Chapter 7: The Enemy Inside My Own House
The words stared back at me.
You should have stayed in the wheelchair.
For a few seconds, nobody moved.
The emergency lights cast a dim glow across the office, making the room feel unfamiliar.
The message wasn’t just a threat.
It was a warning.
Someone wanted me to know they were watching.
Someone wanted me afraid.
But they had made one mistake.
They reminded me exactly why I refused to give up.
I picked up the envelope.
Martha immediately stepped forward.
“Mr. Blackwood, don’t.””
I looked at her.
“Why?””
She lowered her voice.
“Because whoever left that wanted you to find it.””
I nodded.
“She’s right.””
Adrian looked at me.
“You’re finally starting to understand.””
I turned toward him.
“No.””
My voice was cold.
“I’m starting to understand you.””
His expression changed.
“You still think I’m the biggest problem.””
“Aren’t you?””
He looked away.
And that hesitation told me everything.
Adrian wasn’t the mastermind.
He was a piece on someone else’s board.
I opened the envelope carefully.
Inside was a single photograph.
My father.
Standing outside Blackwood International.
But he wasn’t alone.
Beside him was a woman I recognized immediately.
My mother’s older sister.
Evelyn Blackwood.
My aunt.
The woman who disappeared from our family twelve years ago.
I stared at the picture.
“That’s impossible.””
Martha looked over my shoulder.
“Who is she?””
“My aunt.””
Adrian looked at the photograph and went silent.
I noticed.
“You know her.””
He didn’t answer.
“Adrian.””
His jaw tightened.
“Yes.””
The room became still.
“How?””
He looked at the floor.
“She contacted me two years ago.””
My stomach dropped.
“Why?””
Adrian gave a bitter smile.
“Because she believed Dad stole what belonged to her.””
I looked at the photograph again.
My father had always told me Evelyn left because she wanted a different life.
But maybe that wasn’t the truth.
“What did she want?””
Adrian looked at me.
“Control.””
The same answer.
Again and again.
Everyone around me wanted the same thing.
Power.
Money.
The company.
But there was something Adrian wasn’t saying.
“You’re protecting her.””
His eyes narrowed.
“No.””
“You are.””
I stepped closer.
“You’re protecting someone who used you.””
Adrian laughed quietly.
“You think you know everything.””
“No.””
I held up the photograph.
“But I know enough.””
Before Adrian could respond, my phone rang.
It was my security director.
I answered immediately.
“Tell me.””
His voice was tense.
“Mr. Blackwood, we found something.””
“What?””
“The person who accessed your medical records wasn’t outside the company.””
I looked around the room.
“Then who?””
A pause.
Then:
“Someone inside your house.””
My eyes moved slowly across the room.
Victoria.
Adrian.
Daniel.
Everyone had a reason.
Everyone had lied.
“Who?””
My security director continued.
“We traced the access.””
Another pause.
“It came from Mrs. Blackwood’s private office.””
Victoria.
I felt something I didn’t expect.
Not anger.
Disappointment.
Because a small part of me had hoped she was only a victim.
I ended the call.
Adrian watched me.
“She betrayed you too.””
I looked at him.
“You sound almost sympathetic.””
“I’m not.””
“Then what are you?””
He stayed silent.
I walked out of the office.
Straight toward Victoria’s private room.
The door was locked.
But the key was still in the old drawer where she thought nobody looked.
Inside, everything appeared normal.
Perfume.
Jewelry.
Designer bags.
A perfect image.
A carefully built lie.
I opened her desk.
At first, nothing.
Then I found a hidden compartment.
Inside were dozens of files.
Bank records.
Emails.
Photos.
And one folder with my name on it.
I opened it.
The first page made my hands freeze.
It was a copy of my accident report.
But there was one detail I had never seen.
A handwritten note at the bottom.
*Vehicle malfunction confirmed before collision.*
Someone knew.
Someone changed the report.
Someone covered it up.
Then another page fell out.
A payment record.
A large transfer.
From Adrian.
To Victoria.
Before our wedding.
I stared at the date.
The payment was made three days after my father died.
My father’s death.
My accident.
Victoria’s marriage to me.
All connected.
Then I found something else.
A letter.
Not from my father.
Not from Adrian.
From Evelyn.
The first line made my blood run cold.
*Victoria, if Ethan survives, follow the second plan.*
I stopped breathing.
Second plan.
There was another plan.
A sound came from behind me.
The door closed.
Slowly.
I turned around.
Victoria stood there.
Her face was expressionless.
No fear.
No surprise.
Just exhaustion.
“You weren’t supposed to find that yet.””
I stared at her.
“Yet?””
She looked at the files in my hands.
Then at me.
“I guess there’s no point pretending anymore.””
My voice was quiet.
“Tell me everything.””
Victoria looked toward the window.
Then she said the one thing I never expected.
“Ethan, I didn’t marry you to steal your money.””
May you like
A pause.
“I married you because I was trying to protect you.””
