Chapter 8 - My Father Returned After Fifteen Years—And the First Thing He Told Me Was That Adrian’s Father Had Not Been the VillainMy father was alive.
He appeared outside my apartment.
I nearly called the police.
Then he said my childhood nickname.
“Little Nora.”
I froze.
He looked older.
Broken.
He told me the truth.
He had stolen the ledger.
But not for money.
He had discovered that Adrian's father's closest adviser was selling information to a rival organization.
He took the ledger to expose him.
Instead, he was hunted.
My mother helped him escape.
They separated to protect me.
My father had stayed hidden.
My mother had disappeared.
And Margaret Hargrove had helped both of them.
I couldn't believe it.
Then my father said:
“Adrian's father wasn't your enemy.”
“Then who was?”
May you like
He looked at me.
“The man who is still alive.”
Related Stories
Chapter 9 - The Man Behind Everything Was Someone Adrian Trusted Like a Father—And He Had Been Waiting for Me to Find the LedgerHis name was Marcus Kane.
Chapter 10 - Marcus Captured Me Instead—But He Made One Fatal Mistake by Revealing What Was Hidden in My Mother’s Old HouseMarcus found me.
Chapter 11 - I Found My Mother’s Ledger Behind My Childhood Bedroom Wall—And It Contained Names Powerful Enough to Destroy ChicagoWe returned to my childhood home.
Chapter 12 - Adrian Gave Up His Empire to Protect Me—But I Refused to Let Him Sacrifice Everything AloneAdrian planned to surrender the organization.
Chapter 13 - Adrian Vanished to Protect Me—So I Tracked Him Down and Found Him Ready to Surrender Himself for Crimes He Didn’t CommitI found Adrian in an abandoned church outside the city.
Chapter 14 - Marcus Tried to Destroy Adrian One Last Time—But the Woman He Had Underestimated Walked Into Court Carrying the Evidence That Ended His EmpireThe trial became the biggest criminal investigation Chicago had seen in decades.
