Chapter 3 - The Room Behind the PaintingDaniel didn't enter.
He stood outside the locked door.
“I'm not here to hurt you.”
Clara laughed bitterly.
“You stole my daughter.”
“I saved her.”
“You lied to me.”
“I prevented your father from killing her.”
Clara froze.
“Then why did you disappear?”
“Because I was hunted.”
“By whom?”
Daniel's silence answered.
“Your father.”
Clara looked at Lily.
“What happened to my sister?”
Daniel's voice became quiet.
“Emily is alive.”
Clara's knees almost failed.
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“You're lying.”
“I haven't seen her in six years.”
“Then why did you keep Lily?”
“To keep her alive.”
Daniel left before Clara could open the door.
But he left something behind.
An envelope.
Inside was a photograph of Emily.
Older.
Thinner.
Alive.
On the back was an address.
A storage facility in Queens.
Clara went there immediately.
Behind a painting inside one of the units was a hidden compartment.
The key Lily had found opened it.
Inside were dozens of documents.
Bank transfers.
Contracts.
Photographs.
Medical records.
And one handwritten journal.
Emily's journal.
Clara read until her hands shook.
Emily had discovered that their father was stealing billions through fake investment funds.
Daniel had been helping him.
Then Daniel had turned against him.
Emily had attempted to expose them.
That was when she became a target.
But the final pages were missing.
Only one sentence remained.
IF CLARA EVER FINDS LILY, TELL HER THE TRUTH ABOUT THE RING.
Clara looked at Lily's necklace.
The silver ring.
She removed it.
Inside was a tiny engraving.
A series of numbers.
An account number.
Clara recognized it.
It belonged to her father.
The account contained millions.
But the money had never been withdrawn.
It had been transferred every month for seven years.
To one person.
Emily.
Clara's hands trembled.
“She is alive.”
That evening, Daniel returned.
This time Clara let him in.
He looked exhausted.
Older than the man she remembered.
“You loved Emily,” Clara said.
Daniel looked away.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you save her?”
“I tried.”
“You failed.”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“I don't know.”
Clara stepped closer.
“Then help me find her.”
Daniel looked at Lily.
“She was moved from place to place.”
“By whom?”
“Your father's men.”
“My father is dead.”
“His organization isn't.”
The room fell silent.
Daniel revealed that someone had continued controlling the Whitmore network after Edward's death.
Someone who knew every secret.
Someone who knew about Lily.
Someone who had been paying Emily's account.
“Who?”
Daniel looked directly at Clara.
“Your uncle.”
Clara's heart stopped.
Her father's younger brother, Richard Whitmore, had been the quietest member of the family.
He lived in London.
He never attended board meetings.
He never appeared in newspapers.
He had always claimed to hate money.
Daniel gave Clara a folder.
Inside were photographs of Richard meeting men connected to the company.
And one recent photograph.
Richard standing outside a private clinic.
Beside him stood Emily.
Alive.
Clara covered her mouth.
“She's here.”
Daniel nodded.
“She came back.”
“Why didn't she contact me?”
“Because she believed you were working for your father.”
Clara stared at him.
“How could she believe that?”
“Because someone sent her proof.”
“What proof?”
“Bank transfers.”
Clara's stomach turned.
Someone had forged documents making it look as if Clara had helped steal the money.
Emily believed her own sister had betrayed her.
For seven years.
Then Lily whispered:
“Mama said Clara was good.”
Clara looked at her.
“She did?”
Lily nodded.
“She said if I ever found you, you would know.”
Clara hugged the child.
And for the first time, Lily didn't pull away.
That night, Richard called.
“You've found her.”
Clara's voice became cold.
“Where is Emily?”
“You're asking the wrong question.”
“What is the right one?”
“Why did she leave you?”
Clara's heart tightened.
Richard continued.
“Because she knows what you did.”
“I did nothing.”
“You signed the documents.”
“What documents?”
“The ones that transferred the company.”
Clara froze.
Her father's estate had included dozens of documents.
She had signed hundreds.
Richard laughed softly.
“You don't even know what you own.”
The call ended.
Clara stared at Daniel.
“What did I sign?”
Daniel looked terrified.
“The company wasn't transferred to you.”
“Then to whom?”
He whispered:
“Your father transferred everything to Lily.”
Clara looked at the seven-year-old child.
May you like
The entire Whitmore fortune belonged to her.
And someone was willing to kill to get it.
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