Chapter 4 - The School Bus That Never Reached Emma’s School
We moved Emma before sunrise.
No public school.
No normal routes.
No digital traces.
She hated it.
“I want my friends.”
Claire tried to explain.
“It's only for a little while.”
“A little while is a long time.”
I almost smiled.
She had Luca's stubbornness.
She definitely didn't get it from me.
We relocated her to a private estate outside the city.
A tutor arrived.
Security doubled.
But by noon, someone had already attempted to access the property.
A maintenance worker.
Fake identity.
Meridian connection.
He was stopped before reaching the house.
I questioned him.
He said nothing.
Then he smiled.
“You can't protect her forever.”
I didn't answer.
He was right.
Protection wasn't enough.
We needed to destroy the organization targeting her.
Luca agreed.
“The ledger is the weapon.”
“The physical ledger?”
“Yes.”
“What exactly is inside?”
“Every transaction.”
“Every bribe?”
“Yes.”
“Every official?”
“Yes.”
“Every Meridian account?”
“Yes.”
“That could destroy half the people who matter in New York.”
Luca smiled.
“Now you understand why they want it.”
The problem was my mother's house.
We couldn't simply walk in.
The property had been abandoned for years.
But Claire had the key.
She opened the door.
Inside, everything was covered in dust.
I found old photographs.
My mother.
Me.
Luca.
Our father.
And one more person.
Mark Halden.
As a teenager.
Standing beside my father.
I felt sick.
The betrayal went deeper than I thought.
We searched every room.
Nothing.
Then Emma wandered into the kitchen.
She stared at an old cabinet.
“Mommy?”
“Yes?”
“That's the one.”
Claire looked confused.
“What?”
“Daddy showed me.”
Luca froze.
“What did I show you?”
Emma pointed.
“Wolf door.”
We opened the cabinet.
Behind it was a hidden panel.
Luca stared.
“I didn't know this existed.”
Claire smiled sadly.
“Your mother knew your father never looked closely.”
Inside was a metal box.
The ledger.
Thirteen years old.
Handwritten.
Names.
Numbers.
Dates.
And photographs.
I opened the first page.
The first entry was about The Meridian.
The second was about my father.
The third was about Mark.
Then something unexpected appeared.
My name.
I read it twice.
Then a note.
Sebastian must never know until Luca is safe.
I looked at my brother.
“What is this?”
He didn't answer.
“Luca.”
“I wanted to tell you.”
“When?”
“When I knew you were safe.”
“Safe from what?”
He looked at our father.
My father had followed us into the house.
He spoke.
“From himself.”
I stared.
“What does that mean?”
“Your father made a deal.”
“With The Meridian?”
“Yes.”
“To save us?”
He nodded.
Years ago, my father had agreed to help The Meridian take control of several businesses in exchange for protecting our family.
But Luca discovered the agreement and tried to expose it.
My father had him imprisoned.
Not to punish him.
To prevent him from revealing the truth before a larger plan could be completed.
“Why didn't you trust me?” I asked.
My father looked at me.
“Because Mark had convinced me you were compromised.”
I laughed.
“Mark controlled you.”
“Yes.”
“And Victor?”
“Victor knew.”
“Luca?”
“Also.”
I looked at both brothers.
“You let me believe everyone was dead.”
Luca lowered his head.
“I thought if you hated us, you would stay alive.”
I didn't know whether to hug him or hit him.
So I did both.
Emma watched.
She smiled.
“You're fighting.”
“No.”
“Looks like fighting.”
Luca laughed.
“Family conversation.”
That evening, we made a plan.
We would use the ledger.
Instead of protecting it, we would make it impossible to hide.
We would send copies to journalists, prosecutors, regulators, and international watchdogs.
But first, we needed proof connecting the current Meridian leadership to the old crimes.
That meant Mark.
We brought him in.
He admitted nothing.
Until we showed him the ledger.
His expression changed.
“You found it.”
“Yes.”
He sighed.
“You have no idea what you've uncovered.”
“Tell me.”
“The Meridian isn't controlled by one person.”
“Who then?”
“A council.”
“Names.”
He shook his head.
“They'll kill me.”
I leaned forward.
“They already will if you stay silent.”
He gave us names.
Seven.
But the seventh name made everyone freeze.
My father.
I looked at him.
“You were on the council?”
“Yes.”
Luca stared.
“How long?”
“Three years.”
I felt sick.
My father closed his eyes.
“I joined to protect you.”
Luca shook his head.
“You joined because you were afraid.”
“Yes.”
“And people died because of it.”
“Yes.”
Then Mark spoke again.
“The council is meeting tonight.”
“Where?”
“Your father's original bank.”
I checked the time.
“Then we're going.”
My father looked at me.
“No.”
“Yes.”
“You'll be walking into a trap.”
“Probably.”
Luca stood beside me.
“Then we're walking together.”
Emma suddenly tugged my sleeve.
“Uncle Sebastian?”
“Yes?”
“Can I come?”
“No.”
She frowned.
“Why?”
“Because adults make terrible decisions.”
She giggled.
Claire smiled.
But her smile faded when she saw the ledger.
“The last page.”
I opened it.
At the bottom was one sentence.
If all three Vale brothers are together, the heir must choose.
I looked at Luca.
“What does that mean?”
He shook his head.
“I don't know.”
Then the house lights went out.
May you like
Someone whispered from outside.
“Too late.”
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