Chapter 4 - The Mother Who Came Back With a SecretRachel arrived two days later.
Daniel opened the door.
She stood there holding a suitcase.
For a moment, neither spoke.
She looked older.
Softer.
Sadder.
“Hi, Daniel.”
He stepped aside.
“Come in.”
Rachel entered.
Her eyes immediately found the photographs of Lily.
“She grew up.”
Daniel nodded.
“She did.”
Rachel looked at him.
“I owe you an explanation.”
“You owe Lily one.”
“I know.”
She sat.
Daniel remained standing.
“Why did you leave?”
Rachel's eyes filled with tears.
“Because they threatened you.”
“Who?”
“Richard Blake.”
Daniel's face hardened.
“He paid you?”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
“Two hundred and fifty thousand.”
Daniel stared.
“I never touched the money.”
“Where did it go?”
“I put it in an account for Lily.”
Rachel looked down.
“I never spent it.”
Daniel's anger softened slightly.
“What did Blake threaten?”
“He said if I stayed, you would lose everything.”
“Why would he care?”
“Because Marcus was working for him.”
Daniel understood.
Marcus had not stolen from Daniel.
He had been sent to sabotage him.
The first company.
The first contracts.
The investor.
Everything.
It had been engineered.
Richard Blake had wanted Daniel out of the industry.
Why?
Rachel finally told him.
“Your original software model.”
Daniel frowned.
“What about it?”
“Richard wanted it.”
Daniel remembered.
His first prototype had been revolutionary.
A logistics prediction system capable of reducing shipping costs dramatically.
Richard Blake had offered to buy it.
Daniel refused.
Then the sabotage began.
Rachel continued.
“He wanted your technology for his company.”
“And Marcus?”
“Was supposed to steal it.”
Daniel sat down.
All these years, he had thought his success came from surviving failure.
Now he realized his failure had been manufactured.
His phone rang.
Ethan.
Daniel answered.
“What?”
“Your mother is sick.”
Daniel froze.
“What?”
“She's at the hospital.”
Daniel immediately stood.
Rachel looked up.
“What's wrong?”
“I don't know.”
He grabbed his coat.
But before he left, another message arrived.
A photograph.
His mother lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
And beneath it:
STOP DIGGING.
Daniel's face became expressionless.
Rachel whispered:
“They know.”
“Yes.”
“They're afraid.”
Daniel looked at her.
“No.”
May you like
He picked up his keys.
“They're desperate.”
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