The billionaire secrete curse

Nia’s POV “Your father is alive.” Those four words kept ringing in my head. I stared at the message on my phone. I read it again. And again. My hands felt cold. My father had been missing for years. Everyone told me he was gone. But now someone was telling me he was alive. I quickly typed a reply. Who are you? I waited. No answer. I typed again. Where is my father? Still nothing. I stood up from my bed. Something was not right. I looked at the message one more time. There was another message below it. If you want to see him, stay away from Lucien Vale. I frowned. Who was Lucien Vale? And why did this stranger know my father? I rushed out of my room. “Mum!” My mother was in the kitchen. She turned when she heard me. “What happened?” I held up my phone. “Who is Lucien Vale?” The moment I said his name, the cup in my mother’s hand slipped. It fell to the floor. Crash! I stared at her. She didn’t move. “Mum?” Her face had gone pale. “Where did you hear that name?” “Someone sent me a message.” “What message?” I showed her my phone. She read it. Her eyes became wide. “Nia…” “What?” “Delete it.” I shook my head. “No.” “Delete it now.” “Why?” She grabbed my hand. “Because you don’t understand what you’re getting into.” I pulled my hand away. “I only asked about Dad.” She became quiet. “Is Dad alive?” She looked at me. I could see the answer in her eyes. My heart started beating faster. “Mum.” She looked away. “Please.” “Is he alive?” She slowly sat down. For a few seconds, she said nothing. Then she whispered, “I don’t know.” “You don’t know?” “I haven’t seen him in years.” “But someone says he is alive.” “I know.” “Then who is Lucien Vale?” My mother looked at me again. “You need to forget that name.” I stared at her. “Why?” “Because that family is dangerous.” My heart skipped. “What family?” “The Vales.” I had heard the name before. The Vale family was one of the most powerful families in the city. They owned companies. Hotels. Banks. Even a private hospital. But I had never met any of them. Until that day. And I had no idea that one of them would completely change my life. ⸻ Three days earlier… I had been sitting in my room, looking through an old box that belonged to my father. I had been searching for anything that could help me find him. A letter. A photograph. Anything. My mother never wanted me to ask questions about him. Whenever I mentioned his name, she changed the subject. But I couldn’t stop wondering. Where did he go? Why did he leave? Was he really dead? I wanted answers. That was why I opened the old box. There were only a few things inside. An old watch. Some photographs. A notebook. And a small black pendant. I picked up the pendant. It was cold. Very cold. I turned it around. There was a strange symbol carved into the back. I had never seen it before. Then I noticed something underneath the pendant. A photograph. I picked it up. My father was standing beside a young man. I looked closely at the young man. Dark hair. Sharp eyes. A serious face. I had no idea who he was. But there was something strange about him. I turned the photograph around. There were two words written on the back. Lucien Vale. I froze. Lucien Vale. The same name from the message. My heart began to race. I quickly took out my phone and searched his name. The first picture that appeared was the same man from the photograph. Lucien Vale. Twenty-five years old. Billionaire. Owner of Vale Enterprises. But there was something else. People rarely talked about him. And when they did, they always said the same thing. He was mysterious. Cold. And dangerous. I stared at his picture. Why was my father standing beside him? I picked up the pendant again. The moment my fingers touched it, the lights in my room flickered. I dropped it. The lights stopped. I stared at the pendant. My heart was beating fast. “That was strange.” I reached for it again. This time, nothing happened. I put it back in the box. Then I heard my mother calling me. “Nia!” I quickly closed the box. “Coming!” I left my room. But I couldn’t stop thinking about the photograph. Or Lucien Vale. That night, I barely slept. I kept thinking about my father. And the man standing beside him. The next morning, I woke up to a message. Your father is alive. I thought it was a joke at first. Until I saw the second message. Stay away from Lucien Vale. That was when everything changed. Because I had spent years looking for my father. And now someone had finally given me a clue. But they had also given me a warning. A warning I had no intention of following. I didn’t know who Lucien Vale was. I didn’t know what he wanted. And I definitely didn’t know why my father was connected to him. But I was going to find out. Even if my mother tried to stop me. Even if Lucien Vale tried to stop me. I was going to find my father. I picked up my phone and looked at the message again. Then another message suddenly appeared. My heart stopped. He already knows you’re looking for him. I stared at the screen. Then my phone rang. Unknown number. I answered. “Hello?” Silence. Then a man’s calm voice said, “Nia Carter?” “Yes.” “You need to stop searching for your father.” My eyes widened. “Who is this?” The man didn’t answer. Instead, he said, “Because the moment you find him…” There was a short pause. “…you will discover why the Vale family has been watching you.” The call ended. I stood completely still. Watching me? Why would the Vale family be watching me? And what did my father have to do with them? I didn’t know it yet. But I was about to meet Lucien Vale. And he was the one person who could lead me to my father. Or the one person who could make sure I never found him.