Chapter 4: The Truth Buried in My Blood
The first page of the file looked ordinary.
A name.
A date.
A signature.
But the more I read, the more the room around me seemed to disappear.
*Alexander Vale. Founder of Vale Holdings.*
My father.
I knew that part.
What I didn’t know was the line written beneath his name.
*Primary successor: Eleanor Victoria Vale.*
My hands went cold.
Victoria.
My eyes moved to the woman standing across the room.
Not Daniel’s mistress.
Not the woman who helped throw me out.
Her name.
Her full name.
Victoria Lane.
The same name on the document.
I slowly looked up.
“Why is her name here?””
Every person in the room turned toward her.
Victoria froze.
Daniel looked between us.
“What are you talking about?””
I held up the page.
“Why does this file mention Victoria?””
Victoria’s face lost all color.
For the first time, she looked afraid.
“I can explain.””
Those three words made my chest tighten.
Because people only said them when there was something they had been hiding.
Daniel stepped closer to her.
“Explain what?””
Victoria opened her mouth.
Nothing came out.
Thomas sighed.
“I was hoping we would never have to reveal this part.””
I looked at him.
“What part?””
He glanced at the file.
“The part your father spent years protecting.””
I closed the folder.
“Thomas, I need the truth.””
He nodded.
“Then you deserve all of it.””
The room became silent.
Thomas walked to the window, looking out at the mansion grounds.
“Alexander Vale had two children.””
My heart stopped.
“No.””
The word came out before I could control it.
Thomas turned back.
“Yes.””
Daniel stared at me.
“Two?””
I looked at Victoria.
She avoided my eyes.
“No,” I whispered.
Thomas continued.
“Your father had a daughter with his first wife. Her name was Victoria.””
The silence that followed felt louder than shouting.
Victoria finally spoke.
“I never wanted it to happen like this.””
I looked at her.
“You knew?””
Tears appeared in her eyes.
“I knew who you were.””
The betrayal felt different from Daniel’s.
Daniel betrayed my marriage.
Victoria betrayed my entire identity.
“You knew I was Eleanor Vale?””
She looked down.
“Yes.””
I felt my fingers tighten around the file.
“How long?””
Victoria swallowed.
“Since before you married Daniel.””
Daniel turned toward her.
“You knew?””
His voice was filled with disbelief.
“You knew she was the owner of Vale Holdings?””
Victoria didn’t answer.
That was answer enough.
Daniel stepped back.
His face changed.
All the lies he had believed suddenly had a different shape.
“You told me she was nobody.””
Victoria looked at him.
“I never said that.””
“You let me believe it.””
Her silence was brutal.
I looked at both of them.
The two people who had destroyed my life were now realizing they had destroyed each other too.
“Why?”” I asked Victoria.
Her eyes met mine.
“Because I was angry.””
The honesty shocked me.
“My father gave you everything,” she continued.
“The company. The trust. The legacy.””
Thomas interrupted.
“That is not true.””
Victoria looked at him.
“You know it is.””
“No,” Thomas said firmly.
“Your father gave Eleanor responsibility because she earned it.””
Victoria’s expression hardened.
“She was always the favorite.””
I laughed quietly.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was unbelievable.
“I spent my entire life trying to escape being Alexander Vale’s daughter.””
Victoria looked at me.
“You got to walk away.””
“And you got to poison everything?””
Her face changed.
For a moment, I saw the pain underneath her anger.
But pain did not excuse cruelty.
Daniel stepped forward.
“So all of this…”
He pointed around the room.
“The lawyers. The shares. The company.””
He looked at Victoria.
“You knew this could happen?””
Victoria looked away.
“I knew Eleanor would eventually find out.””
Daniel’s voice dropped.
“You used me.””
The irony was almost impossible to ignore.
The woman he chose over me had never truly chosen him either.
I turned away from them.
My head was spinning.
I had spent years believing my biggest mistake was trusting Daniel.
I was wrong.
The biggest mistake was believing I knew everyone around me.
Thomas quietly placed another envelope on the table.
“There is one more thing.””
I looked at him.
“More?””
He nodded.
“Your father left instructions for the day you discovered the truth about Victoria.””
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a handwritten letter.
My father’s words.
*Eleanor, if Victoria ever comes back into your life, do not assume she is your enemy. But do not assume she is your sister first.*
I frowned.
The sentence made no sense.
Then I saw the next line.
*Because there is someone else who knows the truth about your family. Someone who has been watching both of you.*
I looked at Thomas.
“Who?””
Before he could answer, the mansion security alarm suddenly started ringing.
Everyone turned.
A guard rushed into the room.
“Ms. Vale…”
His face was pale.
“There is someone at the front gate.””
Thomas stood immediately.
“Who?””
The guard looked at me.
“He says his name is Alexander Vale.””
My breath disappeared.
Impossible.
My father had been dead for twelve years.
May you like
Then the guard added one more sentence.
“He says he’s here to meet his daughter.””
