Chapter 13: MY FATHER'S DISAPPEARANCE

My father was missing.

I stared at Damian, waiting for him to tell me he was mistaken.

But he didn't.

"Take me home," I demanded.

"Elena—"

"Now, Damian!"

He gave the driver an order, and the SUV immediately changed direction.

I couldn't stop staring at my phone. I had called my father three times, but every call went straight to voicemail.

Something was wrong.

My father never ignored my calls, especially at night.

"What exactly happened?" I asked.

Damian glanced at me.

"My security team arrived at your father's residence twenty minutes ago. The front door was open, and his study had been ransacked."

"Was there any sign of a struggle?"

"Some broken furniture. A shattered glass. Nothing else."

I swallowed.

"Did they find blood?"

"No."

I closed my eyes briefly.

Please, Dad. Be alive.

Victoria shifted beside me.

"There's something you should know."

I turned towards her.

"What?"

"Your father received a phone call shortly before he disappeared."

"From whom?"

She hesitated.

"Your mother."

My heart skipped.

"You're saying my mother called him?"

"Yes. I don't know what they discussed, but according to the information I received, your father immediately left the house."

I frowned.

"Why would he leave without telling me?"

"Perhaps he was trying to protect you."

I shook my head.

"Everyone keeps using that excuse. My father, Damian, and now you. I'm tired of being protected from the truth."

Damian reached for my hand, but I pulled away.

"Don't," I whispered.

He withdrew his hand without arguing.

Twenty minutes later, the SUV stopped outside my father's mansion.

Several security officers stood near the entrance. Two more were examining the driveway.

I stepped out before Damian could open my door.

"Dad!"

My voice echoed through the quiet compound.

I hurried inside.

The living room looked normal, but the moment I entered my father's study, my stomach twisted.

Drawers had been pulled out. Documents were scattered across the carpet, and one of the paintings behind his desk had been removed.

I approached his desk.

A framed photograph of my father, mother, and me lay broken on the floor.

I picked it up carefully.

My mother was smiling in the picture, her arms wrapped around my shoulders.

Tears gathered in my eyes.

"Who did this?" I whispered.

Damian entered behind me.

"We're investigating."

I placed the photograph on the desk.

Then I noticed a white envelope beside the keyboard.

My name was written across it.

Elena.

I immediately picked it up.

"Don't open that yet," Damian said.

I looked at him.

"Why?"

"It could contain something dangerous."

"It's an envelope, Damian."

I tore it open.

Inside was a single sheet of paper.

The message was short.

You have been given one chance to stop digging into the past. Your father ignored that warning. Don't make the same mistake.

Beneath the message was a photograph.

My mother.

But this picture was different from the one Victoria had shown me.

My mother was standing beside a black car, holding a newspaper.

I turned it over.

There was a date written on the back.

Three days ago.

My hands began trembling.

"She's alive," I whispered.

Damian took the photograph and examined it.

"Where did this come from?"

"How should I know?"

He looked towards Victoria.

"Did you know about this?"

She shook her head.

"No."

I stared at the photograph again.

If my mother had been photographed three days ago, then someone knew exactly where she was.

And whoever had taken this picture wanted me to know.

"Damian, I want to see her."

He looked at me.

"We'll find her."

"No. I don't want another promise. I want answers."

Before he could respond, one of the security officers entered.

"Mr. Wolfe, we've recovered something from the study."

He handed Damian a small black flash drive.

"Where was it found?" Damian asked.

"Inside the bottom drawer of Mr. Hart's desk. It appears someone deliberately hid it there."

Damian examined it.

"Have it checked."

I stepped forward.

"Wait."

He looked at me.

"That belongs to my father. I want to know what's inside."

"Elena, we don't know whether it's safe."

"Then use one of your computers. But don't hide anything from me."

He studied my expression before handing the drive to his security officer.

"Take it to the private room. I want everything recovered."

The officer nodded and left.

I followed Damian into the adjoining room.

Victoria remained behind.

As we entered, Damian's phone rang.

He checked the caller ID before answering.

"Speak."

I watched his expression.

At first, he looked impatient.

Then his face became unreadable.

"When?"

He listened for a few seconds.

"Don't let him leave."

He ended the call.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Marcus Cole has been seen entering a private office belonging to Victoria's family."

I turned towards her.

"Your family?"

Victoria entered the room just in time to hear him.

Her expression changed.

"That's impossible."

Damian crossed his arms.

"Would you like to explain why your family is meeting with Elena's former fiancé?"

Victoria shook her head.

"I have nothing to do with Marcus."

"Then perhaps you can explain why he's been making payments to one of your father's companies."

Silence filled the room.

I looked between them.

"What's going on?"

Victoria took a shaky breath.

"My father has been trying to acquire shares in Hart Group for months. I warned him to stay away from your family."

"Why?" I asked.

She looked at me.

"Because he was involved in the events surrounding your mother's disappearance."

My chest tightened.

"What did he do?"

Before she could answer, the security officer returned with a laptop.

"Mr. Wolfe, we've recovered the files."

Damian turned towards him.

"Play the recording."

The screen came alive.

For several seconds, there was only static.

Then my father's voice filled the room.

"If you're watching this, Elena, it means something has happened to me."

My breath caught.

"Dad..."

His voice continued.

"There's something I've hidden from you for fifteen years. Your mother didn't die in an accident. I know that now."

I covered my mouth.

"She discovered something about the Sterling family. Something that could destroy several powerful people."

Victoria lowered her eyes.

My father continued.

"I tried to protect her, but I made a terrible mistake. I trusted the wrong person."

The recording suddenly became distorted.

Then my father's face reappeared.

"Elena, if Damian Wolfe is with you, don't blame him for what happened to his father."

I looked at Damian.

His expression had hardened.

My father's final words made my blood run cold.

"Because the person who betrayed your mother was someone inside our own family."

The screen went black.

I stood frozen.

Someone inside our family.

My thoughts immediately went to Chloe.

But before I could say anything, another voice came from behind us.

"That's enough."

We all turned.

Chloe stood in the doorway.

Her eyes were fixed on the laptop.

And she was holding a gun.

"Step away from that computer, Elena."