Chapter 4 - THE SECRET IN THE NURSERY
Richard didn't run.
He simply stood there.
Calm.
Almost amused.
Julian moved between him and Gabriella.
“You've been living here?”
“For six months.”
“Why?”
Richard smiled.
“Your father invited me.”
Arthur shouted:
“Liar!”
Richard laughed softly.
“Still pretending to be innocent after all these years?”
Julian looked between them.
“What happened?”
Richard's smile disappeared.
“Your father and I built this family empire together.”
Arthur shook his head.
“You destroyed it.”
“No.”
Richard pointed toward Julian.
“Your father did.”
He explained that years ago, the Hale family had secretly invested in a network of international companies.
Some were legitimate.
Others weren't.
Money moved through them.
Millions disappeared.
People who asked questions vanished from business.
Then Julian's mother discovered the truth.
She planned to expose everyone.
Richard wanted her silenced.
Arthur claimed he tried to protect her.
But the night she died, Arthur was the last person seen with her.
Julian stared at his father.
“Did you kill Mom?”
Arthur's voice broke.
“No.”
Richard smiled.
“He didn't.”
Julian looked at him.
“Then who did?”
Richard answered:
“Dominic's father.”
Dominic froze.
“My father?”
Richard nodded.
“He was Adrian Cross's partner.”
Julian looked at Dominic.
She was crying.
“I didn't know.”
Richard continued.
“Your mother discovered that Adrian was using Dominic's family to move money.”
“Then why did you marry me?” Julian asked Dominic.
She looked directly at him.
“Because I loved you.”
Richard laughed.
“No.”
Dominic turned toward him.
“Don't.”
“You married Julian because your father ordered you to get close to the Hale family.”
Julian's face hardened.
“Is that true?”
Dominic whispered:
“At first.”
The admission shattered the room.
“But I stopped.”
“When?”
“When I learned what they planned to do to Noah.”
She looked down.
“I chose my child.”
Julian's voice was cold.
“And me?”
“I fell in love with you.”
Richard suddenly pulled a small remote from his pocket.
The nursery monitor activated.
A camera showed Noah's crib.
A masked figure stood beside it.
Gabriella screamed.
Julian lunged toward the door.
Richard smiled.
“Now you understand.”
“This was never about money.”
“It was about the child.”
The screen went black.
Richard whispered:
May you like
“Noah is the only person alive who can expose everything.”
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