Chapter eleven.

CHLOE'S POV

"He's the same man who killed Edward Rourke."

Samuel's words barely left his mouth before everything happened at once.

Damian grabbed my arm and pulled me behind him.

"Ethan! Get security!"

The man in the dark coat reached inside his jacket.

A security guard shouted, and people in the lobby began screaming.

I heard a loud crash.

Someone knocked over a reception table, sending documents and glass ornaments scattering across the floor.

"Stay behind me!" Damian ordered.

I clutched his jacket.

The stranger turned towards the entrance, but two security officers blocked his path.

He pushed one of them aside and ran.

"Don't let him escape!" Damian shouted.

Ethan rushed towards the doors with another guard.

Within seconds, the stranger disappeared into the street.

I remained frozen.

Damian turned towards me.

"Are you hurt?"

I shook my head.

"Samuel?"

We both looked towards the place where my uncle had been standing.

He was gone.

I stepped away from Damian.

"Where is he?"

Ethan returned, breathing heavily.

"Sir, the suspect escaped. We have security footage, but Mr. Summers is missing."

I stared at him.

"My uncle disappeared?"

"Yes, Miss Summers."

I looked towards the entrance.

Samuel had been the one who brought the stranger's attention to us. He had claimed the man was Edward Rourke's murderer.

Now both men were gone.

What exactly was my uncle hiding?

---

DAMIAN'S POV

I had spent years searching for the man who killed my father.

I had examined old photographs, questioned former employees and reviewed every document the police had released.

Nothing.

Now someone had walked into my building, and Samuel Summers had identified him as my father's murderer.

I wasn't going to let him disappear again.

"Ethan."

"Yes, sir?"

"Lock down the security footage. I want every camera covering the lobby, entrances and surrounding streets reviewed."

"Understood."

"Find Samuel Summers. I want his last known address, travel records and every business connection we can establish."

Ethan nodded.

I turned towards Chloe.

She was standing silently, staring at the floor.

"Chloe."

She looked up.

"Your uncle knew that man."

"Yes."

"Why would he come here if he knew he was being followed?"

"I don't know."

I studied her expression.

She looked shaken, but she wasn't breaking down.

"Did Samuel ever mention Edward Rourke before today?"

"No. I barely saw him growing up. Father always said he lived abroad."

"Then we need to understand why he suddenly returned."

Chloe nodded.

I reached for her hand.

"You're not going back to the Summers estate alone."

She looked at me.

"Damian, I can't hide from my family forever."

"I'm not asking you to hide. I'm asking you to be careful."

After a moment, she nodded.

"All right."

---

ROURKE MANSION — AFTERNOON

Chloe sat in the living room while Margaret examined her carefully.

"My goodness, child. What happened?"

"Nothing serious, Grandma."

Margaret frowned.

"Don't tell me nothing happened when Damian has been pacing around the house like a man preparing for war."

Damian sighed.

"Grandma."

"What? Am I lying?"

I almost smiled.

Margaret sat beside me and took my hand.

"Tell me the truth."

I explained the incident at Rourke Global Holdings, including Samuel's sudden appearance and the stranger who had escaped.

When I finished, Margaret's expression changed.

"Samuel Summers?"

"You know him?" Damian asked.

Margaret nodded slowly.

"I remember hearing his name years ago. Edward mentioned him once, shortly before he died."

Damian moved closer.

"What did Father say?"

Margaret looked towards the window.

"He said someone from the Summers family had information about Isabella. He wanted to meet that person, but he never told me what happened afterwards."

My heart began racing.

"Did he mention Richard?"

She nodded.

"Yes. I remember that name."

Damian exchanged a look with me.

"Why didn't you tell me this before?" he asked.

"Because I didn't know it was important. Your father was a private man, Damian. He didn't share every business matter with me."

She paused.

"However, I remember something else."

"What?"

"On the night he died, Edward received a phone call. He looked very disturbed afterwards. He told me he had to meet someone."

Damian's face became rigid.

"Who?"

"I don't know. He never said."

"Did he leave the house?"

Margaret nodded.

"Yes. He said he would return shortly."

The room fell silent.

Damian looked away.

His father might have been lured into a meeting on the very night he was murdered.

And the person responsible could have been connected to my family.

---

CHLOE'S POV

My phone vibrated.

Victoria.

I answered immediately.

"Chloe, where are you?"

"At the Rourke residence. Why?"

"I've found something about Samuel."

I stood.

"What?"

"Samuel Summers didn't move abroad immediately after Isabella disappeared. According to an old travel record, he left the country six days after Edward Rourke died."

I looked towards Damian.

He had heard her through the phone.

"That's interesting," I said. "What else?"

"His business account was closed shortly afterwards. There was also a payment made to a private security company."

"Can you identify the company?"

"Not yet. But I'm checking."

I lowered my voice.

"Victoria, Samuel came to Damian's office today. He claimed the man who killed Edward Rourke was following him."

