Chapter 8: The Truth Between Two Betrayers
I read Marcus’s message once.
Then twice.
Then a third time.
Claire, don’t believe anything Olivia tells you. She is the reason your mother died.
The words should have shocked me.
They should have created certainty.
They should have made one person the villain and the other the victim.
But after everything I had learned in the past few hours, certainty was the one thing I no longer trusted.
Everyone had a story.
Everyone had a reason.
Everyone had a version of the truth that made them look less guilty.
I slowly placed my phone face down.
Olivia noticed.
“What did he say?””
I looked at her.
“You already know.””
Her face changed.
A mixture of sadness and fear.
“He blamed me.””
I didn’t answer.
Because I needed to see her reaction.
Not her words.
Her reaction.
“I knew this would happen.””
“What would happen?””
“Marcus would make sure you saw me as the enemy.””
I stared at her.
“Why would he?””
Olivia looked at the photograph between us.
“Because he has been doing it for years.””
My heart tightened.
“You’re saying Marcus is lying?””
“Yes.””
“And you’re telling the truth?””
She looked away.
“I’m telling you my truth.””
That answer bothered me.
Because the truth should not have different versions.
But apparently my entire life had been built on different versions.
I picked up the photograph again.
Marcus.
Younger.
Standing beside my mother.
My father.
Robert Vale.
A man I thought was a trusted legal advisor.
A man who had just helped me expose Daniel.
A man who claimed he wanted to protect me.
And now I was supposed to believe he had been part of this from the beginning.
I felt exhausted.
“Tell me everything.””
Olivia looked surprised.
“What?””
“No more pieces.””
I leaned forward.
“No more half-truths. No more protecting me.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“Okay.””
She took a deep breath.
“Your mother discovered that Robert Vale and Edward Whitmore were working together.””
I frowned.
“But Robert was her partner.””
“He was.””
“Then why betray her?””
“Money.””
The answer was simple.
Always money.
Always power.
“Your mother created something valuable. Something that could change entire industries.””
I looked at the photograph.
“And they wanted it.””
“Yes.””
“What did Marcus have to do with it?””
Olivia looked down.
“Marcus was Robert’s son.””
My breath caught.
“What?””
“He changed his last name years ago.””
“Why?””
“To distance himself from his father.””
I shook my head.
“But why would he help me?””
Olivia hesitated.
“Because guilt is powerful.””
I stared at her.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
“He was young when everything happened.””
“How young?””
“Twenty-two.””
I tried to imagine Marcus at that age.
A young man caught between loyalty and morality.
But that didn’t explain anything.
“What happened?””
Olivia’s voice became quiet.
“Your mother found out Robert had stolen part of her research.””
“And Marcus?””
“He found out too.””
“What did he do?””
Olivia looked at me.
“Nothing.””
The word hurt.
Not because Marcus was guilty.
Because it was believable.
Sometimes people didn’t destroy lives by doing terrible things.
Sometimes they destroyed lives by staying silent.
I looked at my phone.
Marcus’s message remained there.
A warning.
Or a manipulation.
I didn’t know anymore.
“Why did my mother die?””
Olivia went still.
The question had changed everything.
She looked at me carefully.
“Claire…”
“Answer me.””
She swallowed.
“Your mother’s death was not an accident.””
The air disappeared from my lungs.
I knew it.
Somewhere deep inside, I had always known.
But hearing it aloud was different.
“Who?””
Olivia closed her eyes.
“Edward wanted her gone.””
My hands trembled.
“And Robert?””
“Helped.””
I looked down.
My mother.
The woman who raised me.
The woman who taught me how to fight.
The woman whose voice I could still hear when I was afraid.
She had been surrounded by people trying to take everything from her.
And somehow, I had walked into the same trap.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?””
Olivia looked at me.
“Because your mother made them promise.””
“Why?””
“Because she believed the safest place for you was a normal life.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Normal?””
I gestured around.
“At what point was my life normal?””
Olivia didn’t respond.
Because there was no answer.
The café door opened.
Both of us looked up.
A man entered.
My heart stopped.
Not because I recognized him.
Because Olivia did.
She immediately stood.
“No.””
The man looked around.
Then his eyes landed on us.
He smiled.
Not warmly.
Like someone who had finally found something he had been searching for.
“Claire Bennett.””
My body went cold.
Olivia whispered:
“Leave.””
I looked at her.
