Chapter 4: The Person Behind The Mask
I stared at the email.
The name on the screen felt impossible.
*Evelyn Carter.*
My aunt.
My father’s younger sister.
The woman who had held my hand at my mother’s funeral.
The woman who told me I was the strongest person she knew.
“No,” I whispered.
My father looked devastated.
“That doesn’t make sense.””
Daniel nodded.
“I hoped it wasn’t true.””
I read the message again.
The words blurred.
Evelyn had been discussing foundation accounts.
Private transfers.
Board decisions.
And me.
Especially me.
“She wanted me removed?”” I asked.
Daniel didn’t answer.
He didn’t need to.
My father sat down slowly.
For the first time in my life, he looked old.
Not like a billionaire.
Not like a legend.
Just a father who had discovered someone he loved betrayed him.
“I’ll handle this.””
I looked at him.
“No.””
He looked up.
“This is my fight too.””
He shook his head.
“Brianna, I don’t want you involved in this.””
I almost smiled.
“That’s exactly what everyone says before hiding something from me.””
He became quiet.
I continued.
“I spent years being invisible because I thought that was the only way to find the truth.””
I closed the laptop.
“Now I finally know where to look.””
That afternoon, I met Evelyn.
Not at the mansion.
Not at the foundation.
At a small cafe where she always went.
She looked surprised when she saw me.
“Brianna?””
I sat across from her.
“We need to talk.””
Her smile disappeared.
“About what?””
I placed printed copies of the emails on the table.
Her hands stopped moving.
For several seconds, she said nothing.
Then she sighed.
“You always were smarter than people gave you credit for.””
My heart sank.
“Was any of it real?””
She looked confused.
“What?””
“The way you treated me.””
Her expression softened.
“Brianna—”
“No.””
I leaned forward.
“Did you love me?””
The question hurt more than I expected.
Evelyn looked away.
And that was the answer.
“I loved you,” she said quietly.
“But your father ruined everything.””
I stared at her.
“What?””
“He got everything.””
Her voice changed.
“He got the company. The money. The respect.””
“That wasn’t his fault.””
She laughed bitterly.
“You sound just like him.””
I stood.
“So this was revenge?””
“No.””
She looked at me.
“This was survival.””
Before I could respond, someone walked into the cafe.
Brielle.
My eyes narrowed.
“What are you doing here?””
She smiled.
“Helping my family.””
I looked at Evelyn.
Then at Brielle.
And suddenly everything connected.
The gala.
The volunteers.
The humiliation.
The plan.
“You knew,” I whispered.
Brielle didn’t deny it.
“I knew you were important.””
My stomach tightened.
“But you didn’t know who I was.””
She smiled.
“That was the best part.””
She stepped closer.
“I wanted to see if Isaiah Carter’s perfect daughter would break when nobody knew her name.””
I felt anger rise.
“You destroyed my reputation.””
“No.””
Brielle leaned closer.
“I revealed it.””
“Revealed what?””
“That without your father’s name, you’re just like everyone else.””
The words hurt.
But not because they were true.
Because they showed exactly who she was.
Someone who believed kindness only belonged to powerful people.
I turned to leave.
Then Brielle said something that stopped me.
“By tomorrow morning, the world will know your father’s foundation is under investigation.””
I froze.
“What?””
She smiled.
“And guess who they’ll blame?””
My phone rang.
I looked down.
A breaking news alert appeared.
*Carter Foundation Facing Major Scandal.*
But there was another headline underneath.
One that made my blood run cold.
*Billionaire Isaiah Carter Accused Of Fraud By His Own Daughter.*
I looked at Brielle.
“I never said that.””
May you like
She smiled.
“Not yet.””
