Chương 6
The truth had finally returned.
And someone was terrified of what it would reveal next.
The truth had finally returned.
And someone was terrified of what it would reveal next.
Clara stood in the study doorway, unaware that a pair of eyes had been watching the mansion from the shadows.
She looked at Alexander, then at Eleanor, trying to understand how many layers of deception still remained hidden.
For years, she had believed her greatest battle was proving she had been wronged.
Now she realized she had only uncovered the first piece of a much larger betrayal.
Alexander turned away from the window.
“We need to find Richard before he decides his next move.”
Eleanor looked at him.
“You do not understand how dangerous he is.”
Alexander’s expression hardened.
“Neither did you, apparently.”
The words hurt her, but she accepted them.
“I underestimated him.”
Clara picked up the documents from the desk.
“No.”
She looked at Eleanor.
“You trusted that you could control him.”
Eleanor did not deny it.
“That was my mistake.”
Alexander looked between them.
“Where can we find him?”
Eleanor hesitated.
That hesitation immediately caught Clara’s attention.
“You know where he is.”
Eleanor remained silent.
“Eleanor.”
The older woman finally looked up.
“He has a private residence outside the city.”
Alexander frowned.
“Why would you know that?”
“Because I went there once.”
The room became quiet.
Clara watched Alexander process the information.
“When?”
“After your father died.”
Alexander froze.
“You met with him after my father’s death?”
Eleanor nodded slowly.
“I wanted to recover the missing documents.”
“And?”
“I failed.”
Clara stepped closer.
“What happened?”
Eleanor looked down at her hands.
“For the first time in my life, I realized I was not the person in control.”
The confession carried more weight than Clara expected.
Eleanor Whitmore had built her entire identity around being untouchable.
Admitting weakness was something she rarely did.
“He told me that if I exposed him, he would release everything.”
Alexander’s eyes narrowed.
“Everything?”
“Family secrets.”
The answer made Clara uneasy.
“What secrets?”
Eleanor looked at her.
“I do not know all of them.”
That was the first thing Eleanor said that sounded completely honest.
“Richard collected information about everyone.”
Alexander walked back toward the table.
“He was preparing to destroy anyone who stood in his way.”
“Yes.”
Eleanor nodded.
“He believed information was more valuable than money.”
Clara looked at the photograph from twenty years ago.
“And he used that against me.”
Eleanor lowered her eyes.
“Yes.”
The word was painful.
“I am sorry.”
Clara stared at her.
An apology was something she had imagined receiving many times.
But now that it finally came, it did not erase anything.
“You should have told me.”
“I know.”
“You should have believed me.”
“I know.”
“You should have fought for me.”
Eleanor’s eyes filled with regret.
“I know.”
The room became silent.
Clara looked away.
She wanted to hate Eleanor completely.
It would have been easier.
But seeing regret on the face of someone who had spent years hiding behind pride made the situation more complicated.
Alexander noticed the conflict in Clara’s expression.
“You do not have to forgive her.”
Clara looked at him.
“I know.”
“You do not owe anyone that.”
“I know.”
She looked toward Eleanor.
“But forgiveness does not mean forgetting.”
Eleanor nodded.
“I understand.”
A sudden sound interrupted them.
A phone vibrating on the desk.
Everyone looked toward it.
Alexander picked it up.
The screen showed an unknown number.
Nobody moved.
The mansion suddenly felt colder.
“Answer it,” Clara said.
Alexander pressed the button.
For several seconds, there was only silence.
Then a man’s voice appeared.
“Alexander.”
The voice was calm.
Too calm.
Alexander’s face changed.
“Richard.”
The man on the phone laughed softly.
“I was wondering how long it would take.”
Clara moved closer.
She could hear every word.
“You knew,” Alexander said.
“Of course I knew.”
Richard sounded almost amused.
“I always know what happens in that house.”
Eleanor stepped forward.
“Richard, this has gone too far.”
A pause followed.
Then Richard laughed.
“Eleanor.”
His voice became colder.
“You always say that when you realize you have lost control.”
Alexander gripped the phone tighter.
“You manipulated my family.”
“No.”
Richard replied instantly.
“I exposed what was already there.”
“You stole from my father.”
“I corrected an imbalance.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
“You destroyed Clara’s life.”
The silence on the other end lasted longer.
Then Richard spoke.
“Clara was always going to become a problem.”
Clara felt a wave of anger move through her.
But she remained silent.
She wanted to hear him.
She wanted to understand the mind behind everything.
“You were afraid of me,” Clara said.
Richard did not answer immediately.
Then he spoke.
“Yes.”
The honesty surprised everyone.
“You asked questions nobody wanted answered.”
Clara stared at the phone.
“You ruined my life because I looked too closely.”
“I protected my future.”
“No.”
Her voice became stronger.
“You protected your lies.”
Richard sighed.
“You still have that same stubbornness.”
“And you still have the same arrogance.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Richard said something that changed everything.
“You think finding those files means you won.”
Alexander looked at the phone.
“What does that mean?”
“It means your father left behind more than documents.”
Clara felt her heartbeat increase.
“What else?”
Richard laughed quietly.
“Ask Eleanor.”
Everyone turned toward the older woman.
Eleanor’s face changed.
She looked terrified.
Alexander noticed immediately.
“What is he talking about?”
Eleanor did not answer.
“Mother.”
She remained silent.
Clara stepped closer.
“What else did your husband leave?”
Eleanor looked at the floor.
“I do not know.”
Richard interrupted.
“Do not lie.”
The voice was calm but threatening.
“You know exactly what he left.”
Alexander’s expression hardened.
“What is he talking about?”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
For a moment, she looked older than she ever had.
“There was another file.”
Clara stared at her.
“Another file?”
Eleanor nodded.
“Your father created it near the end of his life.”
May you like
“What was inside?”
“I never saw everything.”