“Who is he?””
She didn’t answer.
The man stepped closer.
“After all these years, I finally meet you.””
I stared.
“Who are you?””
He smiled.
“My name is Robert Vale.””
The room went silent.
Everything Olivia had said.
Everything my father had said.
Everything Marcus had hidden.
All of it suddenly stood in front of me.
Alive.
Older.
Calm.
Robert pulled out the chair across from us.
“May I?””
Nobody invited him.
He sat anyway.
That told me enough.
People like him never waited for permission.
Olivia moved between us.
“You shouldn’t be here.””
Robert smiled.
“Still protecting her?””
Olivia’s face hardened.
“Still destroying everything?””
His smile disappeared.
Only for a second.
But I saw it.
Pain.
Then anger.
“You don’t understand what happened.””
I stared at him.
“Then explain.””
He looked at me.
And for some reason, that was worse.
Because he looked at me like he had known me forever.
“I knew your mother before you were born.””
“I know.””
“No.””
His voice softened.
“You don’t know anything.””
I almost stood.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
Robert leaned back.
“Because it’s true.””
I hated that.
I hated how everyone seemed to know my life better than me.
“My mother trusted you.””
“Yes.””
“And you betrayed her.””
His face changed.
“I made mistakes.””
“Mistakes?””
My voice rose.
“You destroyed her life.””
His jaw tightened.
“I tried to save it.””
I stared at him.
“What?””
Robert looked at Olivia.
“She didn’t tell you.””
Olivia’s expression changed.
“Don’t.””
He ignored her.
“Your mother wasn’t killed because of my actions.””
“Then why?””
“Because Marcus found out too late.””
The room froze.
I looked at him.
“What are you talking about?””
Robert smiled slightly.
“Ask your precious legal advisor.””
I felt anger rise.
“Stop playing games.””
“I’m not.””
He leaned closer.
“I’m telling you the truth.””
“What truth?””
“That Marcus wasn’t protecting your mother.””
My heart pounded.
“He was protecting the company.””
“No.””
Robert shook his head.
“He was protecting the technology.””
I looked between them.
“Everyone wanted the technology.””
“Yes.””
“Then who got it?””
Robert smiled.
“That’s the question, isn’t it?””
I hated that smile.
“Why are you here?””
“Because you’re finally old enough to understand.””
“To understand what?””
He reached into his coat.
Placed a small device on the table.
A flash drive.
My eyes narrowed.
“What is that?””
“The missing piece.””
Olivia stepped forward.
“No.””
Robert looked at her.
“You know what’s on it.””
Her face went pale.
“What’s on it?””
I asked.
Nobody answered.
Finally, Robert said:
“The final research files your mother hid before she died.””
I stared.
“And you have them?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
“Because your mother trusted me with them.””
Olivia shook her head.
“She hated you.””
Robert looked at her.
“She hated what I did.””
A pause.
“But she knew I was the only person who could keep it away from Edward.””
I looked at the flash drive.
A tiny object.
Holding years of secrets.
“Why give it to me?””
Robert looked directly at me.
“Because you are the only person who can decide what happens next.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
He stood.
“Your mother built a protection system into the technology.””
I remembered the letter.
The person carrying my blood.
Robert continued:
“And that system can only be activated by you.””
I felt a chill.
“So this was always about me?””
“Yes.””
“Daniel.””
“Yes.””
“Olivia.””
“Yes.””
“Marcus.””
His silence answered.
I looked away.
I didn’t want this.
I never wanted this.
I wanted a wedding.
A family.
A simple life.
Instead, I was standing in the middle of a war that started before I was born.
Robert moved toward the door.
“Be careful, Claire.””
I looked at him.
“Why?””
His expression became serious.
“Because the person closest to you is the one who knows how to hurt you the most.””
Then he left.
I stared at the door.
Olivia slowly sat down.
Neither of us spoke.
Finally, she whispered:
“He’s right about one thing.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She looked at the flash drive.
“The person closest to you does know how to hurt you.””
My phone buzzed.
A new message.
From Daniel.
I opened it.
Only one sentence.
*Claire, please come back to the hotel. I know who has been controlling everything from the beginning.*
I stared at the message.
Then at Olivia.
Then at the flash drive.
Three people.
Three stories.
Three versions of the truth.
And somehow, I knew one of them was lying.
May you like
The only question was…
Which one had been lying since the very beginning?
