Chapter 50 The Silence of My Father’s Secrets
DAVID
"Grandpa, why hasn’t he fought for his son's death?" My voice was steady, but my hands clenched at my sides. "He knows the killer, doesn’t he? So why stay silent?"
Grandpa’s eyes darkened. He exhaled slowly, the weight of something unsaid hanging between us.
“I know what you’re thinking, David.” His gaze locked on mine, heavy and filled with regret. “You think I’m a bad father, don’t you?”
I opened my mouth, but no words came. Silence seemed safer than anything I could offer.
“It’s not that I don’t want to fight,” he continued, his voice thick with something deeper. “I have to honor your father’s last wish. And for you... and your mother... I can’t risk losing the two of you too. Not after losing him.”
His face looked drawn, like he was peeling back the layers of an old wound that had never quite healed.
I swallowed hard. "You’re hiding something else, Grandpa."
His gaze flickered, hesitant, before he finally spoke. "I want to save Eden."
My heart thudded in my chest. Eden? My brother? Heat surged through me as I paced across the room, fists tight.
“So, it’s true,” I muttered, each step driving the realization deeper. “Eden’s involved in Dad’s death.”
"David." Grandpa’s voice was calm, almost too calm. "I’ve known for a while. And when I saw you take down Roy, I realized... you're ready. You’re capable of destroying him. But you need to be careful."
I stopped pacing, my eyes narrowing on him. "Why are you trying to save Eden?"
A faint smile tugged at the corners of his lips, as if he expected the question. “I knew you’d ask that.”
Of course, I would. None of this made sense.
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a key, placing it in my hand. It was cold, heavier than it looked.
“What’s this for?” I asked, frowning.
“Your father wanted you to have it. He said to take it from his old steward.”
My brow furrowed. How does he know about the key? That was something only Dad had mentioned in his diary.
“The steward’s dead,” Grandpa added quietly. “He was killed.”
The words hit like a punch to the chest. “Who killed him?”
Grandpa’s eyes held mine, steady and unreadable. “You’ll find out when you open your father’s safe.”
He shifted, leaning heavily on his cane. "The safe... it’s in your father’s secret mansion."
I watched him move toward the door, each step slow and deliberate.
“Grandpa.” My voice stopped him. He turned, meeting my gaze one last time. “Where exactly in the mansion?”
“The study,” he said simply. And then he was gone.
The room felt colder after he left, the air thick with secrets. I gripped the key tightly, my mind racing. Seconds later, I grabbed my car keys and headed for the door.
Outside, my bodyguard stepped forward. “Sir, are you going alone?”
“Yes. Just keep everyone safe. Especially Bella... and her father.” I didn’t wait for a response.
“Yes, sir.” He bowed slightly before stepping back.
The drive to my father’s mansion was a blur of memories and unanswered questions. The steward... dead? How? He looked so alive the last time I saw him. Young. Happy. Now, he was gone, like so many others.
The mansion loomed ahead, a shadow of its former self. Once vibrant and full of life, it now stood like a monument to something lost. As I stepped inside, the stale air greeted me, thick with dust and decay. I coughed, the sound echoing in the emptiness.
The study was just as I remembered silent, untouched, waiting. But I knew better. I moved to the far wall, where a single painting hung crookedly. My fingers brushed against the frame, searching.
Click.
A hidden door creaked open, revealing a narrow passage. I exhaled, the weight of the moment pressing down on me.
Inside, a lone desk stood against the wall. And there it was the safe. The key in my hand felt heavier now, like it knew what I was about to uncover.
I stepped forward, each breath shallow, each heartbeat louder.
Sliding the key into the lock, I paused.
Am I ready for this?
The safe clicked open.