Chapter 4 - My Brother Was Alive and Knew Where Bruno Was—But He Accused My Fiancée of Helping the Man Who Stole Our FamilyThe truth about Daniel was harder to accept than anything else.
My brother had died when I was twenty-two.
Or so I believed.
His car had exploded.
The body had been burned.
The funeral had been private.
My father had refused an open casket.
For years, I had blamed myself.
Daniel had been driving because of me.
Now he was alive.
And he had apparently been watching me.
I hated him for it.
I wanted to embrace him.
I wanted to punch him.
I wanted answers.
He called the next morning.
“Meet me.”
“Where?”
“Your father's old warehouse.”
I went alone.
Daniel was waiting.
He looked older.
Thin.
A scar crossed his jaw.
“You look like Dad,” I said.
“You look like Mom.”
Silence.
“Where's Bruno?”
“Alive.”
“Where?”
“Safe.”
“Then why haven't you brought him back?”
“Because Richard is watching.”
“Richard Hale.”
Daniel nodded.
“Your fiancée works for him.”
“She was forced.”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“She chose.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“She didn't start this.”
“But she helped.”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“She gave them access to the house.”
My stomach tightened.
“When?”
“Three months ago.”
I stared.
“Why?”
“Money.”
“She said her brother was threatened.”
Daniel nodded.
“That's true.”
“Then why blame her?”
“Because she knew Bruno would be targeted.”
I felt betrayed.
“Did she know?”
“Yes.”
I asked him,
“Why did you disappear?”
“To protect you.”
“You could have told me.”
“I did.”
“What?”
“I sent letters.”
“I never received them.”
“Because someone intercepted them.”
“Who?”
Daniel looked at me.
“Dad.”
I froze.
“My father?”
“He wasn't the victim.”
Silence.
“What are you saying?”
“Dad was part of the network.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“He tried to expose them.”
“Eventually.”
“What changed?”
“Money.”
I didn't want to believe it.
Daniel explained.
Our father had built the secret network.
Then he tried to leave.
Richard took over.
My father hid the ledger.
But someone killed him before he could expose everyone.
The person who arranged his death was not Richard.
It was my mother.
I couldn't breathe.
“My mother?”
Daniel nodded.
“She knew everything.”
I sat.
My entire family had become strangers.
Then Daniel gave me a photograph.
My mother.
Richard.
Vivienne.
Together.
Five years ago.
My stomach turned.
Vivienne had been connected long before she met me.
Or at least someone wanted me to think that.
I returned home.
She was waiting.
I placed the photograph on the table.
“Explain.”
She stared.
“I was twenty-two.”
“When was this?”
“Before I knew you.”
“You were working with Richard.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“He controlled my family.”
“You knew about Bruno.”
“No.”
“You knew someone wanted him.”
“Yes.”
“And you still came into my house.”
“I loved you.”
I laughed bitterly.
“Was any of it real?”
Her eyes filled.
“All of it.”
I looked away.
I couldn't trust her.
But I couldn't stop loving her either.
That was the worst part.
Then Lily—no, Sofia—appeared.
She had come with Maria.
She looked at Vivienne.
Then me.
Then she whispered,
“Mommy cried.”
I crouched.
“When?”
“Last night.”
“Why?”
“She said Bruno was in the cold room.”
My heart stopped.
“What cold room?”
“Downstairs.”
We searched.
Another hidden door.
Another tunnel.
And inside—
Bruno.
Alive.
Weak.
Sedated.
I fell beside him.
“Bruno.”
His enormous head lifted.
He recognized me.
I cried.
He tried to stand.
I held him.
“You're okay.”
His eyes closed.
He was alive.
The veterinarian examined him.
“He was drugged.”
“How long?”
“Several days.”
“Will he recover?”
“Yes.”
I kissed his head.
“You scared me.”
Bruno groaned.
As if he were offended.
I laughed through tears.
Then I saw something.
A small metal tube attached beneath his collar.
Inside was a key.
Daniel had lied.
The key hadn't been lost.
Bruno had hidden it.
I opened the tube.
A locker number.
417.
Manhattan.
The ledger.
We rushed there.
Inside was everything.
Names.
Accounts.
Payments.
Evidence.
And one final document.
It listed every member of the network.
At the bottom—
Vivienne Hart.
I froze.
The document was dated six months earlier.
She had been marked as an active participant.
I turned toward her.
She was crying.
“I can explain.”
I stared.
“Do it.”
She shook her head.
“I wasn't working for them.”
“Your name is here.”
“I know.”
“Then why?”
“Because I was undercover.”
Silence.
“What?”
“I was working with federal investigators.”
My hands lowered.
She explained.
She had agreed to infiltrate Richard's organization.
She met Daniel.
She entered my household.
She pretended to betray me.
But somewhere along the way—
she fell in love with me.
I wanted to believe her.
Then the doors locked.
The building went dark.
May you like
And Richard's voice came through the speakers.
“Now that you've found the ledger, we can finally finish this.”
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