Chapter 8 - The Truth About My Father
Victor Sloane stood outside Dante's gates with a black folder tucked beneath one arm.
He was taller than I'd expected.
Broad-shouldered.
Silver-haired.
With a face that looked ordinary enough to belong to a businessman or a retired police officer.
But his eyes frightened me.
They were pale blue.
Emotionless.
And when I saw them on the security monitor, something terrible happened.
I remembered him.
Not completely.
Just a flash.
A warehouse corridor.
Smoke moving across the ceiling.
A man crouching in front of me.
The smell of leather gloves.
And a voice saying:
"Don't cry, little Livvie. Your mother made this necessary."
I stumbled backward.
Dante caught my elbow.
"Olivia?"
I stared at the monitor.
"That's him."
His expression hardened.
"What?"
"The man from my nightmares."
I could barely breathe.
"He's the one who told me not to cry."
Dante looked toward the screen.
His face changed.
Rafael stood beside the security console.
"Boss, he's asking to speak with her directly."
Dante's reply was immediate.
"No."
Sloane looked directly into the gate camera.
Then he smiled.
"Good evening, Dante."
His voice came through the speaker.
Smooth.
Confident.
Almost friendly.
"Still letting your dogs make your decisions?"
Dante's jaw tightened.
Rafael activated the microphone.
"Mr. Sloane, you're trespassing. Leave the property."
Sloane laughed.
"Relax, Rafael. I'm only here to have a conversation."
His eyes moved toward the camera.
"With Olivia."
I felt sick.
Dante stepped closer to the microphone.
"She doesn't want to talk to you."
Sloane's smile widened.
"That's unfortunate. Because I have something she desperately needs to know."
I whispered, "Don't."
Dante looked at me.
"I won't let him near you."
I swallowed.
"But I want to hear what he says."
His expression changed.
"Olivia—"
"Please."
For a moment, he hesitated.
Then he stepped aside.
Rafael adjusted the microphone.
I approached slowly.
"What do you want?"
Sloane's expression brightened.
"Well, there she is."
The sound of his voice made my skin crawl.
"Hello, Livvie."
I gripped the desk.
"Don't call me that."
He laughed.
"Your mother used to say the same thing."
My heart pounded.
"You knew Evelyn?"
"Oh, very well."
My voice trembled.
"Did you kill her?"
The smile disappeared.
For one second, his face became utterly cold.
Then he shrugged.
"Your mother made choices."
I felt my stomach twist.
"That isn't an answer."
"Neither is accusing someone of murder through a security gate."
I wanted to scream.
Instead, I took a breath.
"What do you want?"
Sloane lifted the black folder.
"To give you information."
"What information?"
"About your father."
I went still.
He smiled.
"Grace never told you, did she?"
My throat tightened.
"Tell me what?"
"Who he was."
I gripped the edge of the desk.
Sloane opened the folder and held up an old photograph.
It showed Evelyn Bennett standing beside Henry Voss.
They were much younger.
Voss had one arm around her waist.
I stopped breathing.
Sloane's voice became almost gentle.
"Your mother and Henry were very close once."
I stared at the photograph.
"What are you saying?"
He smiled.
"I'm saying the man who financed the operation that destroyed your childhood has more in common with you than you realize."
My pulse thundered.
"No."
Sloane tilted his head.
"Would you like me to say it plainly?"
I couldn't move.
He looked directly into the camera.
"Henry Voss is your biological father."
The room became silent.
I felt as though the floor had disappeared.
"No."
Sloane's smile widened.
"Yes."
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
He held up another document.
A letter.
I couldn't read the words through the camera.
But I recognized the handwriting.
Evelyn's.
Sloane continued.
"Your mother worked for Henry long before she discovered his financial secrets."
I shook my head.
"No."
"She loved him, once."
My eyes filled with tears.
"And he abandoned her when she became pregnant."
Dante moved closer.
"Enough."
Sloane ignored him.
"Your mother wanted you to know the truth. Henry wanted you hidden."
I stared at the screen.
Sloane's voice lowered.
"And when she threatened to expose him, things became... complicated."
A sob escaped my throat.
Dante stepped toward the microphone.
"Leave the property."
Sloane smiled.
"Still trying to protect her?"
"Leave."
"Careful, Dante."
The smile vanished.
"You're standing between a daughter and her father."
