Chapter 155

Chapter 155

Seraphine's POV

I'd lived in that house for so many years, and I never knew I had an uncle serving a life sentence.

Strange.

Even if this uncle was a criminal—a family disgrace—the Whitaker family couldn't have kept him a complete secret all these years.

Using the address Heath provided, I arrived at the prison and requested to see Upton Whitaker.

A guard led me to a waiting room.

Upton arrived quickly.

The moment he saw me, suspicion and wariness clouded his face. "Who are you? I've been locked up in this place for years. No one's ever visited me. Why are you here?"

I was startled.

No one visited Upton? I'd assumed Heath would have come at least once.

This was his own brother.

I leaned in, studying Upton's face.

He did resemble Heath—definitely brothers.

But prison had clearly been hell for him. He looked even more haggard and worn than Heath.

I gestured toward the chair across from me. "Please, sit."

Once he settled in, I introduced myself. "I'm Seraphine Whitaker. Your niece. Heath Whitaker's daughter. I'm here because I need to know what really happened between the Whitaker family and the Stewart family all those years ago. Can you tell me?"

Upton's expression shifted instantly.

He stared at me, eyes burning with resentment—no trace of joy at seeing family. "Now that Octavius is coming after you people, you suddenly want my help? Forget it. I'm not taking the fall for you again!"

I froze.

Taking the fall?

Upton grew more agitated, slamming his hand on the table. "I've been rotting in this prison for years while you all enjoyed the benefits—sacrificing me to save yourselves! And now you want me to testify? Octavius is already at your door. You think my testimony will mean anything?"

I seized on his words. "What do you mean, 'enjoyed the benefits' and 'sacrificed you'? I may be Heath's daughter, but Octavius and I are engaged now. I'm not here to defend the Whitaker family. I just want the truth. Please, tell me everything that happened. Will you?"

Upton blinked, studying me with disbelief. "You'd abandon your own family for Octavius?"

I didn't see what was so shocking about that. "Of course. I'm not even Heath's biological daughter. Why should I care about a father I share no blood with?"

"The only thing I won't give up is my future lifestyle. Once I'm Mrs. Stewart, I'll have more money than I could ever spend. Why would I care about Heath? Just tell me the truth."

I played the part of someone who cared about nothing but her future as a rich man's wife—someone who'd throw the Whitaker family under the bus without a second thought.

Upton laughed.

He shook his head. "Never thought I'd see the day Heath gets betrayed by his own daughter."

I shot him an impatient look. "Are you going to tell me what happened or not? What's the real story?"

Upton's laughter faded. He met my eyes and shrugged. "Simple. Years ago, my father—your grandfather—found out the Stewart family was in trouble."

"Their daughter, Raina—Octavius's mother—wasn't happy in her marriage."

"Raina's father was getting old, couldn't manage the company like he used to. And when he found out his son-in-law was cheating, he was furious. Spent all his time fighting with the Capulet family over it."

I quietly pressed the record button on my phone in my pocket, capturing every word.

"We decided to strike while the Stewarts were distracted. While Raina and her father weren't paying attention to the business, we swooped in and stole their partners."

"Investors, collaborators—everyone left. The Stewart family's company took massive losses."

Pride flickered in Upton's eyes as he spoke.

I watched him calmly. "And then?"

"And then we succeeded. We walked away with a fortune. But when it all came to light, my selfish father decided to protect everyone else's interests by throwing me to the wolves. He made me the scapegoat—the greedy villain who destroyed the Stewart family for personal gain." Upton clenched his fists, hatred and bitterness burning in his eyes. "I got sentenced to prison. But by then, the Stewart family's business was gone. Raina's father got so angry and heartbroken that his health collapsed. As for Raina—between the company going bankrupt and her miserable marriage, she fell into depression. She didn't last much longer after that."

"Our family took everything they had. Built a company. Grew it step by step until we had that massive corporation."

"I only took the fall to protect my wife and daughter—so they could live comfortably abroad. You think I'd be stupid enough to rot in here while the rest of you lived it up?"

Every sentence dripped with contempt.

His words hit me like a freight train.

On my way here, I'd imagined a dozen different scenarios.

But I never dreamed my father was not only involved in what happened to the Stewart family—he'd been lying to me this whole time.

He thought his "good brother" had taken the fall years ago and would never talk.

But Upton did talk. In detail.

I didn't doubt this was the truth.

With his wife and daughter out there, he wouldn't dare lie and stir up more chaos for the Whitaker family.

I decided to test him one more time, fixing him with a hard stare. "You know what? Before I came here, I tracked down your wife and daughter. Swear on their lives that what you're telling me is true. If you're lying, you can take your chances."

Upton's face went white.

I leaned back, smiling faintly. "They're in my hands now. If you don't believe me, I can have someone send you photos of them living their lives abroad tomorrow. This is your last chance to change your story. Is what you told me the truth or not? If it's not, you'll deal with the consequences."

Upton's expression turned ugly, his eyes filled with loathing and hatred. "You're just like your father—cunning, manipulative, completely untrustworthy!"

I smiled. "So what? I'll use any means necessary to get the truth. So you'd better tell me the facts. Or is this already the whole truth?"

"Of course it's the truth!" Upton said coldly. "You should believe me. After all, you're holding my wife and child's lives in your hands."

I said nothing.

How could I not believe him?

No one's words could be more credible than Upton's right now.

So that's how it was.

Everything finally had an answer.

I finally understood what happened all those years ago.