I struggled to catch my breath, my chest tightening under the weight of Dominic's revelation. The screens flickered again, and the harsh truth of our situation began to settle in. My father—the man I had once revered, the one I thought was beyond reproach—was at the heart of it all. The documents, the evidence, the intricate web of lies Richard had spun over the years—everything was now exposed.
Dominic had succeeded in bringing the truth to light. But at what price?
I gazed at the evidence, my heart racing, struggling to grasp the enormity of it all. Every connection, every dubious transaction orchestrated by Richard was laid out before me. Yet, the most disturbing aspect was the name that loomed large—my father.
My hands shook as I reached for the file displayed on the screen. The words seared into my consciousness as I flipped through the pages, each one heavier than the last. My father had been implicated in some of the most despicable acts I could have ever envisioned. Even more troubling was his connection to Richard, which extended far beyond mere business dealings.
Dominic moved closer, his presence casting a shadow over me. He remained silent, allowing the gravity of the moment to envelop us.
“Is this what you wanted?” I asked, my voice barely above a whisper, the sting of betrayal rising in my throat.
His eyes shifted to the screen, his jaw tightening. “This isn’t just about revealing Richard, Elena. It encompasses everything—the past, the deceit, your father’s involvement in it all. You had to see this. You had to confront the truth.”
“But—” I choked on my words, my heart weighed down by a storm of emotions. “This… this is my father, Dominic. I—”
Before I could complete my thought, the sharp ring of a phone shattered the silence, an unwelcome interruption. Dominic’s expression turned steely as he glanced at the device in his hand.
Without a word, he picked up, his voice steady and low. “Yes.”
I strained to hear, but the conversation on the other end was muffled. The tension in the room thickened with each passing moment.
Dominic's demeanor changed in an instant, revealing a brief glimpse of something—was it fear or disbelief?
“Get them to safety. Now,” he commanded sharply, cutting off the call and turning to face me.
“What’s going on?” I asked, a wave of panic swelling in my chest.
His gaze was intense, filled with urgency. “We’re not finished yet. This is no longer just about Richard. It’s much larger than that. You need to come with me. Now.”
Without a moment's hesitation, I realized that remaining in this room wouldn’t provide any answers. I followed Dominic, my thoughts racing as we hurried through the narrow corridors of the building.
As soon as we stepped out of the elevator, chaos unfolded before my eyes.
Security personnel rushed past, their expressions serious and frantic. Alarms blared in the distance, accompanied by distant shouts and the sound of metal doors slamming shut.
“What on earth is happening?” I asked, my heart racing with each step.
Dominic remained silent for a moment, his eyes scanning the surroundings with a calculating focus, moving like someone who had faced this kind of situation countless times. His tense posture and the sharpness in his gaze made it clear that this was no longer about revenge—it was about survival.
“Get to the car,” he instructed, his voice leaving no room for debate.
We navigated through the building, the tension escalating with every second. I could feel the burden of the secret I had uncovered weighing heavily on me. Everything about this moment felt off.
Just as we reached the exit, a voice called out from behind us—one I hadn’t anticipated.
“Elena.”
I froze, my heart racing. Turning around, I spotted the figure at the far end of the hallway.
It was my father.
His face was ashen, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He wore a suit that felt too formal for the chaos around us. But it was the look in his eyes—filled with fear and desperation—that made me stop in my tracks.
“Dad?” I whispered, my voice shaking.
He stepped closer to me, his movements slow and careful, as if uncertain about his right to approach. “Elena, you need to hear me out.”
Dominic quickly positioned himself in front of me, adopting a defensive stance that obstructed my view. “Keep your distance,” he warned, his tone low and menacing.
Yet my father seemed unfazed. His gaze was locked onto me, and for the first time, I perceived him as someone fragile, someone in despair. “I never intended for you to be caught up in this, Elena,” he said, his voice strained. “You must understand—I did what was necessary to shield you. To safeguard our family.”
I shook my head, my breath catching in my throat. “Shield me?” The disbelief in my voice was palpable. “How can you claim to protect me by pulling me into this chaos? This… this conspiracy?”
Dominic’s hand shot out, gripping my arm firmly. “Elena, we have to leave. Right now.”
But my father pressed on. He took another step forward, urgency creeping into his voice. “You don’t grasp the situation! This wasn’t merely about business, power, or wealth. It was about keeping you safe from something far more dangerous. Something larger than either of us.”
I glanced between them, my thoughts racing. “What are you saying? Who is behind all of this?”
Dominic’s expression darkened, revealing a crack in his usually stoic demeanor. “This wasn’t solely Richard’s doing, Elena. Your father and my father—they were both mere pawns in a much larger scheme. And that scheme is nearing its conclusion.”
“Who’s orchestrating this, Dominic?” I pressed, my voice rising with frustration. “You have to tell me! I need to understand what’s happening!”
Before he could respond, the sound of footsteps echoed in the distance. A familiar voice reached me—Richard’s.
“I knew you’d get this far, Dominic,” he said, his tone laced with mockery. “But this ends tonight.”
I turned, my heart pounding, as Richard emerged from the shadows. He was flanked by two men—his security detail, no doubt. But there was something different about him tonight. His usual arrogance was gone, replaced by something far more dangerous.
“You’re too late,” Dominic said, his voice low and steady, but I could see the flicker of uncertainty in his eyes. “It’s over, Richard. The truth is out. You have nowhere left to hide.”
Richard smiled, the coldness of it sending a shiver down my spine. “You think you’ve won, don’t you? You think this is over. But you’re wrong. The real game is just beginning.”
The words hung in the air, pregnant with menace.
