Chapter 5 - Marcus Revealed the Betrayal That Had Been Hiding Beside Me for Twenty Years
Marcus admitted he had been part of the Black Circle.
Not willingly.
His father had been one of its founding members.
When Marcus was young, he was forced into service.
Then he met me.
We became brothers.
He spent years secretly feeding me information.
But there was something I never knew.
The Black Circle had planned my death since childhood.
Why?
Because my grandfather had transferred the legal ownership of the entire Vance fortune to me.
Not my father.
Not Nolan.
Me.
I was the final heir.
That was why everyone who loved power wanted me controlled.
The trust documents were hidden.
Anna had found them.
She had protected them.
And she had taught Lily the names of everyone involved.
The final piece was the location of the original trust.
It was beneath an old church.
We went there that night.
Inside the crypt was a vault.
My grandfather's voice played from an old recording.
“If you hear this, Caleb, the family has failed you.”
I listened.
“The person closest to you will betray you.”
Marcus looked away.
I continued.
“But betrayal is not always what it appears.”
The recording ended.
A hidden drawer opened.
Inside was a second ledger.
But not names.
Payments.
Every person who had betrayed me.
My mother.
My father.
Arthur.
Nolan.
Marcus.
Even Adrian.
I stared.
“What?”
Adrian stepped forward.
“You need to understand.”
“You were part of it.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect you.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Everyone says that.”
Adrian shook his head.
“Because everyone knew you would die if you knew the truth.”
Then he showed me another file.
It contained photographs of me as a child.
Someone had been watching me since birth.
The person in the background of every photograph was the same man.
Arthur.
He had been tracking me for decades.
I understood.
The Black Circle had never stopped.
They had simply waited.
The next day, the final assault began.
The Vance headquarters was attacked.
Our men fought back.
I moved Lily to a secure room.
Anna remained under protection.
Nolan fought beside me.
Marcus coordinated the defenses.
Adrian guarded the vault.
Then the power went out.
A bomb detonated.
The building shook.
Lily disappeared again.
Arthur had entered.
We found him on the rooftop.
Lily stood beside him.
Arthur held a gun.
“Bring me the ledger.”
I stepped forward.
“You want Lily's memory.”
“Yes.”
“She won't tell you.”
Arthur smiled.
“She doesn't need to.”
He looked at me.
“You will.”
“No.”
“Then she dies.”
I froze.
Lily stared at me.
“Uncle Caleb…”
I looked at her.
She smiled.
Then she said something that changed the entire battle.
“Look behind you.”
Arthur turned.
Nolan attacked.
The gun fell.
Marcus pulled Lily away.
Arthur ran.
I chased him.
Across the roof.
Through the stairwell.
Into the parking garage.
He reached a car.
I cornered him.
“You killed Anna.”
“I didn't.”
I froze.
“What?”
Arthur laughed.
“She was supposed to die.”
“Who stopped it?”
May you like
Arthur looked at me.
“Your mother.”
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