The room seemed to hold its breath.
Lina stood beside Adrian, unable to take her eyes off the man standing at the bottom of the stairs.
Daniel Hart.
Her uncle.
The man who had been declared dead seventeen years ago.
The man who had just walked back into her life as if he had never left.
Adrian's hand found Lina's.
He squeezed it gently.
Daniel noticed.
His eyes dropped to their joined hands.
Then he smiled.
"So this is him."
Adrian didn't answer.
Daniel took one step forward.
"Adrian Cole, isn't it?"
Adrian's expression hardened.
"How do you know my name?"
Daniel chuckled.
"I know a lot more than your name."
Lina's stomach twisted.
"How?"
Daniel looked at her.
"Because I've been watching."
Her mother's face went pale.
"Daniel, stop."
He turned toward her.
"You still tell people what to do."
"I told you to stay away from my daughter."
"Your daughter?"
Daniel laughed bitterly.
"That's interesting."
Lina frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Her mother immediately looked at her.
"Lina, don't listen to him."
"Why?"
"Because he's lying."
Daniel shook his head.
"I'm not."
He reached into his jacket and pulled out another photograph.
He held it up.
Lina stared.
It showed her father.
But this time, he wasn't standing beside Daniel.
He was holding a baby.
Lina.
She recognized the blanket.
The tiny face.
The hospital room.
Her heart pounded.
"Where did you get that?"
Daniel's expression softened.
"I was there."
Lina's eyes widened.
"You knew me?"
"I knew you before you knew yourself."
Her mother stepped between them.
"Enough."
Daniel's eyes darkened.
"You lied to her for seventeen years."
"I protected her."
"You stole my family."
"You destroyed it!"
Her mother's voice echoed through the room.
Silence followed.
Lina looked between them.
"What happened?"
Neither answered.
"Mom."
Her mother closed her eyes.
"Your father and Daniel were partners."
Lina swallowed.
"In what?"
Daniel answered.
"Business."
Her mother shook her head.
"Not ordinary business."
Daniel smiled.
"Your mother always liked making things sound worse than they were."
"You were involved in illegal dealings," her mother snapped.
Daniel's smile disappeared.
"And your husband wasn't innocent either."
Lina's eyes widened.
"My father?"
"He knew everything."
"No."
Daniel looked at her.
"Your father wanted out."
Her mother whispered, "Daniel..."
"He wanted to leave everything behind. The business. The money. The people."
"And you wouldn't let him."
Daniel's eyes hardened.
"No."
Lina's voice trembled.
"What happened to him?"
Daniel didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he looked at her mother.
"Tell her."
Her mother looked down.
"Lina..."
"Tell me."
Tears filled her mother's eyes.
"Your father discovered that Daniel had been keeping records of everything."
"What records?"
"Names. Transactions. People involved."
Daniel interrupted.
"And your father took them."
Lina looked at him.
"Why?"
"To protect you."
Her breath caught.
"Me?"
Daniel nodded.
"Your father knew they would come after you if those records disappeared."
"So he took them."
"Yes."
Lina's mother continued.
"And Daniel found out."
Daniel's expression became cold.
"Your father tried to run."
"And the accident?"
Daniel looked away.
"Wasn't an accident."
Lina stopped breathing.
Adrian's grip tightened around her hand.
"Then what was it?"
Daniel looked directly at Lina.
"Your father was killed."
The words shattered something inside her.
"No."
Her mother began crying.
"I wanted to tell you."
"When?"
Her voice rose.
"When I was thirty? Forty? When was I supposed to find out that my father didn't die in an accident?"
"I'm sorry."
Lina pulled her hand away from Adrian.
"Don't."
Her mother flinched.
"You lied to me."
"I was afraid."
"You lied!"
Lina's voice broke.
"I spent my entire life believing he died because of an accident!"
"I was trying to keep you safe."
"And it worked?"
Her mother had no answer.
