chapter 5. A Lie That Change My Life
1086 Words
"Rose... are you certain Michael Bennett is your biological father?"
James's question stole the air from my lungs.
I stared at him, unable to speak.
"What kind of question is that?"
His gray eyes never left mine.
"I'm asking because Victor wouldn't make a claim like that without a reason."
I shook my head.
"No."
My voice trembled.
"You're wrong."
"I've lived with my father my entire life."
"He raised me."
"He loves me."
James nodded.
"I don't doubt that."
"Then why would you even ask?"
Before he could answer, my phone vibrated.
The screen displayed an unknown number.
My heart pounded.
I answered immediately.
"Hello?"
A weak voice came from the other end.
"Rosie..."
"Dad!"
Tears instantly filled my eyes.
"Where are you? Are you okay?"
"I don't have much time."
His breathing was uneven, as if he had been running.
"You must listen carefully."
"I'm coming to get you."
"No!"
His voice suddenly became urgent.
"You must stay with James."
I frowned.
"What?"
"Don't trust anyone else."
"Dad, please tell me where you are."
Before he could answer, another voice interrupted the call.
A man laughed softly.
Victor.
"What a touching reunion."
"You monster!" I shouted.
"What have you done to him?"
Victor ignored me.
Instead, he spoke in a calm, almost amused tone.
"Your father has been keeping a secret for twenty-five years."
My stomach tightened.
"What secret?"
Victor chuckled.
"Ask him why he lied about your mother."
My entire body froze.
"My... mother?"
"You've been asking the wrong questions all your life, Rose."
The line suddenly filled with static.
Then...
The call disconnected.
"No!"
I called the number back.
It was switched off.
The chapel fell silent.
James stepped closer.
"What did Victor say?"
I looked at him with tear-filled eyes.
"He said..."
I struggled to speak.
"...my father lied about my mother."
James remained silent for a long moment.
Then he took the birth certificate from my trembling hands.
"There's only one way to find the truth."
"How?"
"We find your father."
Before I could answer, one of James's security guards rushed into the chapel.
"Mr. Sterling!"
James turned.
"What is it?"
"We traced Victor's last phone signal."
Hope flashed through my chest.
"You found him?"
The guard nodded.
"It came from an abandoned estate outside Manhattan."
James didn't hesitate.
"Prepare the cars."
"Yes, sir."
The guard hurried away.
James turned back to me.
"I'm going."
"I'm coming with you."
"No."
"I won't stay here while my father is in danger."
"It isn't safe."
"I don't care."
James sighed.
"Rose—"
"I've spent my whole life believing I knew who I was."
I wiped away my tears.
"Now someone is telling me my entire life might be a lie."
My voice broke.
"I deserve the truth."
For a moment, James simply looked at me.
Then he nodded.
"Fine."
Relief washed over me.
"But you stay beside me."
"I will."
He reached for my hand.
His fingers intertwined with mine.
"We leave now."
As we walked toward the chapel doors, Evelyn came running down the hallway.
Her face was completely drained of color.
"Mr. Sterling..."
She could barely catch her breath.
"The estate..."
James frowned.
"What about it?"
Evelyn swallowed hard.
"Our surveillance drone just sent back live footage."
"What did it see?"
She looked at me with frightened eyes.
"It saw..."
She hesitated.
"...someone digging a grave."
My heart stopped.
"And the headstone..."
A tear rolled down her cheek.
"It already has your father's name on it."
"The headstone already has your father's name on it."
My blood ran cold.
"What...?"
I stared at Evelyn, praying I had misunderstood her.
She slowly shook her head.
"I'm sorry, Miss Bennett. The drone captured the images just minutes ago."
James took the tablet from her hands.
His expression darkened as he watched the live footage.
An abandoned estate stood in the middle of a dense forest. Rain poured over the old cemetery behind the mansion. Two men were digging a grave while another stood beside a freshly carved headstone.
The name on it read:
MICHAEL BENNETT
My knees buckled.
"No..."
James caught me before I fell.
"They're trying to break you," he said quietly.
"They want you to believe you've already lost."
I looked up at him through my tears.
"But what if they're right?"
"They're not."
"How can you be so sure?"
His voice became firm.
"Because Victor enjoys playing games. If he wanted your father dead, he wouldn't send us an invitation."
Those words gave me a small spark of hope.
"So... he's still alive?"
"I believe he is."
James turned to his security team.
"Prepare the helicopter."
One of the guards hesitated.
"Sir, the weather is getting worse."
"I don't care."
"We're leaving now."
Within minutes, we were on the rooftop helipad.
The wind whipped through my hair as the helicopter blades began to spin.
Thunder rumbled across the dark sky.
James helped me inside before taking the seat beside me.
As the helicopter lifted into the air, I looked down at the glittering lights of Manhattan disappearing beneath the storm.
I closed my eyes and whispered a silent prayer.
Please let my father be alive.
Forty minutes later, the pilot spoke through the headset.
"Mr. Sterling... we've reached the estate."
The helicopter circled above the old mansion.
The property was eerily quiet.
No lights.
No movement.
Only the rain.
James narrowed his eyes.
"It's too quiet."
The helicopter landed in a clearing several hundred yards away.
James stepped out first, his security team surrounding us.
"Stay close," he ordered.
I nodded.
We hurried toward the cemetery.
The freshly dug grave was exactly where the drone had shown it.
The headstone still stood in place.
But...
There was no body.
The grave was empty.
Before anyone could speak, a slow clap echoed through the darkness.
Clap.
Clap.
Clap.
We all turned toward the sound.
A tall man emerged from the shadows, dressed in a black coat.
His smile was calm.
Mocking.
Victor Sterling.
"Welcome," he said with a grin.
"I was beginning to think you wouldn't come."
James stepped in front of me.
"Where is Michael Bennett?"
Victor's smile widened.
"So impatient."
He glanced at me.
"Don't worry, Rose."
"Your father is still alive..."
He paused just long enough to make my heart race.
"...for now."
Then he snapped his fingers.
Powerful floodlights suddenly illuminated the estate.
Dozens of armed men stepped out of the darkness, surrounding us from every direction.
Victor chuckled.
"I never said you could leave."
- Writer
