Chapter 6 - THE TRUTH ABOUT THE TWINS
Richard invited them inside.
He didn't appear afraid.
That frightened Eleanor more than anything.
They entered a private library.
Richard poured himself a drink.
Maya remained standing.
Eleanor refused the chair.
“You will explain everything.”
Richard smiled.
“I always knew about the twins.”
Eleanor's heart tightened.
“I didn't.”
“I arranged the records.”
“You told me the second baby died.”
“She did not.”
“Why?”
“Because I discovered something.”
“What?”
“The Vance bloodline carried a rare genetic marker.”
Eleanor stared.
“That marker gave direct descendants extraordinary legal rights under an old family charter.”
“I didn't understand at the time.”
Richard continued.
“If both children survived, the succession plan would divide the company.”
“And you wanted one heir.”
“Yes.”
“Chloe.”
“She was easier to control.”
Eleanor's face hardened.
“You didn't love her.”
“I loved what she represented.”
Maya looked sick.
Richard turned toward her.
“Sarah ruined my plans.”
“She took you.”
“She believed she was saving you.”
“She did.”
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“You could have been raised here.”
Maya laughed.
“I think I'm glad I wasn't.”
Richard ignored her.
“For twenty-five years, I monitored you.”
“Why?”
“To make sure the truth stayed hidden.”
“You followed me?”
“Yes.”
“You watched me grow up?”
“Yes.”
Maya's eyes filled with tears.
“You watched me struggle.”
Richard shrugged.
“It was necessary.”
Eleanor stepped forward.
“You are not a father.”
Richard laughed.
“Neither are you.”
The insult struck her.
“You didn't raise her.”
“You abandoned her.”
Eleanor's voice broke.
“I thought she was dead.”
“You believed me.”
“Yes.”
Richard smiled.
“That was your weakness.”
Maya stepped between them.
“No.”
“That was his weakness.”
Richard looked at her.
“You think love makes you strong?”
“Yes.”
“You'll learn.”
He reached toward a folder.
Inside were documents.
The hostile acquisition.
The secret companies.
The trust.
Everything.
But there was something else.
Richard had forged an emergency corporate resolution.
It declared Eleanor mentally incompetent.
If accepted, Richard would regain control.
Eleanor stared at it.
“This is fraud.”
“Prove it.”
Maya took the document.
“Your signature is here.”
Richard smiled.
“I signed it.”
“But this signature was created electronically.”
The smile disappeared.
Maya looked at him.
“I work with financial documents.”
“I know.”
“I can tell when something is fake.”
For the first time, Richard looked uncertain.
Eleanor smiled.
Her daughter.
The housekeeper.
May you like
The woman he thought had no power.
Was the one person who could expose him.