And in that moment, I realized with a sickening certainty—this wasn’t just about revenge. This wasn’t even about the betrayal between our families. The real battle was something much bigger than either of us had anticipated. Something that had been brewing in the shadows, waiting for its moment to strike.
And now, that moment had come.
The smoke curled in the air, dancing like a wicked omen.I stared at the man I had called “father” for twenty-eight years—Senator Richard Sinclair—now standing in the doorway of Charles Barron’s study, a smoking pistol in his gloved hand and blood on his conscience. The man I had defended through scandals. The man I had nearly destroyed myself trying to protect.He looked at me like a stranger.“Why?” I croaked, barely able to speak over the thundering pulse in my ears. “Why did you kill him?”Richard stepped forward calmly, as if he hadn’t just shot the only man who could’ve unraveled the twisted threads of my existence.“He was a liability,” he said simply. “And liabilities must be removed.”Dominic moved protectively in front of me, but my father didn’t even glance at him.“This doesn’t make sense,” I said, voice breaking. “You knew Victor was my real father. You knew—and you still arranged the marriage. You let me fall into this nightmare.”Richard’s eyes darkened. “You were never
The silence in the room was suffocating.I stared down at the DNA report, my hands trembling as the implications unraveled inside my mind like a bomb detonating in slow motion. The file said it plainly: a female child was born from Victor Caldwell and Olivia Sinclair. Identity redacted.Dominic stood frozen beside me, the file still open in his hands, but his entire body had gone rigid.I backed away, pulse racing.“This—this has to be a mistake,” I whispered, my voice cracking. “It’s probably someone else. I mean… it could’ve been another child. Someone who died. Maybe it’s not—”“Elena,” Dominic said, his voice tight, low, like it was strangling him. “You were born the year after my father vanished from public life. Right after Olivia disappeared.”“No.” I shook my head, stepping further away, the cold wall biting my back. “Don’t. Don’t say what I think you’re about to say.”He slammed the file shut. “We don’t know anything for sure. Not yet.”“But if it’s true,” I choked, “if I’m h
The moment the screen flashed SECURITY BREACH, my heart stuttered.“Dominic…” My voice trembled, barely above a whisper.He was already on his feet, pulling a drawer open to retrieve a concealed weapon, his movements quick, practiced. Liam stood by the window, peeking through the blinds as the wind howled outside, bringing with it the crackling of leaves—too calculated to be natural.“They’re here,” Liam confirmed grimly. “Two vehicles. No plates.”“Stay inside. Both of you,” Dominic growled, his eyes narrowing as he checked the chamber of his gun. “If they get past me, you run. Do you hear me, Elena?”“No.” I stood too, fury surging through my veins. “I’m not leaving you. Not again.”He turned sharply, grabbing my wrist. “This isn’t a debate—”“It never was!” I snapped. “I’ve been used, lied to, manipulated. If someone wants me dead, they’ll have to go through me this time. I’m done being collateral damage.”Liam raised a brow. “She’s got your fire,” he muttered to Dominic.“Worse,”
The vehicle sped through the night like a bullet slicing through the darkness. Rain pounded against the windshield, with the wipers working relentlessly back and forth, yet the constant swish did little to ease the anxiety building in my chest.I couldn’t tear my eyes away from the message on my phone:"You’re next. Just like your mother."Who on earth sent it? How did they know we were so close to the truth?Liam shot me a glance from the driver’s seat, his jaw clenched. He hadn’t said much since we departed from Dominic’s penthouse, but the tension radiating from him in waves spoke volumes. "We’re almost there," he said, his voice sharp. "It’s a Caldwell property. Off-grid, untraceable."I nodded, holding my phone tightly in my lap. My mind was racing—Dominic. The video. My mother. My father’s betrayal. The reality that someone had actually placed a target on my back.“I shouldn’t have left him,” I whispered.Liam’s grip on the steering wheel tightened. “He told you to leave. You kn
The old security tape played on the massive screen in Dominic’s study, casting flickering shadows on the walls. The room was dead silent except for the soft whir of the projector and the pounding of my heart. Dominic stood behind me, arms crossed tightly over his chest, his gaze glued to the screen. I sat at the edge of the leather couch, fingers clenched together, trying not to blink.The footage was grainy, the timestamp barely legible—August 17th, 1999—the year before everything in my world fell apart.My mother appeared first. Olivia Sinclair. Younger, but unmistakably her. Dressed in a soft blue coat, her dark hair pulled back in an elegant twist. She looked nervous. Anxious. She kept glancing over her shoulder as if expecting to be followed.Then he appeared.Victor Caldwell.Tall, commanding, and heartbreakingly handsome, even in the pixelated footage. He walked toward her, and the second their hands touched, the air in the room changed.My breath hitched.There was no denying
The rain was a relentless drumbeat on the glass walls of Dominic’s penthouse. Thunder cracked in the distance, nature’s fury echoing the storm inside me. I stared at my reflection in the mirror, the woman looking back at me barely recognizable. I wasn’t the same Elena Sinclair who walked into Caldwell Enterprises to take down a dynasty. No. That woman had believed in lines—clear ones, bold ones. Right and wrong. Truth and lies. Love and hate.But now?Now, everything was a blur. A twisted mosaic of betrayal, secrets, and stolen moments.Behind me, the door creaked open, soft footfalls padding into the room. I didn’t need to turn to know it was him.“Elena,” Dominic’s voice was low, hesitant, but still laced with that commanding undertone that always made my chest tighten.I met his eyes in the mirror. He looked exhausted, like he hadn’t slept in days. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top, his tie gone, his hair mussed from raking his fingers through it one too many times. But what stru