Chapter 8 - THE INHERITANCE NO ONE KNEW EXISTED
My father had hidden an empire.
Not a hotel empire.
A private trust.
Assets worth nearly four billion dollars.
Ports.
Land.
Technology companies.
And a controlling interest in several international foundations.
But the trust had one condition.
The beneficiary had to be my biological child.
Not me.
Not my sister.
My son.
Prince.
Victor wanted him because controlling Prince meant controlling the trust.
I looked at Zara.
She was silent.
“Why didn't my father tell me?”
“Because he didn't trust anyone.”
My mother spoke quietly.
“He knew Victor was waiting for Prince to be born.”
“Then why did you help Victor?”
She cried.
“Because he threatened you.”
“You should have told me.”
“I thought I was saving your life.”
“You destroyed two years of it.”
“I know.”
I wanted to hate her.
Part of me did.
But another part saw the woman who had spent years trapped inside the same machine she helped create.
Still, forgiveness would come later.
If it came at all.
Victor appeared on the screen again.
“You cannot protect Prince forever.”
I stepped toward the screen.
“Watch me.”
He smiled.
“You think this ends with money.”
“No.”
“What then?”
“Justice.”
His smile disappeared.
“You sound like your father.”
I froze.
“That's supposed to frighten me?”
“It should.”
Then the screen went black.
The next morning, federal agents raided Victor's properties.
My father had left evidence.
Boxes of records.
Bank transfers.
Names.
Photographs.
Everything.
Victor was arrested.
But he had one final card.
A video.
My father appeared on screen.
“Justin.”
I stared.
“If you're seeing this, I'm dead.”
He looked tired.
Older than I remembered.
“I made terrible choices.”
He admitted everything.
My sister.
The trust.
Victor.
But then he said something unexpected.
“Your mother didn't betray you because she hated you.”
I looked at Eleanor.
“She betrayed you because she believed fear was the only language powerful men understood.”
My father's eyes softened.
“She was wrong.”
He paused.
“Love is stronger.”
The video ended.
I looked at Zara.
She was crying.
I reached for her hand.
May you like
This time, she didn't pull away.
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