CHAPTER 10 My Brother’s Hidden Confession
The message remained on the computer screen.
"Now ask him what he did to Sarah."
Three seconds.
That was all it took.
Three seconds for every possible explanation to enter my mind.
Maybe Thomas was lying.
Maybe he was trying to destroy the last pieces of my family.
Maybe Alexander was innocent.
Maybe.
But there was one thing I couldn't ignore.
My brother had secrets.
And every secret surrounding my family had led back to the same person.
Sarah.
My wife.
The woman everyone kept mentioning.
The woman who left behind warnings.
The woman who seemed to know the truth before any of us did.
I looked at Alexander.
“Tell me.”
He didn’t answer.
My voice became harder.
“What did you do to Sarah?”
His face changed.
Not anger.
Not surprise.
Pain.
“I didn’t hurt her.”
“Then why does that message exist?”
“Because Thomas wants you to believe I did.”
“Why would he?”
Alexander looked at the floor.
“Because I know what happened the night Sarah found out.”
I stepped closer.
“What happened?”
He took a deep breath.
Then whispered:
“I was there.”
The warehouse suddenly felt smaller.
“You were there?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“The night before she went to the hospital.”
My heart started racing.
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“Because Sarah made me promise.”
I almost couldn’t believe it.
“Everyone keeps saying Sarah made them promise something.”
Alexander looked at me.
“She knew she was surrounded by people who wanted something from her.”
“Who?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
Then:
“Thomas.”
A pause.
“Eleanor.”
Another pause.
“And me.”
I stared at him.
“You?”
Alexander nodded.
“I made mistakes.”
“What kind of mistakes?”
He sat down slowly.
“When our father died, Sterling Holdings was divided between us.”
“I know.”
“But there were problems.”
“Financial problems?”
“Yes.”
“And?”
Alexander looked ashamed.
“I made risky investments.”
My jaw tightened.
“You lost money.”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Enough that I was desperate.”
The answer angered me.
“So you betrayed the family?”
“No.”
He looked at me.
“I was trying to save it.”
“By doing what?”
“By listening to Thomas.”
The name again.
Always Thomas.
“What did he convince you to do?”
Alexander looked away.
“He convinced me that Sarah was hiding assets.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He told me she had discovered a private account connected to our father’s estate.”
“That was a lie.”
“Yes.”
“And you believed him?”
“I was desperate.”
I laughed bitterly.
“So you investigated my wife?”
“Yes.”
The honesty surprised me.
“And Sarah found out.”
“Yes.”
Alexander closed his eyes.
“She confronted me.”
“What did she say?”
“She said she knew someone was manipulating me.”
“Did she mention Thomas?”
“Yes.”
“What about Eleanor?”
His silence answered.
“She suspected Eleanor too.”
I felt something break inside me.
“Then why did you let me marry her?”
Alexander looked at me.
“I tried to warn you.”
“When?”
“After Sarah died.”
I frowned.
“I don’t remember.”
“Because Thomas intercepted the message.”
My expression changed.
“What message?”
“The letter I wrote you.”
I stared at him.
“I never received any letter.”
“I know.”
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Daniel interrupted.
“Richard.”
I looked over.
He was standing beside the computer.
“There are more files.”
“What files?”
“From Thomas’s system.”
He turned the screen toward us.
A folder.
With a date.
The date of Sarah’s death.
My stomach tightened.
I opened it.
Inside were photographs.
Security images.
Hospital records.
Messages.
Then I saw something that made my blood run cold.
A photograph of Eleanor standing outside Sarah’s hospital room.
The timestamp:
Two hours before Sarah died.
I looked at Alexander.
“Did Eleanor visit Sarah?”
He nodded slowly.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t I know?”
“Because she told everyone she came after.”
I stared at the picture.
Eleanor was standing in the hallway.
Holding a folder.
“What was inside?”
Alexander didn’t answer.
“Tell me.”
He looked at me.
“I don’t know.”
That wasn't good enough.
I returned home before midnight.
Eleanor was awake.
Waiting.
She looked like she already knew.
“You found Alexander.”
I stopped.
“How?”
Her eyes filled with sadness.
“Because I knew you would eventually.”
“You knew he was alive?”
“Yes.”
The answer was devastating.
“You knew?”
“I did.”
“And you said nothing?”
“I was trying to protect you.”
I almost laughed.
“Everyone says that.”
She looked hurt.
“But this time it’s true.”
“Why?”
She walked toward the table.
Then placed something in front of me.
A small envelope.
“What is this?”
“Something Sarah gave me.”
My eyes narrowed.
“Sarah gave you this?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“The night before she died.”
I stared at the envelope.
“Why would Sarah give you anything?”
Eleanor’s eyes filled with tears.
“Because she knew something was going to happen.”
My hands trembled.
“What?”
“She knew someone wanted her silent.”
I opened the envelope.
Inside was a single page.
Sarah’s handwriting.
My heart stopped.
"Eleanor, if Richard ever discovers the truth, give him this."
I looked at Eleanor.
“You had this for six years?”
She nodded.
“Why didn’t you give it to me?”
Her answer was barely a whisper.
“Because I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
She looked at the letter.
“Of what you would learn about me.”
I unfolded the paper.
Sarah’s words appeared.
"Richard, if you are reading this, then the person I feared most has already reached you."
I kept reading.
"But the person you should fear is not the one you suspect."
My heart raced.
The next sentence made my hands go numb.
"Eleanor is hiding something. But she is not the person who started this."
I looked up.
Eleanor was crying.
The letter continued.
"The person behind everything is someone who has been part of our family longer than any of us realize."
Then the final line.
The line that changed everything.
"Richard, trust no one who carries the Sterling name."
I slowly lowered the paper.
Because suddenly…
I understood.
The enemy wasn't outside the family.
The enemy had always been inside.
At that exact moment…
Maya screamed upstairs.
I ran.
Eleanor followed.
When I opened Maya’s bedroom door, my daughter was standing beside her bed.
Terrified.
Pointing at the window.
“What happened?”
She could barely speak.
“Daddy…”
I looked outside.
A figure was standing in the garden.
Watching the house.
Then the person stepped into the light.
And I recognized him.
Thomas Vale.
But he wasn't alone.
May you like
Someone stood beside him.
Someone wearing a Sterling family ring.
