Chapter 8: The Man Who Didn’t Know
Adrian looked devastated.
He turned toward his mother.
“Is any of this true?”
Victoria said nothing.
“Mother!”
Her expression hardened.
“Everything I did was for this family.”
Adrian stepped backward.
“No.”
She moved toward him.
“Adrian, darling, listen—”
“Did you steal Eleanor’s company?”
Victoria’s eyes flashed.
“Eleanor was reckless!
She didn’t understand how business worked!”
My mother laughed bitterly.
“I built the company you inherited.”
Victoria turned toward her.
“You abandoned it!”
“I was nearly killed!”
Victoria fell silent.
Adrian looked at me.
His eyes were filled with pain.
“Emma, I swear I never knew.”
I believed him.
Because his devastation was real.
He looked toward the guests.
Then back at me.
“I’ll help you uncover everything.”
I swallowed.
“Even if it destroys your family?”
His voice cracked.
“The woman I love is my family.”
My heart broke.
Not because I doubted him.
But because I knew that loving him could no longer make this nightmare disappear.
Then Mercer spoke.
“There’s something we haven’t discussed.”
He pointed toward the embroidery on my gown.
“The golden key.”
I looked down.
“What about it?”
“That symbol appears on the original Vale family trust documents.”
My mother froze.
“Daniel…”
He swallowed.
“If the dress contains what Isabelle intended, there’s another compartment beneath the corset.”
Claire stepped forward.
“Emma, let me help.”
Together, we found a tiny concealed pocket sewn beneath the inner lining.
Inside was a small metal key.
And a folded piece of paper.
I opened it.
A bank deposit number.
A signature.
And one sentence:
SHE STOLE THE COMPANY, BUT SHE NEVER FOUND THE ORIGINAL TRUST.
