CHAPTER 6 THE MAN WHO STOLE TWO FAMILIES
The entire building went silent.
Not normal silence.
The kind of silence that comes right before disaster.
Every screen inside Montrose Tower showed the same image.
Adrian Montrose.
My uncle.
The man who disappeared for twelve years.
The man who returned claiming he was here to expose the truth.
Now he was standing in front of millions of viewers.
Smiling.
---
"Tonight," Adrian said calmly, "America will finally learn the truth about the Montrose family."
Behind him were documents.
Old records.
Financial reports.
Photos.
Everything designed to make him look like a man revealing a terrible secret.
But I knew something was wrong.
Because people who tell the truth don't usually enjoy watching someone else's life collapse.
---
Damian stood beside me, staring at the screen.
"He planned this."
I looked at him.
"You knew?"
He shook his head.
"No."
His voice was quiet.
"But I know your uncle."
A pause.
"He doesn't expose people."
"He destroys them."
---
On the screen, Adrian continued.
"For decades, the Montrose family built an empire by hiding crimes behind expensive lawyers and powerful connections."
The crowd watching the broadcast began reacting online.
News channels immediately picked up the story.
Social media exploded.
The same people who praised me yesterday...
Were questioning me today.
---
Adrian looked directly into the camera.
"And the person who inherited that empire..."
"Is my niece."
A picture of me appeared.
Isabella Montrose.
CEO.
Billionaire heiress.
Damian's wife.
---
"She pretends to be a victim."
"But she has always known the truth."
The words hit hard.
Because they sounded believable.
That was Adrian's talent.
He didn't need a perfect lie.
He only needed a small piece of truth.
Then he built a weapon around it.
---
My assistant rushed into the room.
"Ms. Montrose."
Her face was pale.
"The board members are calling."
"Several investors are requesting emergency meetings."
"Some are asking for your resignation."
I closed my eyes.
Exactly what Adrian wanted.
Chaos.
---
Damian looked at me.
"What are you going to do?"
For a second...
I almost laughed.
Because four years ago, I would have expected him to know.
I would have expected him to stand beside me without hesitation.
But after everything...
Trust was no longer automatic.
---
"I don't know."
The words surprised even me.
Because Isabella Montrose was supposed to have every answer.
The perfect daughter.
The perfect businesswoman.
The woman who never broke.
But I was tired.
I was hurt.
And for the first time...
I admitted it.
"I don't know."
---
Damian stepped closer.
"Then let me help."
I looked at him.
"Why?"
The question came out sharper than I intended.
"Because you feel guilty?"
"No."
"Because you want to protect your company?"
"No."
His eyes met mine.
"Because I love you."
---
The room became quiet.
I wanted to believe him.
God, I wanted to.
But love had already hurt me once.
---
"You loved me when you thought I was useful."
Damian flinched.
"No."
"You married me because of my name."
"That was the beginning."
He swallowed.
"But it wasn't the ending."
---
Before I could answer...
My father's emergency call came through.
I answered immediately.
"Dad?"
His breathing was heavy.
"Isabella, listen carefully."
"Adrian has activated the old files."
My blood ran cold.
"What files?"
A pause.
"The files about your grandfather."
---
I frowned.
"What about him?"
My father became quieter.
"Your grandfather wasn't the victim everyone believed."
I froze.
"What are you saying?"
"Adrian wasn't the only person hiding something."
---
The line went silent for a moment.
Then my father said:
"The Montrose empire was built on a secret agreement."
"An agreement between your grandfather and the Cross family."
I looked at Damian.
He heard it too.
---
"What agreement?"
My father answered:
"The two families weren't enemies."
"They were partners."
---
Everything stopped.
Partners?
For generations, everyone believed Montrose and Cross were rivals.
Two powerful families competing for control.
But the truth was something else.
---
"They created the rivalry."
My father continued.
"It was an illusion."
"Why?"
"Because together, they controlled everything."
---
I stepped back.
"No."
My father sighed.
"I'm sorry, Isabella."
"There is more."
---
I gripped the phone tighter.
"What more?"
His voice became painful.
"Your mother didn't die in an accident."
Silence.
The world seemed to disappear.
"What?"
"Adrian was involved."
---
I couldn't speak.
My mother.
The woman whose death I had accepted my entire life.
The woman I thought I lost forever.
---
On the screen, Adrian continued his broadcast.
But now I wasn't listening.
Because I finally understood.
This wasn't about Damian.
This wasn't about the company.
This wasn't about revenge.
This was about a secret buried by both families.
A secret someone had killed to protect.
---
Damian looked at me.
"Isabella..."
I looked at him.
For the first time since everything started...
We were standing on the same side.
Not husband and wife.
Not Cross and Montrose.
Just two people who had been manipulated by the same enemy.
---
Then every phone in the room received the same message.
From an unknown number.
A video attachment.
The title:
"THE NIGHT ISABELLA MONTROSE'S MOTHER DIED."
---
My hands shook.
Damian noticed.
"Don't watch it alone."
I looked at him.
"Why?"
His answer was simple.
"Because whatever is on that video..."
"It changes everything."
---
I pressed play.
The screen went dark.
A woman appeared.
My mother.
Alive.
Twenty years younger.
Terrified.
And standing beside her...
Was Adrian.
---
Then my mother's voice whispered:
"Adrian, if anything happens to me..."
"Make sure Isabella never knows the truth."
---
The video froze.
And one final message appeared:
"YOUR MOTHER DIDN'T DIE BECAUSE OF AN ACCIDENT."
"SHE DIED BECAUSE SHE FOUND OUT WHO REALLY OWNED THE EMPIRE."
---
I looked at Damian.
He looked back at me.
And for the first time...
We both understood.
May you like
The enemy wasn't outside our families.
It had been inside them all along.