Dante's expression turned deadly.
"No."
He leaned toward the microphone.
"I'm standing between a woman and the man who helped destroy her family."
Sloane stared at him.
Then laughed softly.
"Your father would be disappointed."
Dante didn't move.
"My father disappointed enough people for one lifetime."
Sloane's eyes narrowed.
For the first time, he looked irritated.
Then he turned toward the camera.
"Olivia, the offer stands."
I wiped my eyes.
"What offer?"
"Meet with me privately. Bring the silver star. I'll give you everything your mother left behind."
My stomach tightened.
"You think I'm going anywhere with you?"
He smiled.
"Not today."
He closed the folder.
"But eventually, curiosity becomes stronger than fear."
He stepped backward.
Then said something that made my blood turn cold.
"Ask Dante how many people have disappeared since he started cooperating with the government."
Dante went rigid.
Sloane's expression hardened.
"You think you can turn over the family's secrets and walk away clean?"
He shook his head.
"Your father built that empire, Dante. And you spent years enjoying it."
Dante said nothing.
Sloane smiled once more.
"Enjoy the house while you still have it."
Then he returned to his vehicle.
And drove away.
I cried until I couldn't breathe.
Not because I wanted Henry Voss to be my father.
Because I desperately wanted him not to be.
For twenty-six years, I'd imagined my biological father in a hundred different ways.
Maybe he was a good man who died young.
Maybe he was someone Grace never wanted to discuss.
Maybe he'd never known I existed.
But I'd never imagined the man responsible for my mother's death might be the same man whose blood ran through my veins.
I sat in the library with Orion beside me.
His head rested on my lap.
Dante remained nearby, giving me space.
Finally, I looked up.
"Do you believe him?"
Dante was silent for a moment.
"No."
I stared.
"Why?"
"Because Victor Sloane lies for a living."
"But he had the photograph."
"That proves your mother knew Henry Voss. Nothing more."
I wiped my cheeks.
"And the letter?"
"We don't know what it says."
I looked down.
"Then how do I find out?"
"Through Naomi. Through records. Through independent testing, if you choose."
He paused.
"Not through Sloane."
I nodded slowly.
He was right.
I knew he was right.
But that didn't make the fear disappear.
"What if it's true?" I whispered.
Dante approached.
He crouched beside the sofa.
"Then it's true."
I stared at him.
"That's all?"
He looked directly into my eyes.
"Olivia, whatever Henry Voss did, you didn't do it."
My lips trembled.
"He might be my father."
"Biologically."
"That matters."
"Of course it does."
He paused.
"But it doesn't make his choices yours."
I began crying again.
Dante sat beside me.
He didn't try to tell me everything would be fine.
He didn't promise that a DNA test would give me the answer I wanted.
He just stayed.
And somehow, that helped more than anything.
The next morning, Naomi called with unexpected news.
She had located another letter from Grace among the papers recovered from my apartment.
It had been hidden inside the lining of her old cookbook.
I remembered the cookbook immediately.
Grace had written notes beside nearly every recipe.
Sometimes she wrote reminders.
Sometimes jokes.
And occasionally little messages to me.
Naomi asked whether I wanted to read the letter in person.
I went to her office immediately.
Dante drove me there but waited outside with Rafael.
I sat across from Naomi.
She handed me a pale blue envelope.
My name was written on the front.
I opened it carefully.
My darling Olivia,
There is one truth I have been most afraid to tell you.
My breath caught.
I continued.
Your mother loved a man who did not deserve her.
His name was Henry Voss.
I closed my eyes.
Tears slipped down my cheeks.
When you were born, Evelyn hoped he would acknowledge you. He refused.
For years, she protected you from the world he lived in.
Eventually, she discovered how that world operated.
I swallowed.
I believe Henry was your biological father, but Evelyn never showed me independent proof. She told me it was the reason he feared her testimony would destroy more than his businesses.
I began trembling.
I cannot tell you what to feel about him. I can only tell you what I witnessed.
He never showed you kindness.
He never protected you.
And when you needed him most, he chose himself.
My vision blurred.
But Olivia, please remember this: the people who love us are the ones who show up when it matters.
Evelyn showed up.
I showed up.
And one day, I hope someone will love you enough to stay.
I pressed the letter against my chest.
For a long time, I cried.
Naomi came around the desk and sat beside me.
She didn't say anything.
