The CEO' Secret( Heiress)

Amara couldn't take her eyes off the photograph. The young man beside her mother had the same eyes she had seen in her own reflection countless times. Marcus Vale. Her father. Alive. She looked at Adrian. "How can someone disappear for twenty-two years and still be alive?" "People disappear when they have a reason to." "Or when someone makes them disappear." Adrian's expression became serious. "That's possible." Amara looked at the photograph again. "Then we find him." Daniel picked up the notebook Adrian had found in the study. "There may be a way." He opened it to the page containing Marcus's name. Below the name was a series of numbers. "What are those?" Amara asked. "Could be an account number," Adrian said. Daniel shook his head. "I don't think so." He studied the numbers carefully. "They look like coordinates." Adrian took the notebook. "Can you trace them?" "I'll try." Daniel pulled out his phone and began working. A few minutes passed. Then he looked up. "I have a location." Amara stepped closer. "Where?" Daniel showed them the screen. It was a small coastal town several hours away. Amara's heart raced. "He's there?" "We don't know," Daniel said. "But someone using the name Marcus Vale rented a property there six months ago." "Six months?" Adrian nodded. "That means he may have returned recently." Amara's mind filled with questions. Why had he returned? Why now? Did he know about her? Had he been searching for her? "Let's go," she said. Adrian looked at the clock. "It's late." "I don't care." "You should." Amara frowned. "You don't understand." "I understand more than you think." Adrian's voice softened. "You've spent your entire life without answers. I won't let you rush into a situation without knowing what we're walking into." Amara stared at him. For a moment, neither spoke. Then she nodded. "Tomorrow morning." "Tomorrow." --- The next morning, they left before sunrise. The journey was quiet. Amara sat in the back seat while Adrian worked on his laptop. She kept looking at the photograph. Eventually, she asked the question that had been troubling her. "Why did my mother tell me not to trust the Blackwoods?" Adrian closed his laptop. "I don't know." "Your father wrote that he wanted to protect me." "Yes." "But my mother believed your family was dangerous." "Maybe she wasn't talking about my father." Amara looked at him. "What do you mean?" "My father had enemies." "Business enemies?" "Some." Adrian paused. "And some were much closer." Before Amara could ask another question, Daniel's phone rang. He answered. "Hello?" He listened. His expression changed. "What happened?" Daniel ended the call. "The property has been abandoned." Amara's heart sank. "When?" "According to the owner, two days ago." Adrian looked at him. "Did anyone see Marcus?" "The owner said a man rented the house under the name Marcus Vale. But he left suddenly." "Any idea where he went?" Daniel shook his head. "No." Amara stared through the window. They were getting close. And once again, someone had disappeared before they could reach him. --- When they arrived at the property, the house looked deserted. The front door was unlocked. Adrian entered first. Amara followed. Inside, there was almost nothing. A chair. A table. Several empty shelves. Then Amara noticed something on the wall. A photograph. She walked toward it. It was a picture of Elena. Her mother was standing beside a young Marcus. But this photograph was different. Elena was holding a baby. Amara. Underneath the photograph was a handwritten message. I NEVER STOPPED LOOKING FOR YOU. Amara's eyes filled with tears. "He knew about me." Adrian stood beside her. "He did." Amara touched the photograph carefully. "Why didn't he come for me?" "I don't know." She turned toward him. "Maybe my mother kept me away from him." "Maybe." "Or someone else did." Adrian nodded. "That's what we need to find out." Daniel called from another room. "Mr. Blackwood!" They hurried toward him. He was standing beside a desk. "I found this." He held up a small envelope. Amara recognized the handwriting immediately. Her mother's. She opened it with trembling hands. Inside was a single page. Marcus, If you are reading this, then you survived. I need you to stay away from Amara until she is old enough to understand what happened. There are people watching us, and I cannot risk them finding her. Amara stopped reading. Her eyes moved to the final paragraph. When the time comes, tell her the truth about her father. But do not tell her who betrayed us until you know whom you can trust. Amara lowered the letter. "Who betrayed them?" Adrian looked at the page. "We need to find Marcus." A noise suddenly came from outside. Everyone turned. A car had stopped near the property. The engine remained running. Adrian moved toward the window. The vehicle was familiar. Amara stared at it. "That's the same car from the archive." The driver's door opened. A man stepped out. He looked toward the house. Then he raised his head. Amara couldn't see his face clearly. But she knew one thing. He wasn't there by accident. Adrian quietly moved away from the window. "Daniel, lock the doors." Amara's heart began pounding. The stranger started walking toward the house. Then Adrian's phone vibrated. A message appeared. You found Marcus's house. A second message followed. Now you will understand why he disappeared. Amara looked at the door. The footsteps outside stopped. Someone was standing on the other side. Then came a knock. Three slow knocks. And a man's voice spoke from outside. "Amara?" She froze. She knew that voice. She had heard it before. Not recently. Not in person. But in an old recording her mother had once played for her when she was a child. It was the voice of the man she had spent twenty-two years wondering about. Her father. "Amara," the voice repeated. "Open the door."