Chapter 7 - THE WOMAN WHO OWNED THE LIES
Emergency lights flickered on.
Baldric immediately reached for his phone.
“No signal.”
Marcus checked the hallway.
“Someone's blocking the network.”
A security alarm sounded.
Then every screen in the boardroom turned on.
A woman appeared.
Baldric froze.
His mother.
She sat in a dark room somewhere, staring directly into the camera.
“Hello, Baldric.”
His blood ran cold.
“You're behind this.”
She smiled sadly.
“I always have been.”
Caleb whispered:
“Mother…”
She looked at him.
“You were always the weak one.”
Baldric stepped toward the screen.
“Why Arianne?”
“Because she inherited your grandfather's authority.”
“And you wanted it.”
“No.”
Her expression changed.
“I wanted to correct a mistake.”
“What mistake?”
“You.”
Baldric stared.
She continued.
“Your grandfather chose you instead of your father.”
“Because I was honest.”
“Because you were obedient.”
Baldric shook his head.
“I was never obedient.”
She laughed.
“You believed your entire life that you were a retired mechanic.”
“Because that's what I wanted.”
“No.”
She leaned closer.
“Because that's what I needed you to believe.”
Baldric felt a chill.
“What did you do?”
“I created the illusion that your wealth belonged to other people.”
“You controlled my companies.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect the family.”
Baldric laughed bitterly.
“You call poisoning my daughter protection?”
Her expression hardened.
“Your daughter was supposed to sign the trust away.”
“She never would.”
“Then Derek was instructed to make her compliant.”
Baldric's hands curled into fists.
“And Gideon?”
She paused.
“Gideon was insurance.”
Baldric's face went cold.
“You threatened my grandson.”
“I never intended to hurt him.”
“You threatened him.”
Silence.
Then Caleb spoke.
“You murdered our father.”
Their mother looked at him.
“No.”
“You ordered the hit.”
“I ordered him silenced.”
“You killed him.”
“He was going to expose everything.”
Baldric stared at the screen.
“My entire life has been a lie.”
His mother looked almost regretful.
“No, Baldric.”
She smiled.
“Your entire life was a test.”
“What?”
“I wanted to know whether you would ever become ruthless enough to control the empire.”
Baldric laughed.
“I don't want your empire.”
“You already own it.”
The screen went black.
A second later, the doors unlocked.
Security rushed inside.
Marcus looked at Baldric.
“What now?”
Baldric picked up the trust documents.
“Now we end this.”
They found the location of Baldric's mother before dawn.
A private estate outside the city.
Baldric arrived with federal investigators.
But the house was empty.
Only one thing remained.
A handwritten note.
You cannot destroy what you do not understand.
Baldric turned the paper over.
On the back was a name.
ELENA VANCE.
He stared.
“Who is Elena?”
Caleb's face went pale.
“My sister.”
Baldric frowned.
“We don't have a sister.”
Caleb whispered:
“We did.”
“Where is she?”
Caleb looked toward the empty house.
“She died before you were born.”
Baldric stared.
“Then why is her name here?”
Caleb didn't answer.
Marcus walked toward them holding a folder.
“We found something.”
“What?”
“A birth certificate.”
Baldric opened it.
His hands began shaking.
Elena Vance had never died.
She had been declared dead at six months old.
But the record had been falsified.
And the person who signed it was their mother.
Baldric looked at Caleb.
“She has been alive this entire time.”
May you like
Caleb nodded.
“And she is the person controlling everything.”
