Chapter 10: The Man Hiding In The Dark
“Samantha.””
The voice came from behind me.
Every muscle in my body froze.
The mansion was completely dark.
No lights.
No security system.
No sound except the ocean crashing against the cliffs outside.
Slowly, I turned around.
A figure stood near the doorway.
My heart stopped.
For one terrifying second, I thought it was the man from the security camera.
My uncle.
The man who had disappeared from my family’s history.
But when lightning flashed through the windows, I saw the truth.
It wasn’t him.
It was Alexander.
He held a small flashlight in his hand.
“Samantha, are you okay?””
I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding.
“I thought…”
“I know.””
His voice was calm.
“But we need to move.””
“What happened?””
“The power was cut manually.””
Everyone gathered in the hallway.
Victoria held onto Charlotte’s arm.
Olivia looked completely different from the confident woman who had welcomed Alexander the night before.
She looked scared.
Daniel stood near the stairs, staring into the darkness.
“He’s here.””
Nobody needed to ask who he meant.
The person who had destroyed our family.
The person who had spent twenty years hiding the truth.
My uncle.
Alexander looked at the guards.
“Check every room.””
They nodded and disappeared.
I looked at Daniel.
“Why would he come here?””
Daniel’s expression was heavy.
“Because he knows I’m alive.””
“And?””
“He knows you know the truth.””
The mansion suddenly felt like it was shrinking.
All my life, I thought the worst thing that could happen was being ignored.
I was wrong.
The worst thing was discovering why.
A few minutes later, the backup generators turned on.
The lights flickered back.
But the fear remained.
Then one of the guards returned.
“Mr. Hayes.””
Alexander turned.
“What?””
“We found something.””
The guard handed him an envelope.
No name.
No address.
Just a symbol drawn in black ink.
Daniel saw it.
His face changed.
“Where did you find that?””
“In Samantha’s room.””
My stomach dropped.
Everyone looked at me.
“My room?””
Alexander opened the envelope carefully.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
He read it silently.
Then his expression hardened.
“What does it say?”” I asked.
He hesitated.
“Alexander.””
Finally, he handed it to me.
The message was short.
*You spent twenty years hiding her.*
*Now watch her discover who she really is.*
At the bottom was a signature.
A name.
*Richard Collins.*
My uncle.
Victoria covered her mouth.
“No…”
Daniel looked furious.
“He wants to play games.””
I looked at him.
“Who is Richard?””
Daniel stared at the paper.
“Your father’s younger brother.””
“Why would he hate me?””
Daniel’s silence answered before his words did.
“Because your father chose you.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“Before everything happened, Daniel changed his will.””
Victoria looked down.
“He left the company shares to Samantha.””
I looked at the paper.
“So Richard lost everything because of me?””
Daniel shook his head.
“No.””
His voice became firm.
“He lost because he believed everything belonged to him.””
A sound came from upstairs.
Everyone turned.
A door slammed.
Alexander immediately moved.
“Stay here.””
“No.””
The word surprised him.
I surprised myself.
“I’m done hiding.””
Alexander looked at me.
For a moment, he didn’t see the girl in the apron.
He saw someone else.
Someone stronger.
“Then stay beside me.””
We moved upstairs together.
The hallway was empty.
Too empty.
The door to the old family office was open.
Victoria stopped.
“That room has been locked for years.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Not anymore.””
Inside, everything had been disturbed.
Old files covered the floor.
Drawers were open.
Someone had been searching.
Then I saw it.
A painting hanging crooked on the wall.
The same painting from my memory.
The hallway.
The red carpet.
My hands started shaking.
“I know this place.””
Daniel looked at me.
“What?””
I touched the painting.
“I’ve seen this before.””
Victoria moved closer.
“Samantha…”
“I was here.””
The memories returned.
A little girl hiding behind a curtain.
A man yelling.
A hand covering my mouth.
Someone whispering:
“Don’t tell anyone.””
I stepped backward.
“I remember.””
Everyone went silent.
“What do you remember?”” Daniel asked.
I closed my eyes.
A face appeared.
Not Richard.
Someone else.
Someone I knew.
Someone who had been standing beside me all my life.
My voice became a whisper.
“The person who told me to stay silent…”
I opened my eyes.
May you like
“It was you, Mother.””
Victoria’s face collapsed.