She simply waited.
Eventually, I whispered, "I want to know for sure."
She nodded.
"Then we'll pursue reliable evidence."
I looked at her.
"And I want Henry Voss prosecuted."
Her expression became serious.
"That's what the evidence process is for."
I swallowed.
"Even if he is my father."
Naomi held my gaze.
"Especially if you believe he committed crimes against you and your family. Your relationship to him doesn't change the law."
I nodded.
For the first time, the truth about my father began to feel less like a sentence hanging over my head.
It was a fact I could investigate.
A fact I could face.
But not a fact that had the power to decide who I would become.
That afternoon, Dante told me something else.
Federal investigators had begun formally reviewing several Moretti family businesses.
Accounts were being examined.
Company officers were receiving subpoenas.
Assets connected to suspected criminal transactions faced potential seizure.
Dante's attorney had warned him that cooperation would not erase his own legal exposure.
I sat across from him in the study.
"Are you going to prison?"
He looked at me.
"I don't know."
My heart tightened.
"Could you?"
"Yes."
I stared at him.
He continued quietly.
"I've made choices I have to answer for."
I looked down.
"Then why are you doing this?"
He leaned forward.
"Because Sofia deserved better."
His voice tightened.
"Because my mother deserved the chance to confess instead of being silenced."
He looked at me.
"And because your mother died trying to tell the truth."
I swallowed.
Dante continued.
"If I protect the people responsible just to save myself, then everything Sofia did was for nothing."
My eyes filled with tears.
I stood.
He rose immediately.
For several seconds, we faced each other.
Then I whispered, "I'm scared."
His expression softened.
"So am I."
I stepped closer.
"I'm scared of losing you."
The words escaped before I could stop them.
Dante went still.
His gray eyes searched mine.
"Olivia..."
I swallowed.
"I know this is complicated."
He didn't speak.
"I know we haven't known each other very long."
He nodded slowly.
"And I know there are things about your past I still need to understand."
His expression tightened.
"But?"
I took a trembling breath.
"But somewhere between your ridiculous dog and your terrible coffee, I started caring about you."
For a second, he looked genuinely stunned.
Then his mouth curved.
"My coffee is excellent."
I laughed through my tears.
"It's awful."
He stepped closer.
"Olivia."
His voice was gentle.
"Are you sure?"
I understood what he was asking.
Not whether I was frightened.
Not whether I knew his reputation.
Whether I wanted him to kiss me.
I nodded.
"Yes."
Dante lifted one hand.
His fingers brushed my cheek.
Then he leaned down.
And kissed me.
It wasn't desperate.
It wasn't possessive.
It was careful.
Warm.
Almost hesitant.
As though a man who had spent his life taking what he wanted had finally found something he was afraid to damage.
I rested my hands against his chest.
For one beautiful moment, the world outside disappeared.
There were no threats.
No secrets.
No dead mothers.
No criminal investigations.
Just Dante.
And me.
When he pulled back, his forehead rested gently against mine.
"I don't know what happens next," he whispered.
"Neither do I."
His hand tightened around mine.
"But I want to find out."
I smiled through my tears.
"Then we will."
That evening, my former manager called.
Gerard.
I almost ignored the number.
But something made me answer.
"Olivia?"
His voice sounded strange.
"Gerard?"
He swallowed.
"I need to apologize."
I frowned.
"For what?"
"For the dinner. For the way I treated you."
I looked toward Dante.
Gerard continued.
"I should have protected you. I didn't."
I was silent.
Then he whispered, "And there's something else."
My stomach tightened.
"What?"
"Mr. Voss's people came back."
I went cold.
"When?"
"This afternoon."
"What did they want?"
Gerard hesitated.
"Security footage."
My heart began pounding.
"From the dinner?"
"Yes."
"Did you give it to them?"
"No."
I closed my eyes in relief.
Gerard continued.
"Then they asked for your employment records."
I sat down.
"What did you do?"
"I told them they'd need to go through the proper legal channels."
I stared at the phone.
Gerard's voice shook.
"Olivia, they threatened to destroy the restaurant."
I felt sick.
"I'm sorry."
"No."
He took a breath.
"I should have done the right thing the first time."
I swallowed.
"Gerard..."
"I saved the recording."
My heart stopped.
"What recording?"
"The security cameras captured Mr. Voss confronting you."
