Chapter 10 - The Lie William Used to Own VanessaVanessa stared at the paternity reports without touching them.
Daniel had waited until her attorney arrived.
Miriam sat beside him.
Vanessa's lawyer, Paul Everett, sat opposite.
“You knew Dad told you he was your father,” Daniel said.
Vanessa's face had gone gray.
“Yes.”
“When?”
“I was twenty-four.”
“Before he hired you?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“He contacted me.”
“Why?”
“My mother told him.”
Daniel frowned.
“Your mother had an affair with Dad?”
“Yes.”
“Did she believe he was your father?”
“Yes.”
“Then he tested.”
Vanessa looked at the reports.
“He showed me one test.”
“Which?”
“The first.”
Daniel felt sick.
The inconclusive or incorrect one.
“He told you you were his daughter.”
“Yes.”
“And then hired you.”
“Yes.”
“Did he ever tell you about the second test?”
“No.”
Her voice changed.
Not defensive now.
Broken.
Daniel believed her.
William had known Vanessa wasn't his biological child.
And maintained the lie.
Why?
Vanessa whispered:
“He called me his second chance.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
William's relationship with Daniel had been difficult.
Demanding.
Competitive.
Maybe Vanessa gave him a chance to play generous father without history.
Except generosity came with tasks.
“What did he ask you to do?”
Vanessa looked ashamed.
“Small things first.”
“What?”
“Visit properties. Carry documents. Sit in meetings.”
“Then spy on me.”
“Yes.”
“Did you think I was your brother?”
Vanessa's face crumpled.
That question contained the nightmare.
“Yes.”
Daniel had to look away.
“Then why…”
He couldn't finish.
Her lawyer intervened.
“My client should not discuss personal matters unrelated to any alleged financial offense.”
Daniel laughed in disbelief.
Vanessa said:
“No.”
Her attorney looked at her.
“I'll answer.”
She looked at Daniel.
“I didn't want you when I thought you were my brother.”
Daniel stared.
“Good.”
“When William died, I found paperwork.”
“What paperwork?”
“The second lab invoice.”
Daniel's stomach tightened.
“You knew there was another test.”
“I knew there might be.”
“Did you find the result?”
“No.”
“Then?”
“I asked my mother.”
“What did she say?”
Vanessa wiped her face.
“That William wasn't my father.”
Daniel felt relief mixed with disgust.
“So before anything happened between us…”
“I knew.”
He nodded slowly.
At least that horror wasn't real.
But another remained.
William had used a false paternity story to bind Vanessa to him.
“Why didn't you tell me Dad had spent years calling you his daughter?”
“Because then I would have to tell you everything else.”
“The spying.”
“Yes.”
“The money.”
“Yes.”
“Sarah.”
Vanessa looked down.
Daniel leaned closer.
“When did Sarah find out?”
“About William?”
“Yes.”
“Two months before she died.”
“How?”
“She found the storage boxes.”
“Then she hid them.”
“Yes.”
“Did she confront Dad?”
“He was dead.”
“Did she confront you?”
“Yes.”
“What did you say?”
Vanessa looked toward Miriam.
“I told Sarah I didn't know William had lied.”
“Did she believe you?”
“Eventually.”
Daniel frowned.
Sarah's memo had been suspicious but nuanced.
Maybe Sarah did believe Vanessa about some things.
Vanessa continued.
“She said William had manipulated both of us.”
Daniel almost laughed.
“He did.”
“He made me think I belonged here.”
“You didn't need to be his daughter to belong anywhere.”
Vanessa's eyes flashed.
“You don't understand.”
“No.”
Daniel's voice hardened.
“I understand plenty.”
She shook her head.
“You were born into it.”
“The mansion?”
“The certainty.”
Daniel stared.
“You always knew your name opened doors.”
“That doesn't justify stealing from children.”
“I know.”
“Or starving them.”
Vanessa flinched.
There it was.
Every time the conversation grew abstract, Daniel would bring it back.
Lily.
Noah.
Trash.
Food.
Real harm.
Vanessa started crying.
“I lost control.”
“For three days?”
She said nothing.
“You fired Isabel.”
“Yes.”
“Locked food.”
“Yes.”
“Took Lily's phone.”
“Yes.”
“Made her carry Noah.”
Vanessa whispered:
“She chose to.”
Daniel's face hardened.
Vanessa corrected herself immediately.
“I told her if she wanted to keep checking on him, she could take responsibility.”
“He's one.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Daniel leaned closer.
“You know his age. You did not act like you knew what it meant.”
Vanessa looked down.
“Why?”
She didn't answer.
“Why punish them?”
“I was angry.”
“At me?”
“Yes.”
“Why punish Lily?”
“Because she kept saying Sarah wouldn't do things like that.”
Daniel went silent.
Vanessa's voice cracked.
“Every rule.”
She wiped tears.
“Sarah let me keep snacks in my room.”
“Sarah let me sleep with Noah.”
“Sarah didn't lock this.”
“Sarah didn't say that.”
Daniel felt sick.
“She missed her mother.”
“I know.”
“You heard grief and treated it like disrespect.”
Vanessa cried.
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I couldn't compete with a dead woman.”
Silence.
There it was.
The simplest motive beneath all the money and manipulation.
Sarah could no longer make mistakes.
Could no longer argue.
Could no longer disappoint.
In Lily's memory, Sarah only became more precious.
Vanessa couldn't tolerate it.
Daniel whispered:
“So you tried to make Sarah disappear.”
Vanessa shook her head.
“No.”
“You burned her letters.”
“Yes.”
“Renovated Noah's nursery.”
“Yes.”
“Removed her photographs.”
“Some.”
“You punished Lily for saying her name.”
Vanessa didn't answer.
Daniel stared.
“Then what do you call that?”
Vanessa looked destroyed.
“I thought if they accepted me…”
“You wanted replacement.”
She whispered:
“Yes.”
Daniel stood.
“Sarah warned you.”
“I know.”
“She literally wrote: walk away before you make them pay.”
Vanessa covered her face.
Daniel looked at Paul Everett.
“My wife leaves today.”
The lawyer nodded reluctantly.
“We can discuss temporary residence—”
“No discussion.”
Vanessa lowered her hands.
“Where am I supposed to go?”
Daniel thought of the hidden condo.
“The property my children paid for.”
She flinched.
Good.
Miriam's phone buzzed.
She checked it.
Then looked at Daniel.
“Aaron found something else.”
“What?”
“The condo isn't the only property tied to Harbor North.”
Daniel's stomach tightened.
“Another house?”
“No.”
“A bank account.”
“How much?”
“Three-point-eight million dollars.”
Vanessa stared.
Daniel looked at her.
“That isn't from the children's trust.”
She said nothing.
Miriam continued.
“It came from Merrick Procurement.”
William's shell vendor.
Daniel felt cold.
Vanessa whispered:
“I can explain.”
Daniel almost smiled.
“I'm sure you can.”
The three-point-eight million dollars had not been stolen after Sarah died.
The transfers began while William was alive.
And continued after his death.
Someone else had been moving the money.
Because Vanessa did not control Merrick.
William did.
Unless he had left control to someone.
Daniel looked at the account records.
Authorized signer:
SARAH ROWAN.
May you like
He froze.
His dead wife's name was on the account.
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