Chapter 6 — The Secret Buried For Fifteen Years
Richard Hayes walked into the ballroom slowly.
Every step created more tension.
Because the man everyone believed was gone forever had returned.
Daniel couldn't move.
"Dad..."
Richard looked at his son.
"I'm sorry you had to find out this way."
Daniel's voice shook.
"Why didn't you tell me you were alive?"
Richard looked down.
"Because I was trying to protect you."
Nobody understood.
But Emily did.
Because powerful families always had secrets.
And the Hayes family had been hiding one for fifteen years.
Richard placed the folder on the table.
"The night Thomas Carter was accused..."
Emily immediately looked up.
Her father's name.
Finally.
"Everyone believed he stole from the company."
Richard opened the folder.
"But that wasn't true."
The ballroom went silent.
Victoria stepped backward.
Only slightly.
But Emily noticed.
She was scared again.
Richard continued.
"Someone inside the company framed him."
Daniel looked at Victoria.
"No..."
Richard looked directly at her.
"Yes."
The bride's face turned pale.
Because Richard wasn't looking at Emily.
He was looking at Victoria.
"Your father helped cover it up."
The room exploded.
Victoria shook her head.
"My father is dead."
Richard nodded.
"But his records weren't."
He opened another document.
"And neither were his messages."
Daniel stared.
"What does Victoria have to do with this?"
Richard took a deep breath.
"Everything."
Emily felt her heartbeat increase.
Because suddenly all the pieces connected.
The fake pregnancy.
The stolen money.
The wedding.
The company.
This was never about marriage.
It was revenge.
Victoria wasn't trying to become Daniel's wife.
She was trying to finish something her family started fifteen years ago.
But then Victoria did something nobody expected.
She smiled.
Slowly.
Coldly.
And she said:
"Congratulations, Richard."
Everyone froze.
"After all these years..."
She looked at Daniel.
"...you finally discovered the truth."
A pause.
Then she added:
"But you're still too late."
Daniel frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Victoria reached into her purse.
She pulled out a small envelope.
And placed it on the table.
"Because the company isn't yours anymore."
Daniel stared.
"What?"
Victoria smiled.
"The transfer was completed this morning."
Nobody breathed.
She looked directly at him.
"The Hayes empire now belongs to me."
And then Emily noticed something.
The document she had been holding...
was signed.
By Daniel.
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Before the wedding.
Before anyone knew the truth.
