Chapter 4 - The Trust My Father Left Behind Made Me The Target Of A War I Never Knew Existed

The trust was not a simple inheritance.

My father had created it years before he died.

It held properties.

Cash.

Shares in legitimate companies.

And one unusual clause.

The beneficiary could only claim everything after turning thirty.

I was twenty-nine.

I would turn thirty in six months.

That explained everything.

Someone had spent years waiting.

I stared at the documents.

"My father never told me."

"He wanted you to have a normal life."

"I never had one."

Lucian's expression changed.

"I'm sorry."

I hated hearing that from him.

Not because I didn't believe him.

Because I did.

"Why didn't you tell me when you found out?"

"Because I wanted to make sure the information couldn't be used against you."

"It was already being used against me."

"I know."

Silence.

Then Sofia walked in.

She looked at the documents.

"Your father trusted my husband."

"My father worked for him."

"More than that."

She sat.

"They were friends."

I looked at her.

"My mother?"

Sofia smiled sadly.

"She was the reason your father left."

"What?"

"He wanted out."

"Why?"

"Because your mother was pregnant."

I stopped breathing.

"He wanted to keep you away from this world."

The room seemed to shrink.

"So my father tried to leave."

"Yes."

"My father died."

"Yes."

"How?"

Sofia looked at Lucian.

He answered.

"His car went off a bridge."

"Accident?"

"We don't believe it."

My heart pounded.

"Who caused it?"

"My uncle."

The same man connected to the hospital theft.

The same man whose name appeared in the ledger.

I looked at Lucian.

"What's his name?"

"Victor Moretti."

I stared.

"Your uncle?"

"Yes."

"He's alive?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"We don't know."

He had disappeared after my father's death.

For years, Lucian had believed Victor was trying to take control of the organization.

Now he had a second target.

Me.

I returned to work.

Not because I wanted to.

Because I refused to let fear take my profession too.

My patients needed me.

My life needed something that belonged only to me.

Lucian respected that.

He stopped sending security into the hospital.

Instead, he placed one outside.

It was a small compromise.

But it mattered.

One evening, a child named Lily was admitted after a severe asthma attack.

She was frightened.

I stayed beside her.

Her mother cried.

I held her hand.

"She's going to be okay."

The little girl whispered:

"Are you sure?"

I smiled.

"I'm sure we're going to help her."

After the child stabilized, her mother hugged me.

"Thank you."

That was the moment I realized why I couldn't quit nursing.

I couldn't control the world.

But I could make it less frightening for one person at a time.

When I returned to the locker room, my phone contained a photograph.

Lily sleeping.

Taken from inside the hospital.

Underneath was one sentence.

YOU SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU IGNORE WARNINGS.

I stared.

Then I ran.

I found Lucian near the main entrance.

He saw my face.

"What happened?"

I showed him.

He took the phone.

"Who had access to this floor?"

"Staff."

"Anyone else?"

"Visitors."

"How long ago?"

"Ten minutes."

His men moved immediately.

I hated how quickly everything around him became an operation.

But this time, I wasn't angry.

I was scared.

"What if they hurt Lily?"

"They won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because they wanted you to see this."

He was right.

It wasn't about Lily.

It was about me.

Someone wanted me frightened enough to make a mistake.

That night, I made one.

I went to the old family storage unit alone.

I thought the trust documents might contain another clue.

Someone was waiting inside.

Victor.

He looked older than Lucian.

Silver hair.

Gray eyes.

A calm smile.

"You look like your mother."

I froze.

"How do you know her?"

"I knew both your parents."

"What do you want?"

"Your trust."

"It's not yours."

"Not yet."

He stepped closer.

"Your father stole from my family."

"He was trying to leave."

"He was trying to betray us."

I shook my head.

"You killed him."

He smiled.

"You have his courage."

"And you have his blood on your hands."

His expression hardened.

Then he said:

"I could have killed you tonight."

"Then why didn't you?"

"Because your father hid something else."

"What?"

Victor leaned closer.

"The real ledger."

I stared.

"What ledger?"

"The one that proves Lucian's father wasn't the villain everyone believes."

My heart stopped.

"What does that mean?"

Victor smiled.

"Ask Lucian why he has spent twenty years trying to find it."

Then he left.

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I stood alone in the dark storage unit.

And for the first time, I wondered whether Lucian had been telling me the whole truth.