Chapter 8: The Secret He Kept to Save Me
For the first time that night, Dominic looked afraid for a reason I didn’t understand.
Not afraid of losing the company.
Not afraid of the board.
Not afraid of the headlines spreading across the internet.
Afraid for me.
And that terrified me more than anything else.
Because I knew Dominic.
Or at least I thought I did.
The man I had spent eleven years with was many things.
Ambitious.
Stubborn.
Proud.
A terrible liar when he was cornered.
But he was never careless with my safety.
That was the one thing that didn’t fit.
“Explain.””
My voice was quiet.
But everyone in the room heard it.
Dominic looked at me.
“Vivienne…”
“No.””
I shook my head.
“Not another half-truth.””
His face tightened.
“I need you to listen.””
A bitter smile touched my lips.
“That’s interesting.””
“What?””
“Because for years, you made sure I didn’t have the information needed to understand anything.””
The words hurt him.
I saw it.
But I didn’t take them back.
Pain was the one thing Dominic had finally earned from me.
He looked down.
Then slowly said:
“The account was created eight years ago.””
Adrian frowned.
“Eight years?””
Dominic nodded.
“Yes.””
“That was after the company became successful.””
“Yes.””
I crossed my arms.
“Why?””
He took a breath.
“Because someone was trying to take control of the company.””
The board members exchanged confused looks.
Richard leaned forward.
“Who?””
Dominic didn’t answer immediately.
That pause told me everything.
He knew.
“Dominic.””
He looked at me.
“Your father’s old business partner.””
My expression changed.
I hadn’t heard that name in years.
Not since my father passed away.
Not since the legal battles over his estate.
“Charles Whitmore?””
Dominic nodded.
A cold feeling moved through me.
Charles had been my father’s closest partner for almost twenty years.
He was the man who attended family dinners.
The man who called me “little Vivienne.””
The man who cried at my father’s funeral.
“You’re saying he wanted to take my company?””
Dominic looked at the board.
“The company was never just mine.””
Nobody spoke.
Because he finally admitted it.
The thing he had spent years hiding.
The company’s foundation.
My investment.
My name.
My role.
Dominic continued.
“After Vivienne invested in the company, Charles believed she controlled too much influence.””
I stared at him.
“Influence?””
He nodded.
“He thought if he controlled me, he controlled the company.””
A strange feeling passed through me.
“So you knew?””
“Yes.””
“You knew someone was targeting me?””
“Yes.””
“And you didn’t tell me?””
His eyes lowered.
The silence hurt.
But this time, it was different.
Because I was starting to understand there were two kinds of silence.
The silence someone uses to protect themselves.
And the silence someone uses because they are afraid.
I still didn’t forgive him.
But I understood.
That was the dangerous thing about understanding someone.
It made anger harder.
“Why?””
His voice became softer.
“Because when I found out, I was too late.””
I didn’t move.
“Too late?””
Dominic nodded.
“Charles had already started moving.””
Adrian stepped closer.
“What does that mean?””
Dominic looked at him.
“He was buying shares through third-party companies.””
Adrian’s expression changed.
“He was trying to create a hostile takeover.””
“Yes.””
“And the account?””
Dominic looked at me.
“It was created as a protective trust.””
I stared.
“For me?””
“Yes.””
“Without telling me?””
He looked away.
“I thought if Charles knew you were aware, you would become his target.””
I laughed softly.
Not because it was funny.
Because it was unbelievable.
“So your solution was to secretly control my assets?””
“No.””
“Dominic.””
My voice hardened.
“You hid money.””
“I protected money.””
“You forged documents.””
His face fell.
“I didn’t forge your signature.””
The room went quiet.
I looked at him.
“What?””
He shook his head.
“Chloe did.””
Everyone looked toward Chloe.
She lowered her eyes.
Dominic continued.
“But I should have stopped it.””
That was the first honest thing he had said all night.
“I thought I could handle everything.””
I stared at him.
“And you couldn’t.””
“No.””
He looked at Sophia.
“I couldn’t.””
The admission was quiet.
But real.
For the first time, Dominic wasn’t trying to defend himself.
He was admitting failure.
Adrian crossed his arms.
“If this is true, why hide the account for eight years?””
Dominic looked at him.
“Because after Charles disappeared from the company, I thought the threat was over.””
“And?””
“It wasn’t.””
The room became silent.
“What do you mean?”” I asked.
Dominic walked toward the table.
He opened his laptop.
His hands were shaking slightly.
He pulled up a file.
“Three months ago, someone accessed the trust records.””
Adrian moved closer.
“Who?””
Dominic looked at the screen.
“I don’t know.””
The answer bothered me.
Because Dominic always knew.
He investigated everything.
He planned everything.
Not knowing scared him.
“Then why didn’t you tell me?””
He looked at me.
“Because the person who accessed it used your information.””
I froze.
“My information?””
“Yes.””
“What information?””
Dominic hesitated.
Then he opened another file.
A security report.
My name appeared.
My old address.
My date of birth.
Private details.
Things only family should know.
My stomach dropped.
“Where did they get that?””
Nobody answered.
Then Adrian spoke.
“How many people had access?””
Dominic looked at him.
“Very few.””
“Who?””
A long silence.
Then Dominic said:
“Family.””
The word felt heavier than everything else.
Family.
I looked around the room.
At Vanessa.
At Ethan.
At Dominic.
At my brother.
At the people connected to my life.
“Who?””
Dominic didn’t answer.
“Dominic.””
His eyes met mine.
“Your mother.””
I stopped breathing.
The room blurred.
“My mother?””
He nodded slowly.
I almost laughed.
Not because I didn’t believe him.
Because it was impossible.
My mother had been gone for six years.
“She’s dead.””
Dominic’s expression changed.
“I know.””
“Then why are you saying her name?””
“Because someone used her old credentials.””
Nobody spoke.
Adrian looked shocked.
“Her credentials?””
Dominic nodded.
“Someone accessed archived family records under her identity.””
A cold chill moved through me.
“So someone is pretending to be my mother?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
Dominic looked at the documents.
“Because whoever it is wants control of what she left behind.””
I looked at the papers.
My mother.
My father.
My inheritance.
My company.
Everything was connected.
Everything I thought was separate was actually part of the same story.
Then Adrian’s phone rang.
He answered.
“Hello?””
His expression changed.
“What?””
Everyone watched him.
“What do you mean she’s there?””
My heart tightened.
He looked at me.
“Vivienne…”
“What?””
He slowly lowered the phone.
“The security team found someone trying to enter the old family archive.””
“Who?””
His face was serious.
“They identified her.””
A pause.
Then:
“It’s your mother.””
Nobody moved.
The room went silent.
Impossible.
Impossible.
Impossible.
The word repeated in my mind.
My mother was dead.
I had attended her funeral.
I had held the flowers.
I had watched the coffin disappear.
But Adrian looked like he had seen a ghost.
“Are you sure?””
He nodded slowly.
“The security footage confirms it.””
My hands went cold.
“That’s impossible.””
Dominic stepped closer.
“Vivienne.””
I looked at him.
His voice was barely a whisper.
“I know.””
“Then tell me.””
I swallowed.
“Tell me who has been using my mother’s identity.””
The doors to the boardroom suddenly opened.
A security officer stood there.
Behind him was a woman.
Older.
Pale.
Trembling.
Everyone froze.
Because she looked exactly like the woman I buried six years ago.
My mother.
She looked at me.
And whispered:
“Vivienne…”
The world stopped.
Then she said the words that changed everything.
“I’m sorry.””
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A pause.
“I was never dead.””
