Chapter 6 - The Father in the DarkRosa's son Mateo was found before Richard's deadline.
Alive.
Terrified.
Abandoned inside a warehouse near the marina.
That meant Richard had lost his leverage.
But he didn't know it yet.
We went to the old Bennett house.
The place where Adrian and I had spent summers as children.
The same house where I once believed my brother's cruelty was ordinary.
Adrian was waiting inside.
Richard stood beside the fireplace.
A handgun rested in Adrian's hand.
“You brought police,” Richard said.
“You kidnapped a child.”
“I gave an instruction.”
“You stole employees' pensions.”
“I protected the company.”
“You imprisoned Olivia.”
“I arranged treatment.”
“You declared her dead.”
Richard looked almost bored.
“Those decisions were necessary.”
I realized then that evil rarely looked like a monster.
Sometimes it wore a tailored suit.
Sometimes it poured itself a drink.
Sometimes it called cruelty business.
I told Adrian that Richard intended to sacrifice him.
Adrian laughed.
“You're lying.”
“Ask him.”
Adrian looked at our father.
Richard didn't answer.
Something inside my brother broke.
He turned the gun toward Richard.
“You promised me the company.”
“I promised you an opportunity.”
“You gave everything to Ethan.”
“I chose the son investors trusted.”
The gun fired.
The bullet struck the wall.
Police stormed the house.
Adrian was arrested.
Richard was arrested.
And finally the truth about Olivia's crash emerged.
Adrian had hired Lucas Grant to follow Olivia.
He had been ordered to frighten her.
But the vehicle struck her.
She went over the ravine.
Vanessa found her alive.
Richard ordered Keller to take her.
They changed the dental records.
They created a false death.
They buried an empty coffin.
They built a prison around a living woman.
I asked Adrian why he did it.
“For what should have been mine.”
He looked at me.
“You had everything.”
I answered quietly.
“You had choices.”
He looked away.
At the hospital, Sophie asked me:
“Did you find the bad grandpa?”
“Yes.”
“Is he going away?”
“For a long time.”
“Good.”
Olivia sat beside her.
The next morning, we returned to Olivia's empty grave.
Under a stone bench, we found a waterproof steel box.
Inside was a digital drive.
Photographs.
Bank transfers.
And a video.
Dr. Keller appeared on screen.
“If Olivia regains her memory, Richard wants the dosage increased.”
Then the screen went black.
A second audio track emerged.
My voice.
Except I had never said those words.
Marcus stared at the file.
“Someone edited your calls.”
“Who?”
“One person had access to almost every conversation you ever made.”
My executive assistant.
May you like
Claire Dawson.
And that morning, Claire walked into the hospital carrying balloons for Sophie.
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