CHAPTER 4 THE WOMAN WHO KNEW MY SECRET
The video ended.
But nobody in the office moved.
The silence was unbearable.
Vanessa Hale's face remained frozen on the tablet screen.
That confident smile.
That perfect makeup.
That look of someone who believed she had finally won.
Damian looked at me.
Not with anger this time.
With uncertainty.
And somehow...
That hurt more.
Because after everything...
A part of me still hoped he would know me.
That he would look at me and say:
"I know you. I know this isn't true."
But he didn't.
"What is she talking about?"
Damian asked quietly.
I looked away.
Because the truth was...
I knew exactly what Vanessa had.
I just never expected her to use it.
Not against me.
Four years ago...
Before Damian.
Before the Cross mansion.
Before the diamonds and the fake smiles.
I was simply Isabella Montrose.
The daughter of Richard Montrose.
A woman born into wealth.
But also born into a family full of secrets.
Because the Montrose name wasn't always respected.
There was a time when people whispered about us.
A time when my father nearly lost everything.
And the reason...
Was because of one person.
My uncle.
"Isabella."
Damian's voice brought me back.
"Who is Vanessa talking about?"
I looked at him.
"My past."
He frowned.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
The question almost made me laugh.
Because coming from him...
It sounded almost cruel.
"Why didn't you tell me your family was stealing from investors?"
He looked away.
Fair.
I turned to my assistant.
"Find out where Vanessa got that information."
She nodded.
But before she left...
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A woman's voice spoke.
"Isabella."
I froze.
Because I recognized it.
"Vanessa."
She laughed softly.
"I knew you'd answer."
"What do you want?"
"What I've always wanted."
A pause.
"To win."
I walked away from Damian.
"You're making a mistake."
Vanessa laughed.
"No."
"I'm finally correcting one."
"You think everyone loves you because you're rich?"
"You think you're better because you were born into money?"
I said nothing.
She continued.
"Do you know what people really say about you?"
"That you married Damian to control him."
"That your entire relationship was a business arrangement."
"That you trapped him."
"You're lying."
"Am I?"
Her voice became quieter.
"Because I have documents."
My stomach tightened.
"What documents?"
"Your father's old court records."
Silence.
"The ones about your family."
I closed my eyes.
Because that was the one thing I never wanted exposed.
"You have ten minutes."
She said.
"Come alone."
"Or tomorrow morning, the entire world learns who Isabella Montrose really is."
The call ended.
When I returned, Damian immediately stood.
"What happened?"
I looked at him.
"Nothing."
He knew I was lying.
"You don't have to protect me anymore."
The words stopped me.
Because that was exactly what I had been doing.
Protecting him.
Even now.
"I don't need your protection."
I answered.
"I need you to decide something."
"What?"
"When everything falls apart..."
"Are you going to believe the people who used you?"
"Or the person who stood beside you for four years?"
He didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
I went to the meeting alone.
The location was an abandoned hotel downtown.
A place that had been closed for years.
When I entered...
Vanessa was waiting.
Of course.
She looked perfect.
She always did.
"You came."
"Show me the documents."
She smiled.
"Still giving orders."
I stepped closer.
"You're not as powerful as you think."
She laughed.
"Actually, Isabella..."
"I think I'm more powerful than you."
She opened a folder.
Inside were old newspaper articles.
Court documents.
Photos.
And one name.
Richard Montrose.
My father.
"You know what your father did?"
Vanessa asked.
I stared at her.
"Be careful."
"No."
She smiled.
"You be careful."
She pushed the documents toward me.
"Because your perfect billionaire family isn't so perfect."
I looked down.
And my blood ran cold.
The documents showed a lawsuit from twenty years ago.
A lawsuit involving fraud.
Hidden accounts.
And a company that disappeared overnight.
"You think you're the hero."
Vanessa whispered.
"But your family destroyed people too."
I looked at her.
"Where did you get this?"
She smiled.
"From someone who knows your family better than you do."
"Who?"
The door behind her opened.
A man walked inside.
Older.
Gray hair.
A familiar face.
My heart stopped.
Because I knew him.
I hadn't seen him in twelve years.
But I would recognize him anywhere.
My uncle.
Adrian Montrose.
The man everyone believed disappeared after betraying my father.
Adrian smiled.
"Hello, Isabella."
My hands tightened.
"You're alive."
"Yes."
Vanessa looked between us.
"You two have a lot to discuss."
I stared at my uncle.
The man who had nearly destroyed my family.
The man who held secrets I had spent years trying to bury.
"What do you want?"
Adrian smiled.
"The same thing everyone wants."
"Power."
Then he placed another file on the table.
"This is the truth about your marriage."
I frowned.
"What?"
He opened it.
Inside was a document with Damian's signature.
My name.
And a date.
A date from before we ever met.
My heart stopped.
Because the document proved something impossible.
Damian Cross knew exactly who I was before he approached me.
He didn't accidentally fall in love with Isabella Montrose.
He chose me.
He targeted me.
Adrian leaned closer.
"The question isn't whether Damian betrayed you."
He smiled.
"The question is..."
"Why did he marry you in the first place?"
For the first time in four years...
May you like
I wondered if Damian Cross had ever loved me at all.
Or if I had only been another piece in someone else's game.
