Chapter 7: The Empire That Was Stolen
Emily stood frozen.
The words echoed through the ballroom.
“You were the rightful owner of the entire Carter empire.”
She looked at Richard as if he had become a stranger.
“My grandfather never told me that.”
Richard smiled bitterly.
“Because he knew you were safer not knowing.”
Emily shook her head.
“No. That doesn’t make sense.”
Clara stepped beside her.
“It does.”
Everyone looked at her.
Clara opened the old letter again.
“Your grandfather created a private trust before his death. He knew there were people inside the company who wanted control.”
Margaret nodded.
“The trust was designed to protect the original owner’s bloodline.”
Emily looked at the documents.
“But I’m not a Carter by blood.”
Richard interrupted.
“No.”
His voice became quiet.
“You’re something more dangerous.”
Emily stared at him.
“What?”
Richard looked at Clara.
“She is the last connection between two families.”
The room went silent.
Clara explained.
“Your grandmother was a Whitmore.”
Emily’s eyes widened.
“My grandmother?”
“Yes. The Carter and Whitmore families were connected long before Daniel existed.”
Margaret placed another document on the table.
“The company was never supposed to belong only to the Carter family. It was built from both families’ investments.”
Emily slowly understood.
Daniel hadn’t just tried to kill his wife.
He had tried to steal generations of history.
Richard stepped forward.
“And I helped him.”
Emily looked at him.
The confession hurt more than she expected.
“You knew?”
Richard lowered his head.
“Yes.”
“Then why?”
His face changed.
For the first time, he looked ashamed.
“Because I was afraid.”
Everyone waited.
“Daniel threatened my daughter. He had evidence that could destroy my family.”
Emily’s expression softened slightly.
“So you helped him hurt me?”
Richard looked away.
“I convinced myself it would never go this far.”
Clara’s voice was cold.
“But you watched him become a monster.”
Richard accepted the accusation.
“Yes.”
Then Detective Walker received a message.
He checked his phone.
His expression changed.
“We have a problem.”
Emily looked at him.
“What happened?”
“Daniel escaped.”
Everyone froze.
“How?”
The detective looked toward the security cameras.
“Someone inside the station helped him.”
Clara immediately understood.
“Richard wasn’t the only person working for him.”
A terrible thought crossed Emily’s mind.
“Who else?”
Before anyone could answer, the lights suddenly went out.
The mansion became completely dark.
A loud crash came from upstairs.
Then Emily heard a familiar voice.
Daniel.
“You should have stayed quiet, Emily.”
Her blood ran cold.
The lights flickered back on.
Daniel stood at the top of the staircase.
The same staircase where everything had started.
But this time, he wasn’t pretending.
He held a knife in one hand.
And in the other…
A folder.
“The original inheritance documents.”
Emily’s face turned pale.
“You stole them.”
Daniel smiled.
“No.”
He looked down at her.
“I’m taking back what was always supposed to be mine.”
Clara stepped forward.
“You lost, Daniel.”
He laughed.
“No, Clara.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Because you forgot one thing.”
May you like
A pause.
“You still don’t know why your father really died.”
