CHAPTER 3: THE SECRET ABOVE THE CHURCH
"What secret?"
My voice barely came out.
Dad smiled sadly.
"The reason we stayed in that little house."
"The reason I fixed cars every morning."
"The reason your mom agreed to live such a simple life."
He glanced around the church.
"None of it was because we had to."
"It was because we chose to."
I stared at him.
"What are you talking about?"
One of the suited men handed him a tablet.
Dad tapped the screen once.
Every television in the church flickered to life.
A company logo appeared.
Then a list of shareholders.
At the very top...
Harrison Holdings.
Majority Owner.
Next to the name...
Daniel Harrison.
My father.
Gasps echoed through the room.
Someone whispered,
"That's a Fortune 500 company..."
Another guest muttered,
"They own half the commercial buildings in this state."
Ethan's face turned pale.
"No..."
"That's impossible."
Dad looked at him.
"You spent four years trying to impress billionaires."
"You never bothered to learn who was changing your oil."
A nervous laugh spread through the crowd.
Charles wasn't laughing.
His hands were shaking.
He stepped toward my father.
"We can fix this."
"We're family now."
Dad raised an eyebrow.
"Family?"
"You called my daughter your backup plan."
Charles swallowed hard.
"I apologize."
Dad smiled politely.
"Accepted."
Charles let out a breath of relief.
Then Dad added,
"But forgiveness isn't the same as partnership."
The relief vanished instantly.
He turned to one of the men in suits.
"Prepare the documents."
The man nodded.
"Already done, sir."
Charles' voice cracked.
"What documents?"
Dad answered without emotion.
"The papers removing Blackwell Developments from every joint project we fund."
Silence.
Absolute silence.
Madison stared at Ethan.
"You told me he was broke."
Ethan couldn't answer.
She slowly pulled her hand away from his.
"You lied to me."
"I'm carrying your baby!"
"I didn't know!" Ethan shouted.
"I swear!"
She laughed bitterly.
"You didn't know because you never cared enough to find out."
She turned and walked away.
Without looking back.
Ethan rushed after her.
"Madison!"
"Wait!"
She never stopped.
He froze in the middle of the aisle.
Alone.
Exactly where he had left me.
Dad walked over and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You okay?"
I took a long breath.
Then smiled for the first time that day.
"I am now."
I thought the nightmare was finally over.
I really did.
Until Dad's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen...
And for the first time all day...
His calm expression disappeared.
He answered immediately.
"What?"
A long pause.
Then he whispered,
"Don't let them leave the country."
He slowly lowered the phone.
I had never seen fear in my father's eyes before.
He looked straight at me.
"Sophie..."
"This was never just about Ethan."
"There are people behind Charles..."
May you like
"And they're far more dangerous."
The End...
