CHAPTER 11: THE ENEMY INSIDE THE WHITAKER FAMILY
The fire was small.
But the damage it caused was enormous.
The hallway outside Maribel’s room was covered in smoke. The old wooden door was blackened around the edges. The smell of burning paper filled the mansion.
But Jonathan barely noticed any of it.
Because his daughters were crying.
And because someone had just attacked the one place that held Maribel’s memories.
He carried Lena downstairs while Hazel followed with the other girls.
“Daddy…”
Jonathan looked at his youngest daughter.
“Are we safe?”
That question broke something inside him.
Because eighteen months ago, he would have answered without thinking.
Of course.
You’re always safe.
But now he knew better.
Safety wasn’t something you promised.
It was something you protected.
“Yes,” he whispered.
“This time, I promise you. I will protect you.”
The police arrived within minutes.
They searched the house.
The conclusion was immediate.
The fire was intentional.
Someone had entered through the back garden.
Someone who knew the mansion.
Someone who knew exactly where Maribel kept her private documents.
Jonathan stood outside with the detective.
“Could it be random?”
The detective shook his head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because whoever did this didn’t steal anything.”
He looked toward the damaged room.
“They wanted you to notice.”
Jonathan’s jaw tightened.
A message.
That was what this was.
Someone was sending him a warning.
The next morning, Jonathan called everyone close to the family.
Business partners.
Old friends.
Employees.
Anyone who had access to the Whitaker mansion.
Nora watched quietly.
She noticed something.
Jonathan wasn’t searching for a stranger.
He was searching for betrayal.
“You think it’s someone you know.”
Jonathan looked at her.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because whoever did this knew exactly what mattered.”
He glanced upstairs.
“My wife’s room.”
A pause.
“My daughters.”
Nora understood.
The worst betrayal didn’t come from enemies.
It came from people you trusted.
That afternoon, Steven returned with information.
“Sir, I checked the security records.”
“And?”
“There was a gap.”
Jonathan frowned.
“A gap?”
“Yes. The cameras were disabled for eleven minutes.”
“By who?”
Steven hesitated.
“That’s the problem.”
He handed Jonathan a file.
“The system was accessed using an employee code.”
Jonathan opened the file.
Then froze.
The name was written clearly.
Daniel Whitaker.
His younger brother.
For a moment, Jonathan said nothing.
Daniel.
The person who had stood beside him at Maribel’s funeral.
The person who had hugged his daughters.
The person who always said:
“Family takes care of family.”
Nora saw his expression change.
“What is it?”
Jonathan slowly closed the file.
“My brother.”
Her eyes widened.
“You think he did this?”
“I don’t know.”
And that was the worst part.
Because Jonathan wanted to believe Daniel was innocent.
He needed to.
That evening, Daniel arrived at the mansion.
He walked in confidently.
“What happened? Steven said there was a fire.”
Jonathan looked at him.
“We found something.”
Daniel smiled.
“What?”
“The security system was disabled with your access code.”
The smile disappeared.
Only for a second.
But Jonathan noticed.
“Jonathan, come on.”
Daniel laughed nervously.
“You think I would hurt this family?”
Nobody answered.
Daniel looked around.
Then his eyes stopped on Nora.
“You hired her.”
The room became silent.
“What?”
Daniel pointed at Nora.
“She appears out of nowhere. Suddenly the girls love her. Suddenly you trust her.”
His voice became sharper.
“Doesn’t anyone think that’s strange?”
Hazel stepped forward.
“Stop talking about her like that.”
Daniel looked surprised.
Because the little girl who once pushed everyone away was now defending someone.
Jonathan noticed too.
And Daniel noticed.
That was exactly why he looked afraid.
Later that night, Jonathan went through old documents.
And he found something.
A financial record.
A transfer made six months before Maribel died.
A large amount of money.
Sent to Daniel.
Jonathan stared at the paper.
His hands trembled.
Because there was one question he could not answer.
Why would his brother receive money from someone connected to Maribel’s investigation?
Across town, Victoria received a message.
Jonathan found Daniel’s records.
She smiled.
Good.
The family was starting to turn against each other.
Exactly as planned.
But there was one thing Victoria didn’t expect.
Nora Delgado.
Because Nora was not trying to destroy the Whitakers.
She was the one person who could bring them together.
And soon…
May you like
she would uncover the truth about Daniel.
A truth even Victoria didn’t know.
