Chapter 4 - The Secret Account
Damien learned the truth about the balcony from the security footage.
He watched it alone.
At first, he denied it.
Then the second angle showed Sophie disabling the emergency intercom.
Then the third showed her telling a housekeeper not to enter the bedroom.
Damien sat in silence.
He called Sophie.
She arrived twenty minutes later.
“You locked Emily outside.”
Sophie began crying.
“It was a joke.”
“For three days?”
“I didn't think she'd stay out there.”
“She screamed for help.”
“I panicked.”
“You pulled the curtains.”
Sophie stopped.
Damien's voice became quiet.
“Why?”
She stared at him.
Then her tears disappeared.
“You were going to leave her anyway.”
His face changed.
“Who told you?”
“No one.”
“Who told you the divorce would happen that day?”
She said nothing.
“Who told you to stage this?”
Silence.
Damien stepped closer.
“Daniel?”
Sophie finally looked away.
That was enough.
He turned to his security chief.
“Find Daniel.”
But Daniel was already gone.
So was most of the money.
The investigation revealed a secret account with more than eighty million dollars.
Some of it belonged to Blackwood Holdings.
Some had been transferred from companies Damien barely remembered signing.
And some came directly from the investment structure funded by Sterling Vale.
Damien stared at the transaction history.
He suddenly understood.
The people around him had been moving money through the same channels that his father had created years ago.
The difference was that Damien hadn't known every layer.
Now the entire structure was collapsing.
He called me.
I answered.
“What's wrong?”
He said nothing.
Then:
“I found the account.”
“Which one?”
“The one that nearly destroyed Blackwood.”
I sat down.
“Who controls it?”
“Daniel.”
“And Sophie.”
“Yes.”
“Now you believe me.”
His silence hurt more than the words.
“Yes.”
I closed my eyes.
“You should have believed me before.”
“I know.”
“Too late.”
“No.”
His voice cracked.
“Not too late.”
I didn't answer.
Then he said, “Emily, they were going to frame you.”
“Yes.”
“I should have protected you.”
“You should have listened.”
“I know.”
He breathed out.
“Can I see you?”
“Why?”
“Because there's something I need to tell you.”
“What?”
“The divorce papers were filed before the balcony incident.”
I went still.
“What?”
“Sophie and Daniel had prepared everything.”
“So you didn't decide that day.”
“No.”
“You planned it.”
“I thought you were betraying me.”
I felt sick.
“Why?”
“They showed me bank transfers.”
“Forged?”
“Yes.”
“They told me you were moving money through Sterling Vale.”
I stared at the wall.
“And you believed them.”
“Yes.”
There it was.
The truth.
Not a misunderstanding.
Not a simple mistake.
He had believed I was capable of betraying him.
And when someone suggested I was the enemy, he had been willing to abandon me without asking one question.
I said quietly, “That's why you threw away the cake.”
“What?”
“You wanted the witnesses to see me as guilty.”
Silence.
“Yes.”
I nodded.
“I understand now.”
“Emily…”
“You don't have to explain anymore.”
“I want to.”
“But I don't want to hear it.”
He stopped.
I ended the call.
Later that night, David arrived with documents.
“We have enough to enforce the conversion.”
I looked at the numbers.
“I want only the legitimate assets.”
“Yes.”
“Nothing connected to criminal activity.”
David nodded.
“And I want an independent audit.”
“That can be done.”
“I don't want to own anything I can't defend in court.”
He smiled faintly.
“Your father taught you well.”
I shook my head.
“My mother did.”
Meanwhile, Damien made the hardest decision of his life.
He went to federal investigators.
He surrendered every document he had.
Every hidden account.
Every illegal operation inherited from his father.
Every person involved.
He gave them everything.
He knew it might cost him.
He did it anyway.
Because for the first time, he wasn't protecting the Blackwood name.
He was telling the truth.
The investigation expanded.
Sophie was arrested.
Daniel was arrested two days later.
But the story wasn't over.
May you like
Because the money had disappeared.
And somewhere in Chicago, someone had millions of dollars and every reason to believe Emily Bennett was the perfect person to blame.
