PART 4 The Brother Who Wanted Everything
The alarm continued ringing.
A sharp, mechanical sound.
A warning.
But somehow, the most frightening thing was the silence after it.
Adrian stood completely still.
His phone pressed against his ear.
Listening.
Processing.
Planning.
I had seen him angry.
I had seen him cold.
But this was different.
This was the face of someone who knew danger was coming.
“Where is he?”
Adrian asked.
The security officer answered.
“Three minutes from the main gate.”
My heart tightened.
“Marcus?”
Adrian nodded.
“Yes.”
I looked toward the entrance.
My brother was coming here.
The same brother who once tied my shoes when I was little.
The same brother who told me he would protect me.
The same brother who sold me to save himself.
“Why would he come here?”
I asked.
Adrian looked at me.
“Because people like Marcus don’t accept losing.”
He walked toward the security room.
“And when they lose everything…”
He paused.
“They blame everyone except themselves.”
The cameras showed him.
Marcus Hart.
Standing outside the gate.
No expensive suit.
No confidence.
No smile.
Just anger.
His face looked exhausted.
Like the world had finally caught up with him.
The guards waited.
Adrian looked at me.
“Stay inside.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
“This is dangerous.”
I looked at the screen.
“At some point, I have to stop hiding from my own family.”
The gate opened.
Marcus walked in.
Slowly.
Carefully.
His eyes found me immediately.
“Evelyn.”
I felt nothing.
Not fear.
Not sadness.
Just emptiness.
“Why are you here?”
He laughed bitterly.
“You really became like him.”
I frowned.
“Like who?”
He looked at Adrian.
“Cold.”
Adrian stepped forward.
“No.”
His voice was calm.
“She became strong.”
Marcus ignored him.
He looked back at me.
“You think you’re better than us now?”
I stared.
“No.”
A pause.
“I think I finally see you clearly.”
His expression changed.
Because that hurt more than anger.
He walked closer.
“You have no idea what Dad sacrificed.”
I almost smiled.
“Sacrificed?”
I pointed at myself.
“You mean me?”
His jaw tightened.
“You were always dramatic.”
There it was.
The old Marcus.
The one who never took responsibility.
“You were always too sensitive.”
I nodded slowly.
“And you were always too selfish.”
For a moment…
Nobody spoke.
Then Marcus laughed.
“You know what the worst part is?”
He looked at Adrian.
“I never hated you.”
Adrian’s expression remained unchanged.
“I barely thought about you.”
That was the cruelest thing he could have said.
Because Marcus had destroyed a family.
And Adrian’s pain meant nothing to him.
“You did all of this for money.”
I said.
Marcus looked at me.
“No.”
His answer surprised me.
“I did it because Dad promised me everything.”
A pause.
“He told me the company would be mine.”
I stared.
“And when he changed his mind?”
Marcus smiled.
“Then I took what was already mine.”
That sentence explained everything.
Greed.
Entitlement.
A belief that everything belonged to him.
Even people.
Adrian stepped forward.
“Where is the original evidence?”
Marcus looked at him.
“What?”
“The original files.”
Adrian’s voice became sharper.
“You didn’t destroy everything.”
Marcus smiled.
Slowly.
“You still think you know everything.”
My stomach dropped.
“What did you do?”
He looked at me.
And for the first time…
He looked afraid.
“I protected myself.”
Before anyone could react, the lights went out.
The entire mansion went dark.
Someone screamed.
Security alarms started again.
And then—
A sound.
Glass breaking.
Emergency lights turned on.
Marcus was gone.
But something else was missing.
The original evidence.
The documents.
The proof that could finish the case.
Adrian cursed quietly.
“He planned this.”
I looked around.
“He came here just to steal the files?”
Adrian nodded.
“Yes.”
I shook my head.
“No.”
He looked at me.
“He wanted us to think that.”
I walked toward the desk.
Something felt wrong.
Too easy.
Too obvious.
Marcus had spent his entire life manipulating people.
He wouldn’t risk everything for one folder.
Unless…
The folder was not the real target.
I opened the drawer beneath the desk.
Empty.
Then I noticed something.
A small scratch.
On the side panel.
I pressed it.
A hidden compartment opened.
Inside was a small device.
A recording drive.
Adrian stared.
“What is that?”
I picked it up.
“I don’t know.”
We played the recording.
And after ten seconds…
Everything changed.
Because the voice wasn’t Marcus.
It was my father.
Recorded years ago.
Before everything collapsed.
His voice filled the room.
“If you’re hearing this…”
A pause.
“Then Marcus betrayed me too.”
I froze.
Adrian looked shocked.
My father continued.
“I thought my son was the future of this family.”
A bitter laugh.
“I was wrong.”
Silence.
Then:
“The person who destroyed everything wasn’t Marcus.”
My blood turned cold.
“What?”
Adrian looked at me.
The recording continued.
“It was someone closer.”
The audio became distorted.
Then a name appeared.
A name neither of us expected.
My mother.
I covered my mouth.
No.
Not her.
Anyone but her.
The recording continued.
“Evelyn’s mother knew everything.”
My knees weakened.
“She helped hide the money.”
“She helped cover the reports.”
“She helped me protect our reputation.”
The recording ended.
The room was silent.
Adrian looked at me.
I couldn’t breathe.
Because the betrayal was bigger than I imagined.
My brother.
My father.
My mother.
My entire family.
Then Adrian said quietly:
“Evelyn.”
I looked at him.
“What?”
He hesitated.
“There’s one more thing.”
My heart sank.
“What?”
He looked at the recording device.
“Your father left a second message.”
May you like
A pause.
“And it’s about you.”
