Chapter 56: What He Never Told Me

The door didn’t open.

It paused.

As if whoever stood outside wanted us to feel the weight of that moment to wonder whether this was the end or just another beginning designed to tear us apart.

Elliot moved first, silently signaling Marcus toward the back corridor while Liam positioned himself slightly in front of my sister. I stayed rooted where I was, heart pounding so loudly I was sure everyone could hear it.

The handle released.

Nothing happened.

Then three slow knocks.

Not hurried.

Not aggressive.

Familiar.

I hated that.

Elliot’s jaw tightened. “Stay back,” he murmured, but his eyes flicked to me, filled with something dangerously close to guilt.

That look told me everything I needed to know.

I stepped forward anyway.

“I’ll answer,” I said.

“No,” Elliot snapped. “You shouldn’t”

“I should,” I cut in. “Whatever this is, it’s already about me.”

I reached the door before anyone could stop me and pulled it open.

A man stood there.

Mid-forties. Calm expression. Dark coat. No visible weapon.

And recognition hit me like a slap.

“You,” I breathed.

He smiled faintly. “Hello again.”

Marcus swore under his breath.

Liam stiffened.

My sister let out a sharp inhale.

Elliot looked like he’d just been exposed.

“You didn’t say he was still alive,” I said slowly, never taking my eyes off the man.

He inclined his head politely. “Still breathing. A little offended by that assumption, actually.”

“What are you doing here?” I demanded.

“Finishing a conversation your dad’s best friend never told you about,” he replied calmly.

That sentence landed like a bomb.

I turned to Elliot.

“You said the investigation ended,” I whispered.

He swallowed. “I said it went quiet.”

The man stepped inside without waiting for permission, the door closing softly behind him.

“I warned you,” he said to Elliot, tone measured. “Secrets rot. They don’t stay buried.”

I clenched my fists. “Start talking. Now.”

We sat.

No one relaxed.

The man introduced himself again but this time the name carried weight. He wasn’t just an investigator. He was a fixer. Someone hired to make inconvenient truths disappear or surface, depending on who paid more.

“Your father,” he began, “was involved in something far larger than you were ever told.”

My throat tightened.

“He wasn’t corrupt,” Elliot said sharply.

“No,” the man agreed. “He was curious. And curiosity is more dangerous.”

I stared at the floor, trying to steady myself.

“He discovered a network,” the man continued. “People with influence. Money. Power. People who don’t like loose ends.”

“And my family?” I asked quietly.

“You were leverage,” he said without hesitation.

My sister gasped.

Liam’s hand tightened protectively on her shoulder.

Elliot stood abruptly. “Enough.”

“No,” I said. “Not yet.”

I looked back at the man. “Why tell me now?”

His gaze softened slightly. “Because someone else already has. And she’s planning to use it.”

My phone buzzed again.

Ask him about the recording.

My blood went cold.

“What recording?” I asked.

The fixer looked surprised. “You don’t know?”

Elliot froze.

“Elliot,” I said slowly, “what recording?”

He didn’t answer.

Marcus cursed quietly.

I stood, legs shaking. “You recorded my father?”

Elliot finally spoke. “I didn’t mean to.”

The room spun.

“You what?”

“He was scared,” Elliot said hoarsely. “He thought someone was listening. He asked me to—”

“To spy on him?” I snapped.

“To protect him,” Elliot insisted. “But the recording… it captured something else.”

My heart thundered. “What did it capture?”

The fixer exhaled. “A name.”

Silence swallowed the room.

“Whose?” I whispered.

Before anyone could answer, the lights flickered violently.

Every screen in the house lit up at once.

Her face filled them.

Smiling.

“Well,” she said smoothly, “now that everyone’s finally being honest… shall we move to the part where things get messy?”

She leaned closer to the camera.

“I know the name,” she whispered. “And tomorrow, the world will too unless you stop me.”