Chapter 6: The Brother Who Vanished
The old family estate had been abandoned for almost fifteen years.
I had not stepped foot inside those gates since the funeral.
Not because I hated the place.
Because I couldn't bear it.
The estate held too many memories.
My father's office where I used to sneak in as a child.
The garden where my grandfather taught me how to ride a bicycle.
The dining room where my family once sat together and laughed.
Before everything changed.
Before people started disappearing.
Before secrets became the foundation of everything we owned.
And now someone had chosen that exact place for a meeting.
My uncle.
The man who vanished after my father's death.
The man Daniel believed might have betrayed my family.
The man who was now standing inside the house where my father took his final breath.
I looked at Daniel.
"Are you sure?""
He nodded.
"The security team confirmed it.""
"How long have they been there?""
"Approximately forty minutes.""
I looked at Ethan.
He was sitting quietly on the sofa, watching my face.
He knew something was wrong.
Children always knew.
"Dad?""
I walked toward him.
"We need to go somewhere.""
"Where?""
I hesitated.
"The old family house.""
His eyes widened.
"The scary one?""
I almost smiled.
When Ethan was younger, he called the estate "the castle.""
But after hearing adults whisper about it, he started calling it something else.
"The scary one.""
I crouched beside him.
"It's not scary.""
He looked at me.
"Then why don't we go there?""
That question had no easy answer.
Because sometimes places weren't frightening because of what they looked like.
They were frightening because of what they remembered.
I gently touched his shoulder.
"Because I thought some things were better left in the past.""
Ethan nodded slowly.
Then he grabbed his backpack.
"Okay.""
I looked at Daniel.
"We go now.""
The drive to the estate felt longer than I remembered.
Rain had started falling.
Small drops covered the windshield, turning the city lights into blurred lines.
Daniel sat in the passenger seat.
For most of the journey, neither of us spoke.
Finally, I broke the silence.
"Tell me about my uncle.""
Daniel looked out the window.
"His name was Richard Carter.""
I knew the name.
But hearing it now felt different.
"How close was he with my father?""
"Very.""
"Closer than you?""
Daniel smiled sadly.
"Your father trusted Richard before he trusted anyone else.""
I gripped the steering wheel.
"Then why would he betray him?""
Daniel was quiet.
"I don't know.""
"You're avoiding the question.""
"No.""
He looked at me.
"I'm admitting something.""
"What?""
"Sometimes people don't betray others because they hate them.""
The rain became heavier.
"Sometimes they betray them because they believe they deserve more.""
I thought about Victor.
Power.
Control.
Legacy.
It seemed like everyone connected to my family had been fighting over something.
But what?
Money?
The hotel?
The empire?
Or something deeper?
When we reached the estate, the gates were already open.
That bothered me.
They had been locked for years.
Security vehicles surrounded the entrance.
I parked and stepped out.
The cold air hit my face.
The old house looked exactly as I remembered.
Dark windows.
Cracked stone walls.
A place frozen in time.
Daniel walked beside me.
"Sir.""
I looked at him.
"What?""
"Whatever happens inside...""
He paused.
"Be careful.""
I looked at him.
"Are you warning me about my uncle?""
Daniel didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
We entered.
The front door opened with a loud creak.
The smell hit me immediately.
Old wood.
Dust.
Memories.
I walked through the hallway slowly.
Every step felt familiar.
Then I saw it.
The staircase.
The same staircase where I stood as a child, watching adults rush around the night my father died.
I remembered my mother's crying.
My grandfather's silence.
And Richard.
Standing in the corner.
Watching.
I stopped.
Daniel noticed.
"Sir?""
I shook my head.
"Nothing.""
But it wasn't nothing.
My memories were changing.
Because now I wondered what I had failed to see.
A security officer approached.
"Mr. Carter.""
"Where are they?""
"Library.""
I nodded.
The library.
Of course.
That was where my grandfather kept all his important documents.
The room where family decisions were made.
The room where secrets were buried.
I opened the door.
And there he was.
Richard Carter.
Older.
Gray hair.
A tired face.
But unmistakably him.
My uncle turned.
For a moment, neither of us spoke.
Then he smiled.
"Michael.""
Hearing my name from him felt strange.
Like hearing a voice from another lifetime.
I stepped inside.
"You knew I was coming.""
Richard looked at Daniel.
Then back at me.
"I hoped you would.""
I stared.
"You hoped?""
"Yes.""
"After all these years?""
He sighed.
"I knew this day would come.""
"Why?""
Richard looked around the room.
"Because your father left something unfinished.""
My eyes narrowed.
"Everyone keeps saying that.""
I stepped closer.
"Everyone has answers except me.""
Richard's expression changed.
Guilt.
Maybe.
Or regret.
"I never wanted you involved.""
"That's interesting.""
I looked around.
"Because apparently everyone involved my son.""
Richard froze.
"What?""
That reaction surprised me.
"You didn't know?""
"Know what?""
I watched him carefully.
"Someone threatened Ethan.""
The color disappeared from his face.
"Who?""
I didn't answer.
Instead, I studied him.
Was this an act?
Was he pretending?
Or was he genuinely surprised?
Richard looked at Daniel.
"What have you told him?""
Daniel stepped forward.
"The truth.""
Richard laughed bitterly.
"The truth?""
He shook his head.
"None of us have told him the truth.""
The room went silent.
I looked at him.
"Then tell me.""
Richard sat down.
For the first time, he looked old.
Not powerful.
Not dangerous.
Just tired.
"Your father didn't die because of a car accident.""
I felt my chest tighten.
"Then what happened?""
Richard looked at me.
"He was murdered.""
Daniel closed his eyes.
Even though he suspected it, hearing it aloud changed everything.
I stared at my uncle.
"Who killed him?""
Richard looked at the floor.
"I don't know.""
I almost laughed.
"That's what everyone says.""
"Because it's true.""
"Then why are you here?""
Richard looked up.
"Because I found out who wanted him dead.""
Silence.
"Who?""
Richard reached into his coat.
He pulled out an old envelope.
My heart started beating faster.
Not another letter.
Not another secret.
He placed it on the table.
"Your father left this for me.""
I didn't move.
"Why would he leave something for you?""
Richard looked away.
"Because he knew I was the only person who might be able to protect you.""
I stared at him.
"Then why did you disappear?""
The question had been waiting fifteen years.
Richard closed his eyes.
"Because the person who killed your father tried to kill me too.""
The room became silent.
"Who?""
Richard looked directly at me.
And for the first time, I saw fear in his eyes.
Not guilt.
Not shame.
Fear.
"Michael...""
He pushed the envelope toward me.
"You need to understand something.""
I opened it.
Inside was a single photograph.
My breath stopped.
It showed my father.
Standing with someone.
Someone I recognized.
Someone who had been part of my life.
Someone I had never suspected.
I looked up.
"What is this?""
Richard's voice was barely audible.
"This is the reason your father died.""
My fingers tightened around the photo.
"Who is that?""
Richard looked at the picture.
Then at me.
"That's the person who has been controlling this hotel from the shadows.""
I stared.
The answer made no sense.
Because the person in the photograph was not a stranger.
It was someone I trusted.
Someone who had stood beside my family for years.
Someone who had helped me inherit everything.
Richard whispered:
"Michael...""
A pause.
"Your father was betrayed by the one person he believed would protect you.""
I looked at Daniel.
Because I already knew who Richard meant.
May you like
And then my uncle said the name that shattered everything.
"Your mother.""
