Chapter 5: The Truth Hidden Away
I arrived at the private meeting room before anyone else.
My mind was racing.
Too many questions.
Too many memories.
Why Emily?
Why Lily?
Why now?
The door opened.
A woman stepped inside.
Older.
Tired.
But unmistakable.
Emily Carter.
She looked at me and immediately started crying.
"Daniel.""
I didn't move.
"You know my daughter.""
Her face changed.
"I do.""
The anger inside me burned.
"Explain.""
Emily looked down.
"I should have told you years ago.""
"Yes.""
My voice was cold.
"You should have.""
She took a deep breath.
"Richard didn't disappear because he was afraid of prison.""
I waited.
"He disappeared because he was afraid you would find out the truth.""
"What truth?""
Emily reached into her bag.
She placed an envelope on the table.
Inside was a birth certificate.
I looked at it.
Then looked at her.
"No.""
Emily's eyes filled with tears.
"Daniel...""
I couldn't breathe.
The room felt smaller.
Because the name on the document was not a stranger.
It was Lily's.
And underneath her name was something I had never seen before.
The truth about her mother.
The truth about Richard.
The truth about why my daughter had been hidden from me for five years.
I looked up.
"Who knew about this?""
Emily whispered:
"Everyone who wanted to destroy you.""
The door suddenly opened.
Ethan rushed inside.
"Mr. Brooks!""
I turned.
"What happened?""
His face was pale.
"Richard just released a statement.""
I grabbed the tablet he handed me.
The headline appeared.
*BROOKS HOSPITALITY CHAIRMAN HIDES FAMILY SECRET FOR YEARS.*
My heart sank.
Because below the headline was a photograph.
A photograph of me.
Lily.
And a woman I thought was gone forever.
And the caption said:
*The daughter Daniel Brooks abandoned.*
I stared at the screen.
Someone had just declared war.
May you like
And this time, they weren't attacking my hotel.
They were attacking my daughter.
