Chapter 7 - THE ROOM THAT DIDN'T APPEAR ON THE PLANS
Miles Harper stood at the bottom of the staircase smiling like a man who believed he had already won.
Nora stared.
"How did you get inside?"
He held up the key.
"Your mother gave it to me."
Margaret's expression turned furious.
"That key wasn't Diane's to give."
Miles shrugged.
"Apparently, she disagreed."
I stepped forward.
"Miles, leave."
He looked toward me.
"Evan, this doesn't concern you."
I smiled without warmth.
"You're standing inside my girlfriend's property without her permission."
He glanced toward Nora.
"She's not really your girlfriend."
For one second, the room went completely silent.
Nora's eyes widened.
I remained still.
Miles continued.
"Did you honestly think I wouldn't investigate?"
Nora swallowed.
"What?"
"A stranger hired for a thousand dollars. A fake dating story. A convenient businessman with a reputation."
He laughed.
"Very creative, Nora."
She looked at me.
I nodded slightly.
There was no point denying what he'd discovered.
Miles stepped closer.
"Now, here's what's going to happen."
I almost laughed.
Men like Miles always loved that sentence.
"You're going to sign the property authorization," he told Nora.
"No."
His smile vanished.
"Nora—"
"I said no."
He looked toward Margaret.
"Tell her."
Margaret folded her arms.
"I think she was perfectly clear."
Miles's face reddened.
Then he glanced toward me.
"You don't understand what you're interfering with."
I studied him.
"Then enlighten me."
He hesitated.
I stepped aside.
"Start with the hidden room."
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Then Nora walked toward the staircase.
"I'm going downstairs."
Miles blocked her path.
"No."
She stopped.
"This is my building."
"I said no."
I looked toward him.
"Miles, step aside."
He stared at me.
Something changed in his expression.
For the first time, he seemed to remember exactly who I was.
He moved.
We descended the stairs.
Behind a wooden storage shelf stood a reinforced metal door.
Miles had unlocked it.
Inside was a narrow records room.
Old filing cabinets lined the walls.
Several shelves held bound ledgers.
And against the far wall stood a black safe.
Nora looked around.
"Grandpa never told me about this."
Margaret sighed.
"He wanted to protect you."
Nora's expression tightened.
"I'm getting tired of people protecting me by hiding things."
I almost smiled.
She had a point.
Miles moved toward the safe.
"These belong to Harper Capital."
"No," Nora replied.
"They belong to whoever legally owns them. We can establish that."
Then Margaret noticed something on the floor.
A torn envelope.
She picked it up.
Her expression changed.
"William left this for Nora."
Nora opened it.
Inside was a handwritten note.
If Richard Harper sends his son, do not trust either of them.
Beneath it was a photograph.
My father.
Charles Cole.
Standing beside William Bennett.
And between them, holding a newborn baby, was a woman I recognized immediately.
My mother.
On the back were five words.
EVAN WAS NEVER TOLD EVERYTHING.
I stared.
May you like
And suddenly, I wasn't thinking about Richard Harper anymore.
I was thinking about what my own family had hidden from me.
