Chapter 8: The Man Everyone Forgot
Marcus Hale was the kind of man people remembered.
Not because they liked him.
Because they feared him.
When I was younger, he walked into every room like he owned it.
Expensive suits.
Perfect smile.
A voice that made people listen.
He had been everything I wasn’t.
Confident.
Powerful.
Dangerous.
Emily never liked that side of him.
I remembered the first time she told me about Marcus.
“He doesn’t understand the word no.””
I had laughed.
“Sounds charming.””
She didn’t laugh back.
That should have been my warning.
Now, years later, I was sitting in my car outside an abandoned office building that belonged to one of Marcus’s old companies.
I found the address through Daniel.
He had connections.
He had also warned me.
“Ethan, don’t go alone.””
“I need answers.””
“Answers won’t matter if something happens to you.””
I looked at the building.
“I’m already too late.””
The front door was unlocked.
That bothered me.
A place abandoned for years shouldn’t have an open door.
I walked inside.
Dust covered everything.
Broken furniture.
Old paperwork.
The smell of mold.
Then I heard a voice.
“You always were stubborn.””
I turned.
A man stood in the hallway.
Older.
Gray hair.
But I knew him immediately.
Marcus Hale.
My body went completely still.
“You’re alive.””
He smiled.
“Disappointed?””
“What are you doing here?””
He walked closer.
“I could ask you the same thing.””
My fists tightened.
“You contacted my daughter.””
His expression changed.
“She’s my daughter too.””
The anger inside me exploded.
“No.””
Marcus laughed quietly.
“You really believe that?””
“I know what Emily wrote.””
“Emily lied.””
I stepped forward.
“Careful.””
He smiled.
“There he is.””
“What?””
“The man Emily chose instead of me.””
I stared at him.
“You were obsessed with her.””
“I loved her.””
“You scared her.””
His smile disappeared.
For the first time, I saw something real.
Anger.
“She chose you because you were safe.””
I said nothing.
“She chose you because you were easy.””
My jaw tightened.
“You abandoned her.””
“I was forced away.””
“By who?””
Marcus looked at me.
Then said:
“Vanessa.””
The room became silent.
“What?””
He walked toward a desk.
“You think Vanessa entered your life by accident?””
I didn’t move.
“She knew about Emily. She knew about Lily. She knew about me.””
“How?””
“Because she worked for me.””
My stomach twisted.
“What?””
Marcus opened a drawer.
Inside were files.
Photos.
Documents.
He pulled one out.
“Vanessa wasn’t your future wife.””
He handed it to me.
“She was my insurance policy.””
I looked at the paperwork.
Contracts.
Payments.
Dates.
My hands started shaking.
Vanessa had been receiving money from Marcus.
For years.
“No.””
Marcus watched my reaction.
“She was supposed to get close to you.””
“Why?””
“To find out what Emily had hidden.””
I looked up.
“Why?””
Marcus leaned closer.
“Because Emily took something from me.””
“What?””
His face darkened.
“The truth.””
I stared.
“I don’t understand.””
Marcus looked toward the window.
“Emily discovered what I had done.””
“Done what?””
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he pulled out another file.
Inside was a photograph.
A hospital.
A newborn baby.
And a younger Marcus standing beside a nurse.
My heart stopped.
“What is this?””
Marcus looked at me.
“The night Lily was born.””
I felt the room tilt.
“You were there?””
“Yes.””
“Why?””
He smiled sadly.
“Because Emily was never supposed to leave me.””
Before I could respond, my phone rang.
Daniel.
I answered.
“Ethan.””
His voice sounded urgent.
“You need to get out of there.””
“Why?””
“Because I found out who sent those messages.””
I looked at Marcus.
“Who?””
Daniel paused.
Then said:
“Vanessa.””
I looked back at Marcus.
He was smiling.
Not surprised.
Not afraid.
Like he had been waiting for me to learn that.
And then he said something that changed everything.
“She’s not working for me anymore.””
A cold feeling spread through my body.
“What does that mean?””
Marcus looked toward the door.
“It means Vanessa stopped following orders.””
A second later, the lights went out.
May you like
And in the darkness, Marcus whispered:
“She started making her own plans.””
