Chapter 16: The Man We Trusted

Ava stared at her mother.

“My father?”

Elena nodded.

“Yes.”

Ava felt a strange emptiness in her chest.

“My father died three years ago.”

“I know.”

“Then how can he be working for them?”

Elena looked at Ethan.

“Because the man you buried wasn’t your father.”

Ava’s entire body went cold.

“What?”

Ethan stepped closer.

“Your mother is saying your father’s death was staged.”

Elena nodded.

“He wasn’t dead.”

Ava shook her head.

“No. I was there.”

“You saw a body,” Elena said quietly. “You never saw his face.”

Ava tried to remember.

The funeral had been small.

Her father had been buried in a closed coffin.

He had supposedly died after a sudden illness.

She had been devastated.

But she had never seen his face.

Her hands began to tremble.

“Why would he do that?”

“Because he had been working with Richard for years.”

Elena’s voice was filled with pain.

“Your father helped build the network that became the Black Ledger.”

Ava stared at her.

“No.”

“He wasn’t always a bad man.”

“Then what happened?”

“He became afraid.”

“Of Richard?”

“Yes.”

“And he left you?”

Elena looked away.

“He didn’t leave me. Richard forced him to choose.”

“Choose what?”

“His family or his freedom.”

Ava’s eyes filled with tears.

“And he chose himself?”

Elena didn’t answer.

That silence hurt more than words.

Ava stepped away from her.

“So both my parents knew about this entire thing?”

“Yes.”

“And neither told me?”

“We were trying to protect you.”

Ava laughed bitterly.

“Everyone keeps saying that.”

Ethan looked at her.

“I know how you feel.”

“No, you don’t.”

She turned toward him.

“You knew my mother was alive.”

“I suspected.”

“You knew Adrian existed.”

“Yes.”

“You knew my father might not be dead.”

“I didn’t know that.”

Ava stared at him.

“Then what do you actually know?”

Ethan hesitated.

“Enough to know that the people behind this will not stop until they have the key.”

Ava touched the necklace around her neck.

“And what happens if they get it?”

Elena answered.

“They get access to everything.”

“Everything?”

“The names. The accounts. The evidence. The people who helped Richard.”

Ava looked at Ethan.

“And Adrian?”

Elena’s expression changed.

“He wants the ledger for himself.”

Ethan shook his head.

“That’s not the whole truth.”

Elena looked at him.

“What do you mean?”

“I spoke to Adrian.”

“When?”

“Before the crash.”

Ava frowned.

“You knew he was alive before the crash?”

“Yes.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because Adrian threatened you.”

Elena looked surprised.

“He threatened Ava?”

“He told me that if I exposed him, he’d make sure she disappeared.”

Ava’s heart raced.

“So Adrian caused the crash?”

“I don’t know.”

Ethan looked toward the window.

“But I know he was there.”

Suddenly, headlights appeared outside.

Everyone froze.

Elena grabbed Ava’s hand.

“Get down.”

They crouched behind the car.

Another vehicle stopped beside them.

Damien stepped out.

Ava released a breath.

“It’s Damien.”

Elena didn’t move.

“No.”

Ava looked at her.

“What?”

“That’s not Damien.”

Ava looked again.

The man walking toward them looked exactly like Damien.

But he wasn’t alone.

Two men followed him.

Ethan immediately reached for his weapon.

“Everyone stay here.”

The man outside stopped.

Then he smiled.

“Ava.”

She recognized the voice.

Her father’s voice.

Ava’s blood ran cold.

The man slowly removed his sunglasses.

“It’s been a long time, sweetheart.”

Elena’s face went pale.

“My God.”

Ava stared at the man standing outside.

He looked older than she remembered.

But there was no doubt.

She knew that face.

Her father’s face.

The man she had buried three years ago.

He smiled.

“You finally found your mother.”

Ava couldn’t speak.

Ethan stepped in front of her.

“What do you want?”

Her father looked at him.

“The same thing everyone wants.”

His eyes moved toward Ava’s necklace.

“The key.”

Then he smiled.

“And this time, I’m taking my daughter with it.”