Chapter 8 - The Family Secret
My father had been dead for six years.
My mother for four.
But their names appeared in the documents Thomas gave me.
My family had known about Noah.
They had hidden him.
Why?
Daniel spent the night going through old records.
At dawn, he found the answer.
My father had created a private organization called The Circle.
It wasn't officially part of our business.
It was a network of politicians, lawyers, judges, and businessmen.
They controlled contracts.
Elections.
Information.
People.
My wife had discovered it.
And she had threatened to expose it.
That's why she died.
Not in an accident.
Murder.
The revelation nearly destroyed me.
I had spent four years blaming myself for not protecting her.
Now I knew why.
Vanessa hadn't acted alone.
My own family had ordered the hit.
And Marcus had helped cover it.
But there was one person missing.
The person who gave the final order.
My uncle Richard.
The only surviving member of my father's inner circle.
I called him.
He answered.
“Evan.”
“Did you know about Noah?”
Silence.
“Answer me.”
“Yes.”
“Did you know my wife was murdered?”
Another silence.
“Yes.”
My hand tightened around the phone.
“Why?”
“Because she was going to destroy everything.”
“Everything?”
“The family.”
“No.”
I stared through the window.
“She was going to destroy you.”
Richard sighed.
“You don't understand what your father built.”
“I understand enough.”
“You're sitting on an empire held together by blood.”
“Then let it bleed.”
I hung up.
Ten minutes later, every account connected to my organization was frozen.
Every major contract disappeared.
Three warehouses were raided.
Someone had declared war.
Daniel looked at me.
“This is bigger than Vanessa.”
“I know.”
Then Grace entered.
Her face was pale.
“We have a problem.”
“What?”
She handed me a letter.
It had been left beneath Sophie's pillow.
I opened it.
Three words.
One child remains.
I looked at Sophie.
Then Caleb.
Then Noah.
My blood ran cold.
May you like
One child remained.
Which one?