I sat upright.
"Did they capture what he said?"
"Yes."
All of it.
Including the moment Henry Voss spoke about Evelyn Bennett before I had mentioned her name.
I closed my eyes.
"Gerard, you need to contact Naomi Park."
"I already did."
I almost cried.
He continued.
"She arranged for the footage to be preserved. She also told me to call the police if anyone came back."
I nodded.
"Good."
Then Gerard's voice changed.
"Olivia, there's one more thing."
"What?"
"Someone was waiting outside when I left the restaurant."
My stomach tightened.
"Who?"
"I didn't recognize him."
"Did he say anything?"
Gerard hesitated.
"He asked whether you still wore your mother's silver necklace."
I froze.
My eyes moved toward the star hanging against my chest.
"What did you tell him?"
"Nothing."
I stood.
"Gerard, you need to get somewhere safe."
"I am. I'm with the police now."
I exhaled.
"Good."
He took a trembling breath.
"I'm sorry, Olivia."
I swallowed.
"Thank you for calling."
I ended the conversation.
Then turned toward Dante.
His expression had changed.
He'd heard enough to understand.
"Someone is still looking for the necklace," he said.
I nodded.
"But the investigators already found the evidence."
"Then either Sloane doesn't know that, or he believes something else is hidden."
I touched the silver star.
A terrible thought occurred to me.
"What if the necklace itself is evidence?"
Dante frowned.
"What do you mean?"
I unclasped it.
Held it beneath the lamp.
Then examined the back.
The scratches.
The seam.
The tiny hidden pin.
Something looked different.
Near the largest point of the star was a faint marking I'd never noticed.
A tiny symbol.
Not a number.
A crest.
Dante leaned closer.
His expression changed.
"What?"
He carefully turned the pendant.
Then looked at me.
"That's the Voss family emblem."
My stomach dropped.
"Are you sure?"
He nodded.
"Henry uses it on his private stationery. The symbol was part of the original family trust."
I stared at the necklace.
Suddenly, another possibility emerged.
Maybe Evelyn hadn't only hidden financial evidence.
Maybe she'd hidden proof of who I was.
Proof of who Henry Voss was.
And proof of something he was desperate to conceal.
I looked at Dante.
"Why would my mother give me something with his family emblem?"
Before he could answer, Rafael appeared in the doorway.
His expression was grim.
"Boss."
Dante turned.
"What?"
"We've got a problem."
My heart quickened.
"What happened?"
Rafael looked directly at me.
"Naomi's office just contacted us. The original identity records connected to Evelyn Bennett have been requested under a fraudulent court order."
Dante went still.
"By whom?"
Rafael swallowed.
"Someone using Henry Voss's legal counsel's credentials."
I stared at him.
"Why?"
Rafael looked at the necklace in my hand.
"Because a trust established by Henry's father may contain provisions for an acknowledged biological descendant."
My pulse thundered.
Dante's expression hardened.
"How much is involved?"
Rafael hesitated.
"Potentially hundreds of millions in assets."
The room became silent.
I looked down at the silver star.
For years, it had been the only thing I owned that came from my birth mother.
Now it might be connected to a fortune.
A fortune Henry Voss had spent twenty-six years denying me.
And suddenly, I understood why he wasn't simply trying to hide an old murder.
He was trying to erase the daughter whose existence could expose the financial structure he had built his empire around.
But before I could say anything, an alarm sounded somewhere inside the house.
Rafael touched his earpiece.
Then his face drained of color.
"Boss."
Dante turned sharply.
"What?"
"West service entrance. Two vehicles. Men claiming to be federal officers."
My stomach tightened.
"Are they?"
Rafael listened.
Then shook his head.
"Dispatch hasn't confirmed them."
Dante immediately reached for his phone.
"Lock down the house. Call Agent Ellis."
Suddenly, lights flashed beyond the windows.
A loud crash came from the rear courtyard.
Orion sprang to his feet.
His growl filled the room.
Dante grabbed my hand.
"Olivia, stay with me."
Then a voice shouted from outside.
"Federal agents! Open the door!"
Rafael drew closer to the security console.
He looked at Dante.
And whispered the words that made my blood run cold.
"Boss... they're wearing uniforms, but the identification numbers don't match the agency records."
May you like
Then someone smashed the glass in the rear hallway.
And the entire mansion went dark.
