Chapter 12: The Brother From the Past
Chapter 12: The Brother From the Past
Mariana couldn't move.
For years, she believed she had no family left.
Her parents died when she was young.
Her brother disappeared.
The world told her he was gone forever.
But now...
he was standing in front of her.
Alive.
"You're lying."
Alexander smiled sadly.
"You always were stubborn."
"Don't call me that."
The anger in her voice surprised even herself.
"You disappeared."
"I was forced to."
"Who forced you?"
Alexander looked away.
"Your father."
Mariana froze.
"My father?"
"Yes."
The words felt impossible.
"My father would never..."
Alexander interrupted.
"You don't know the truth about your own family."
He walked toward a table.
A file was waiting.
"Your father wasn't the man you thought he was."
Mariana didn't touch it.
"You expect me to believe you after hiding for twenty years?"
"No."
Alexander looked at her.
"I expect you to investigate."
That was the difference.
He wasn't asking for forgiveness.
He was giving her a mystery.
And Mariana hated mysteries.
Especially ones connected to her past.
Back at the estate, Adrian waited.
When Mariana returned, he immediately knew something was wrong.
"What happened?"
She looked at him.
"I found the person behind everything."
"Who?"
She hesitated.
"My brother."
Adrian stared.
"Your brother?"
"He was supposed to be dead."
Adrian stepped closer.
"Mariana..."
For the first time, he saw something he had never seen before.
Not anger.
Not confidence.
Pain.
"Everything I believed about my family was a lie."
Adrian looked at her.
"And now?"
She looked toward the mansion.
"Now I find out whose lie it was."
Suddenly, all the lights in the estate turned off.
The security system failed.
A moment later, every door locked automatically.
A message appeared on the main screen.
YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT THE PAST BURIED.
Adrian and Mariana stood in darkness.
Then another message appeared.
THE NEXT PERSON WHO DIES WILL BE SOMEONE YOU LOVE.
Adrian looked at Mariana.
And for the first time...
they both understood.
This was no longer about money.
No longer about inheritance.
May you like
This was a war.
And someone was willing to kill to win.