Daniel stepped forward.
"Your mother wasn't the only one who lied."
Lina turned toward him.
"What do you mean?"
Daniel reached into his pocket.
He pulled out a small black flash drive.
"Your father left something behind."
Her eyes fixed on it.
"What is that?"
"Everything."
Adrian stepped forward.
"Give it to her."
Daniel smiled.
"You're protective."
"She's not alone."
Daniel looked at him carefully.
"You really care about her."
Adrian didn't hesitate.
"Yes."
Daniel's expression became unreadable.
"Then you should know something."
Adrian frowned.
"What's that?"
Daniel looked at Lina.
"Anyone close to her becomes a target."
Lina's heart sank.
"Are you threatening him?"
"No."
Daniel's voice was calm.
"I'm warning him."
A sudden noise came from outside.
Everyone turned.
The front door opened.
Vanessa walked inside.
Lina's eyes widened.
"Vanessa?"
Adrian looked stunned.
"What are you doing here?"
Vanessa didn't answer.
She looked at Daniel.
Daniel nodded slightly.
Lina's stomach dropped.
"You know him?"
Vanessa finally looked at her.
"I do."
Adrian stepped between them.
"What's going on?"
Vanessa's face showed hesitation.
Then she said quietly—
"I didn't know it would go this far."
Lina stared at her.
"What did you do?"
Vanessa's eyes filled with tears.
"I only wanted to find out what he knew about you."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"You gave him information."
Vanessa looked down.
"Yes."
Lina felt betrayed.
"Why?"
Vanessa looked at Adrian.
"Because I was jealous."
Silence.
"I thought if I found something bad about Lina, Adrian would finally see that she wasn't right for him."
Adrian shook his head.
"Vanessa..."
"I was wrong."
Daniel laughed softly.
"You were useful."
Vanessa turned toward him.
"You said you wouldn't hurt her."
"I never promised that."
Her face changed.
"You lied to me."
Daniel smiled.
"Welcome to the family."
Vanessa stepped backward.
Lina stared at her.
"You gave him my information."
"I'm sorry."
"You gave him my address."
"I didn't know what he would do."
"You gave him everything."
Vanessa began crying.
"I know."
Adrian looked furious.
"Get out."
Vanessa looked at him.
"Adrian—"
"Get out."
She slowly walked toward the door.
Before leaving, she looked at Lina.
"I'm sorry."
Lina couldn't answer.
Vanessa left.
Daniel watched her disappear.
Then he turned back to Lina.
"You see?"
He held up the flash drive.
"Trust is dangerous."
Lina looked at Adrian.
Then at her mother.
Then at Daniel.
Her entire world had changed in one night.
But there was one thing she knew.
She wasn't going to let anyone decide her future for her.
She stepped toward Daniel.
"Give me the drive."
Daniel smiled.
"You've got your father's courage."
"I don't want your games."
"This isn't a game."
"Then give it to me."
Daniel stared at her for a long moment.
Then—
He tossed the flash drive toward her.
Lina caught it.
"Everything you want to know is on there."
She looked at the tiny device in her palm.
"Why give it to me?"
Daniel turned toward the door.
"Because once you see what's inside..."
He stopped.
"You'll finally understand why your father died."
He walked out.
The house fell silent.
Lina stared at the flash drive.
Adrian stepped beside her.
"You don't have to open it tonight."
Lina looked at him.
"Yes."
Her voice was quiet.
"But I do."
She tightened her fingers around the drive.
"Because whatever is on this..."
Her eyes hardened.
"...it's the truth my family has been hiding from me."
And upstairs, inside Lina's room, her phone suddenly buzzed.
A new message appeared.
From the same unknown number.
Unknown: Don't trust Daniel.
Lina's heart stopped.
A second message appeared.
Unknown: He's not the one you should be afraid of.
Then a final message.
Unknown: Ask your mother what happened the night your father died.