Chapter 4 - THE DEAD MAN WHO LEFT A WARNING
I returned home with Daniel's documents.
My hands were shaking.
My father had been murdered.
The Sterling family had known.
And the twins were part of a financial scheme.
But there was still something I couldn't understand.
Why me?
Daniel called again that night.
“There's one more thing.”
“What?”
“Your father knew he was being watched.”
“By Margaret?”
“Not just her.”
“Who else?”
He hesitated.
“Julian.”
I froze.
“My husband?”
“Your father investigated him before your wedding.”
That couldn't be true.
Julian had met my father when we were dating.
My father had seemed to like him.
Or so I thought.
Daniel continued.
“Julian wasn't who he said he was.”
I sat down.
“What did he find?”
“Julian had changed his surname.”
“To Sterling?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because his biological father wasn't Charles Sterling.”
My breath stopped.
“Then who was?”
Daniel lowered his voice.
“Your father's business partner.”
I felt sick.
Julian's father wasn't his biological father.
My father had been involved with the man who actually fathered Julian.
And Margaret had known.
Suddenly the entire Sterling family history looked like a carefully constructed lie.
Daniel sent me another file.
Inside was a photograph of a young Julian.
He was standing beside my father.
On the back was a handwritten date.
Three months before Elena met him.
My father had known Julian long before I did.
And the final page contained a note.
Julian is approaching Elena.
He knows about the trust.
If anything happens to me, protect my daughter.
I cried.
Not because I still loved Julian.
Because I finally understood.
My father had tried to warn me.
And I had mistaken his silence for approval.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice said:
“You should stop digging.”
“Who is this?”
“Someone who knows what happened to your father.”
“What happened?”
“He wasn't supposed to die.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He was supposed to disappear.”
The line went dead.
Minutes later, another message arrived.
A photograph.
My father.
Alive.
Taken six months after the date of his supposed death.
I stared at the screen.
My entire body went cold.
The message beneath it contained four words:
ASK WHO HID HIM.
May you like
I knew exactly who I had to ask.
Margaret.
