Chapter 10: The Man Behind The Curtain
The archive door shook again.
This time, harder.
The old metal frame rattled against the walls.
Nobody moved.
Not because we were frozen.
Because everyone in that room understood the same thing.
Whoever was outside wasn’t here to talk.
My father stood beside me, his fists clenched.
Richard moved toward the shelves.
Celeste stayed near the desk.
For the first time since I had met her, she wasn’t performing.
No perfect smile.
No calculated confidence.
No clever response.
She was scared.
And that frightened me more than anything else.
“Celeste,” I said quietly.
She looked at me.
“Who is he?””
Her lips parted.
But before she could answer, the lights flickered back on.
The door stopped shaking.
Silence.
A terrible, unnatural silence.
Then a voice came from the hallway.
“Jonathan.””
My father went completely still.
I had never seen that reaction from him.
Not when he discovered Celeste’s betrayal.
Not when he learned about the stolen millions.
Not even when he thought my mother’s death had been connected to something darker.
This was different.
This was recognition.
Fear.
“Dad?”” I whispered.
He didn’t answer.
The door slowly opened.
A man stepped inside.
Older.
Gray hair.
Expensive suit.
Calm expression.
He looked like someone who belonged in boardrooms, not abandoned archives.
But I knew him.
Everyone in my family knew him.
Because he had stood beside us at birthdays.
At charity events.
At my mother’s funeral.
The man who had comforted my father when she died.
The man who had told me everything would be okay.
Victor Ashford.
My grandfather’s younger brother.
My father’s uncle.
And the former chairman of Ashford Global.
My entire body went cold.
“No,” my father whispered.
Victor smiled.
“Hello, Jonathan.””
My father stared at him.
“You’re dead.””
Victor laughed softly.
“I was hoping that rumor would last longer.””
I looked between them.
“What is happening?””
Victor turned toward me.
His eyes studied me carefully.
“You look exactly like your mother.””
I hated hearing that from him.
“What did you do to her?””
His expression didn’t change.
But something behind his eyes did.
Amusement.
“You’re asking the wrong question.””
My father stepped forward.
“Where is my wife?””
Victor looked at him.
“Still protecting the past, aren’t you?””
“Answer me.””
Victor sighed.
“Your problem has always been emotion.””
The insult was so casual that it made my stomach turn.
“You had everything,” Victor continued.
“A company. A family. Power.””
He looked around the archive.
“And you wasted it because you wanted to be honorable.””
My father’s voice became dangerous.
“You used me.””
Victor smiled.
“No.””
He walked closer.
“I used your name.””
The words landed heavily.
I understood then.
My father wasn’t the mastermind.
He was the shield.
The public face.
The man everyone trusted.
Victor had hidden behind him.
“Celeste,” I said.
She looked away.
That was all I needed.
“You worked for him.””
Victor smiled.
“She was useful.””
Celeste’s jaw tightened.
“I had my own reasons.””
“Of course you did.””
Victor looked at her with disgust.
“You always wanted more than your position allowed.””
The anger on Celeste’s face was immediate.
For once, someone had stripped away her control.
“You promised me protection.””
“And I gave you opportunity.””
“You promised I would have everything.””
Victor laughed.
“You almost did.””
I watched them.
Two people who thought they were partners.
But Victor never saw anyone as an equal.
Only tools.
I stepped forward.
“You ordered my mother’s death.””
Victor looked at me.
“No.””
The answer came too quickly.
I didn’t believe him.
“I didn’t order anything.””
“Then explain.””
He looked at Richard.
Richard went pale.
Victor smiled.
“Ah.””
That single word told me something.
“You know.””
Richard looked away.
Victor continued.
“Your mother was smarter than all of you.””
My hands tightened.
“Don’t talk about her.””
“She discovered the accounts. She discovered the network.””
His expression darkened.
“She also discovered the one thing that could destroy us.””
“What?””
Victor looked at me.
“You.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Your mother hid evidence in a place nobody would search.””
My father stared.
“She hid it with Evelyn.””
“No.””
Victor smiled.
“She hid it because she knew her daughter would grow up understanding the difference between right and wrong.””
I felt sick.
My mother had known.
She had known there was danger.
She had known I might one day need to uncover the truth.
“But she made one mistake,” Victor said.
“What?””
“She trusted people.””
The room went quiet.
Then Richard spoke.
“Enough.””
Everyone looked at him.
His face had changed.
The guilt was gone.
Only anger remained.
“You destroyed her life.””
Victor looked amused.
“And you helped me.””
My father turned toward Richard.
The pain on his face was immediate.
Richard looked down.
“I was young.””
“You were forty.””
“I was afraid.””
Victor smiled.
“Fear is the easiest thing to control.””
I stared at Richard.
“How much did you know?””
Richard swallowed.
“Enough.””
The answer hurt.
More than I expected.
Because I had wanted him to be innocent.
A mistake.
A victim.
But he wasn’t.
He had been part of it.
Not the leader.
But part of it.
My phone suddenly buzzed.
Everyone looked at me.
Another message.
Unknown number.
This time, there was an attachment.
A video.
I opened it.
The screen showed my mother.
Alive.
Sitting in a room.
Speaking directly to the camera.
My breath stopped.
Her voice filled the archive.
“If you’re watching this, then they found what I hid.””
My knees almost gave out.
My mother looked older than I remembered.
Tired.
But alive.
She looked straight into the camera.
“Evelyn, if you found this, I need you to listen carefully.””
The video paused.
Buffering.
Then a final line appeared.
*File corrupted. Continue from original source.*
Victor smiled.
“You see?””
He looked at me.
“Your mother always knew how to create a mystery.””
I stared at the screen.
“Where is the rest?””
Victor stepped closer.
“I know where.””
I looked up.
“And you’re going to tell me?””
“No.””
His smile returned.
“Because now you’re going to find it yourself.””
Then the archive lights went out again.
May you like
And when they came back…
Victor Ashford was gone.
