Chapter 4: The Debt Nobody Knew About
I spent the entire night reading old documents.
By morning, I knew one thing.
Daniel Parker had not invested in me because he believed in my dream.
He had invested because he owed my mother.
Years earlier, before I knew anything about business, Daniel had caused an accident that damaged my mother’s workplace.
Instead of admitting responsibility, he paid quietly through a legal agreement.
My mother refused the money.
Daniel invested it instead.
Not charity.
Not kindness.
A debt.
And Vanessa knew.
That afternoon, I met Richard at a coffee shop.
He looked exhausted.
“I owe you the truth.””
I nodded.
“Start talking.””
Richard rubbed his face.
“Daniel was my brother. He wasn’t a good person.””
I listened.
“He made mistakes. Big ones.””
“What kind?””
“He manipulated people.””
I looked down.
“Like Vanessa?””
Richard didn’t answer immediately.
Finally, he said:
“Vanessa learned from him.””
My phone buzzed.
A message.
From an unknown number.
A picture.
This time, it wasn’t Vanessa.
It was Richard.
Standing with a lawyer.
And underneath it was a message:
“Ask your new friend what he did fifteen years ago.””
I looked at Richard.
His face turned pale.
“You received something, didn’t you?””
“How did you know?””
May you like
Because he whispered:
“Because she sent me the same thing.””
