Chapter 19: The Brother Who Stole A Lifetime
I couldn’t move.
The man standing in front of me looked like someone from a forgotten photograph.
Someone who belonged to my father’s past.
Not mine.
Yet somehow, he had been connected to every secret that destroyed my life.
Richard.
My father’s brother.
My uncle.
A person I never knew existed.
“You’re lying,” I said.
The man smiled sadly.
“I expected you to say that.””
My mother stepped between us.
“Marcus, don’t listen to him.””
Richard looked at her.
“Still protecting him, Evelyn?””
My mother’s face hardened.
“You lost the right to speak about protection.””
That sentence hit me.
Because my mother wasn’t afraid anymore.
She was angry.
Real anger.
Not fear.
Not guilt.
Anger.
I looked at Richard.
“What did you do?””
He walked slowly into the room.
“You have no idea how much your father took from me.””
I laughed.
“My father?””
Richard’s expression changed.
“He built an empire and called it fairness. He made decisions and called them sacrifices.””
“That doesn’t explain anything.””
“No?””
He looked around the old house.
“This house. This family. Everything you loved.””
He pointed at me.
“Your father chose you.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“It means he chose a child who wasn’t even his by blood over his own brother.””
The room went silent.
I looked at my mother.
She looked away.
Richard continued.
“Your father knew I was better suited to run the company.””
“That’s what this is about?””
“Not just the company.””
He smiled.
“The control.””
My stomach tightened.
The founder’s account.
Everything came back to that.
Richard had been after it from the beginning.
“You wanted the account.””
“I deserved the account.””
“No.””
The word came from my mother.
Richard looked at her.
“You always were loyal to him.””
“I was loyal to the truth.””
He laughed.
“The truth?””
He stepped closer.
“You helped fake my brother’s death.””
My chest tightened.
“You said Dad disappeared.””
My mother looked at me.
“I did.””
Richard smiled.
“Because your father was afraid.””
“Afraid of you?””
“Yes.””
I stared at him.
“Why?””
Richard’s expression became cold.
“Because he knew what I was capable of.””
The honesty shocked me.
No denial.
No excuse.
Just a confession.
“You sabotaged him.””
“I corrected his mistakes.””
“You destroyed my family.””
“No.””
He shook his head.
“Your father destroyed himself.””
I clenched my fists.
“You manipulated Nia.””
A small smile appeared.
“So you figured that out.””
My blood ran cold.
“You knew?””
“Of course.””
“Why?””
“Because Nia’s mother owed me.””
I stared.
Victoria.
Her accountant history.
The money.
The wedding.
Everything.
“You used them.””
“Yes.””
The casual answer made me sick.
Richard continued.
“Nia was supposed to marry you, activate the account, and transfer control.””
“And if she failed?””
“She wasn’t the only option.””
I thought about the fake DNA test.
The threats.
The surveillance.
“You tried to make me believe I wasn’t my father’s son.””
Richard smiled.
“That was necessary.””
“Why?””
“Because if you doubted your connection to him, you would doubt your right to control what he left behind.””
My mother stepped forward.
“You will never get it.””
Richard looked at her.
“Maybe not.””
Then he looked at me.
“But Marcus might.””
I froze.
“What?””
Richard pulled out a small device.
A recording.
“Your father left one final message.””
My heart stopped.
“How do you have that?””
Richard smiled.
“Because I was there when he recorded it.””
My mother went pale.
“No.””
Richard pressed play.
My father’s voice filled the room.
“Marcus, if you are hearing this, Richard has found you.””
I stopped breathing.
My father knew.
“He will tell you I betrayed him. He will tell you he was robbed.””
A pause.
“Do not believe him.””
Richard’s expression changed slightly.
The recording continued.
“Your uncle was not angry because I chose Marcus.””
A pause.
“He was angry because I discovered what he had done.””
Richard reached for the device.
But I grabbed it first.
The recording continued.
“He was responsible for the money transfers. He was responsible for the people following me.””
My heart pounded.
“He wanted the account because it would erase every trace of what he stole.””
The room was silent.
Then my father said the final words.
“Marcus, remember this.””
A pause.
“Family is not the people who share your blood.””
My eyes filled.
“It is the people who choose not to destroy you.””
The recording ended.
Richard stood frozen.
For the first time…
he looked afraid.
Then sirens sounded outside.
Blue lights flashed through the windows.
Richard looked toward the door.
“What did you do?””
My mother answered.
“What your brother should have done fifteen years ago.””
May you like
She looked at me.
“I told the truth.””
