Chapter 4 - The Real Enemy
I watched my father’s message twenty times.
The same words.
The same warning.
Not Grant.
Then who?
Daniel searched every connection.
Every account.
Every person near us.
The answer came faster than expected.
A name appeared.
Margaret Kingsley.
My aunt.
My father’s younger sister.
The woman who attended my wedding.
The woman who cried when Ellie was born.
The woman who told me:
“You’re carrying the future of this family.”
I stared at the report.
“She knew.”
Daniel nodded.
“She had access to the Bluebird project.”
My stomach tightened.
“What was Bluebird?”
Daniel opened the file.
“It was created to protect Ellie’s inheritance.”
“From who?”
He looked at me.
“Anyone who tried to use her.”
The answer was clear.
Grant wasn’t the beginning.
He was only part of something bigger.
That night, I returned to the Kingsley estate.
The house where I grew up.
The house where my father died.
Margaret was waiting.
She smiled.
“Mara.”
I looked at her.
“Why?”
Her smile disappeared.
“You found the file.”
“Yes.”
Silence.
Then she sighed.
“I was hoping you never would.”
My heart sank.
“You knew.”
“I was trying to protect the family.”
“No.”
I stepped closer.
“You were protecting yourself.”
Her expression hardened.
“You have no idea what’s at stake.”
“Then explain.”
She looked toward the window.
“Your daughter is more important than you understand.”
I froze.
“Ellie?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Margaret turned.
“Because Bluebird was never just an inheritance.”
A pause.
“It was a safeguard.”
“For what?”
Her voice dropped.
“For the future owner of everything.”
Before I could respond…
The mansion alarm activated.
A security alert appeared.
Someone had entered the estate.
Daniel checked the system.
His face changed.
“What?”
He looked at me.
“It’s Grant.”
My blood ran cold.
“He followed me?”
“No.”
Daniel stared at the screen.
“He didn’t come alone.”
The camera showed three people.
Grant.
Vanessa.
And the man standing behind them.
The man who made my father hide Bluebird.
The man whose name appeared in the original file.
Charles Kingsley.
May you like
My grandfather.
A man everyone believed was dead.
