You’ve been working with him for months.””
“I thought I knew.””
“That’s not good enough.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I know.””
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then my phone rang.
Rachel.
I answered.
“Jason, where are you?””
“With Laura.””
There was a pause.
“That’s not a good idea.””
“Why?””
“Because someone just accessed the old company records.””
My expression changed.
“Who?””
“We’re trying to identify them.””
I looked at Laura.
“Can you trace it?””
“Already doing it.””
A few seconds passed.
Then Rachel’s voice became quieter.
“Jason.””
“What?””
“The access came from inside your company.””
My stomach tightened.
“Michael?””
“No.””
A pause.
“Someone else.””
When I returned to my office, Rachel was waiting.
She turned her laptop toward me.
A security report filled the screen.
“This happened twenty minutes ago.””
I looked at the timestamp.
Exactly when I was with Laura.
“Who had access?””
Rachel hesitated.
“Your father’s old executive assistant.””
I frowned.
“That’s impossible.””
“Why?””
“Because she died.””
Rachel looked at me.
“She didn’t.””
The room became silent.
“What?””
“Her name is Elena Ward. She disappeared eight years ago.””
I stared at the screen.
“Elena was loyal to my father.””
“Yes.””
“Then why would she help them?””
Rachel leaned back.
“That’s what we need to find out.””
I looked at the photograph attached to the report.
A woman in her fifties.
Sharp eyes.
A serious expression.
Someone I barely remembered.
But my father trusted her.
And that made her dangerous.
That evening, I went through my father’s old belongings.
Most people would have thrown them away after eight years.
I couldn’t.
His old watch.
His handwritten notes.
His business journals.
I opened a box I hadn’t touched in years.
Inside were hundreds of pages.
At the bottom was an envelope.
My name was written on it.
Not printed.
Handwritten.
“Jason.””
My hands went cold.
My father had written this before he died.
I opened it.
The letter was short.
My son,
If you are reading this, then something has happened that I feared.
Trust is the most dangerous currency in the world.
People will betray you for money.
Others will betray you for power.
But the most dangerous ones are those who believe they are owed something.
I stopped reading.
Because the next sentence made my heart race.
Victor Hale is not your enemy.
He is the consequence of my mistake.
I read the sentence again.
Victor wasn’t the enemy?
Then who was?
I continued.
I built Carter Holdings with someone I considered a brother.
But when greed entered the room, loyalty disappeared.
The person who betrayed me was not the man everyone blamed.
It was someone closer.
Someone who knew everything.
Someone who knew our family.
I lowered the letter.
Someone closer.
My mind immediately went to Michael.
But then another possibility appeared.
Someone even closer.
Someone who had been there before Michael was born.
Someone who knew my father better than anyone.
My phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
A text appeared.
“Your father lied to you.””
Then another message.
“Meet me if you want the truth.””
A location followed.
An abandoned warehouse on the edge of the city.
I stared at it.
Rachel looked over my shoulder.
“Don’t go.””
“I have to.””
“No.””
She shook her head.
“This is exactly what they want.””
I looked at the message.
“They want me scared.””
“They want you alone.””
I picked up my jacket.
“Then I won’t go alone.””
Rachel looked surprised.
“Jason.””
I grabbed the folder with my father’s letter.
“I spent my whole life believing I knew who my enemies were.””
I looked at her.
“Now I want to know who my family really is.””
The warehouse was dark when we arrived.
Rachel stayed outside with the investigators.
I walked in alone.
Every step echoed.
Then a light turned on.
A woman stood in the corner.
Older.
Tired.
But alive.
Elena Ward.
The woman who was supposed to be dead.
She looked at me.
And the first words out of her mouth destroyed everything I thought I knew.
“Jason Carter.””
May you like
She took a breath.
“Your father didn’t die naturally.””