There was a pause.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. The man escaped."

"Chloe, this is becoming dangerous. I want you to let the police handle it."

"I understand."

"Do you? Because someone has already threatened you."

Before I could respond, she added, "I'll contact you as soon as I find anything else."

The call ended.

Damian approached me.

"What did she find?"

I explained.

He looked towards Ethan, who had just entered the room.

"Did security identify the man?"

Ethan shook his head.

"His face was partially covered. However, we traced the vehicle he used to leave the area."

"Where?"

"An underground parking facility two streets away. The vehicle was registered under a false identity."

Damian's expression hardened.

"Keep investigating."

Ethan hesitated.

"There's something else, sir."

"What?"

"We found a message on the security system's internal terminal. It was sent less than five minutes before the incident."

Damian frowned.

"Show me."

Ethan handed him a tablet.

The message contained only one sentence.

Stop searching for Edward Rourke's killer, or another member of the Summers family will disappear.

My blood ran cold.

Another member?

Who were they threatening?

---

SUMMERS ESTATE — EVENING

I decided to return home with Damian's driver accompanying me.

I needed to speak to Mother.

When I entered the living room, she was sitting alone.

She looked surprised to see me.

"Chloe? Where have you been?"

"With Damian."

Her expression tightened.

"Richard has been looking for you."

"Where is he?"

"In his study."

I sat opposite her.

"Mother, I need to ask you something."

She looked at me nervously.

"What?"

"Did Uncle Samuel tell you he was returning?"

Her fingers tightened around the cushion.

"No."

"Did you know he was connected to Isabella?"

She stood abruptly.

"Chloe, please."

"Why does everyone keep asking me to stop?"

"Because you don't understand what you're getting involved in!"

"Then explain it to me."

She looked towards the staircase.

"Your uncle wasn't a good man."

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"He was always involved in things your father didn't approve of. He borrowed money, made dangerous friends and caused problems for the family."

"Was Isabella one of those problems?"

Mother closed her eyes.

"She came to him for help. That's all I know."

"Then why did Father pay someone after she disappeared?"

Mother looked at me sharply.

"Who told you that?"

I stood.

"So it's true?"

She stepped closer.

"Chloe, listen to me. There are things your father did to protect this family."

I shook my head.

"Protect us from what?"

She didn't answer.

Instead, she whispered, "You should never have become involved with Damian Hunter."

I stared at her.

"His name is Damian Rourke."

Her face went pale.

For a moment, I thought she might faint.

Then she whispered, "Oh, my God."

I frowned.

"What?"

She shook her head.

"Nothing."

But I knew that wasn't true.

My mother had recognised something in that name.

Something she didn't want me to discover.

---

ROURKE MANSION — NIGHT

Damian was waiting in the garden when I returned.

He stood beside the fountain, holding a glass of water.

"How did it go?"

"Mother knows more than she admits."

He handed me the glass.

"Did she mention Samuel?"

"She said he was involved with dangerous people. She also said Isabella came to him for help."

Damian stared into the darkness.

"Then Samuel may have been trying to save her."

"Or he may have been involved in whatever happened to her."

"Both possibilities remain."

I sat on the garden bench.

"Damian, what if my family has been connected to your father's death all along?"

He sat beside me.

"Then we'll uncover the connection."

"You sound certain."

"I'm certain about one thing. I won't allow someone to use your family name to make you responsible for their actions."

I looked at him.

"Thank you."

He nodded.

For a moment, we sat quietly.

Then he spoke.

"Grandma remembered something else."

I turned towards him.

"What?"

"She said my father received a letter shortly before his death. He kept it in his study. After he died, the letter disappeared."

"Who was it from?"

"Nobody knows."

I thought about the photograph, the club and the mysterious payments.

"Could it have been from Isabella?"

"That's what I'm beginning to suspect."

Before I could respond, Ethan appeared at the garden entrance.

"Sir, we've received an update."

Damian stood.

"What is it?"

"Samuel Summers has contacted us."

My heart jumped.

"Where is he?"

Ethan looked uncomfortable.

"He sent a voice recording. He says he will only meet Miss Summers."

Damian's expression hardened.

"Play it."

Ethan pressed the screen.

Samuel's voice filled the garden.

"Chloe, if you're listening to this, I need you to understand something. Your father didn't arrange Isabella's disappearance. He was trying to stop it."

I froze.

Samuel continued.

"The person responsible was someone Edward trusted. Someone who had access to his home, his business and his private life."

A brief silence followed.

Then he spoke again.

"Chloe, the person who ordered Edward's murder is still close to the Rourke family."

The recording ended.

Nobody moved.

Damian's face had turned cold.

"Who?" he demanded.

Ethan looked at the screen.

"There was another file attached, sir."

He opened it.

A photograph appeared.

It showed Edward Rourke standing beside a familiar woman at a charity event.

I recognised her immediately.

Margaret Rourke.

Damian's grandmother.