CHAPTER 7 — The Father Who Never Knew His Daughter
The courtroom had never been that quiet.
Not after a verdict.
Not after a confession.
Not even after a shocking revelation.
Because everyone in that room had just heard something they never expected.
"Ask your father who your real enemy is."
The message remained on every screen.
A warning.
A threat.
A secret.
And everyone was looking at Arthur Reed.
The most powerful man in the room.
The man who built an empire from nothing.
The man who convinced the world he could control everything.
But now...
He looked like a man trapped by his own past.
"Turn those screens off."
Arthur's voice was low.
Controlled.
But I noticed something.
His hands were shaking.
Security rushed toward the computers.
The screens finally went black.
But the damage was already done.
Everyone had seen it.
Everyone had heard it.
The truth was no longer buried.
The judge ordered the courtroom cleared.
The media was forced outside.
The lawyers were separated.
But before I left...
I looked at my father.
For years, I imagined this moment.
The moment when Arthur Reed would finally understand what he had done.
The moment when he would apologize.
The moment when he would admit he was wrong.
But standing there...
Looking at him...
I realized something.
I didn't need his apology anymore.
I needed the truth.
That evening, Arthur called me.
Not to his office.
Not to the mansion.
Not to any place where he could control the environment.
He asked me to meet him at my mother's old house.
The house had been abandoned for years.
A place my father refused to enter after Eleanor died.
I arrived at sunset.
The garden was overgrown.
The paint was fading.
The windows were covered in dust.
But somehow...
It still felt like home.
My mother had been the only person in the Reed family who made this place warm.
Arthur stood outside.
Alone.
No security.
No assistants.
No lawyers.
Just my father.
"You came."
I looked at him.
"You asked."
For several seconds, neither of us spoke.
Then he said something I never expected.
"I'm sorry."
The words hung in the air.
A younger version of me would have cried hearing them.
A younger version of me would have run into his arms.
But that girl was gone.
I looked at him calmly.
"Sorry for what?"
His expression changed.
Because he knew.
There were too many things.
"Everything."
I almost laughed.
"That's convenient."
His eyes lowered.
"I made mistakes."
"No."
I interrupted.
"You made choices."
Silence.
"You chose the company."
"You chose your reputation."
"You chose money."
I stepped closer.
"And when choosing me became difficult..."
My voice became colder.
"You chose to lose me."
Arthur looked away.
For the first time...
He had no defense.
We entered the house.
The living room was exactly how I remembered it.
The old piano.
The family photographs.
The bookshelf where my mother kept her journals.
Arthur stopped in front of one picture.
It was me and my mother.
I was sixteen.
She was smiling.
"You looked like her."
I looked at him.
"What?"
"Your mother."
A pause.
"You had her courage."
I swallowed.
Because that was the first time my father had ever compared me to the person I admired most.
"Then why did you treat me like a disappointment?"
Arthur closed his eyes.
"Because I was afraid."
I stared at him.
"Of me?"
"No."
A pause.
"Of losing everything."
I shook my head.
"You already did."
He walked toward my mother's old study.
"There is something you need to know."
My body became tense.
"About Victoria?"
He nodded.
"About your mother."
He opened a hidden compartment behind the bookshelf.
Inside was a small metal box.
Old.
Damaged.
Protected.
My heart started beating faster.
"Your mother left this."
I looked at the box.
"Why didn't you give it to me?"
Arthur didn't answer.
That was enough.
Because he knew.
I opened it.
Inside were letters.
Photographs.
Documents.
The first letter had my name.
To Celeste.
My hands trembled.
I opened it.
My dear Celeste,
If you are reading this, then something has happened that prevented me from telling you the truth myself.
I stopped breathing.
My mother knew.
She knew something would happen.
I continued reading.
Your father believes power protects people.
He is wrong.
Power without love destroys everything it touches.
My eyes burned.
The next line broke something inside me.
I need you to understand one thing.
You were never the daughter who failed.
A tear fell onto the paper.
You were the daughter I was most afraid to lose.
Arthur looked away.
I looked at him.
"She knew."
He nodded.
"Yes."
"She knew you would betray me."
His face tightened.
"Celeste..."
"No."
I held up the letter.
"She knew."
Silence.
I found another document.
A report.
My mother's investigation.
The title:
PROJECT BLACK TIDE — INTERNAL THREAT ANALYSIS
My hands froze.
She had investigated everything.
Before the accident.
Before the betrayal.
Before anyone knew.
I turned the pages.
And then I saw it.
A name.
Not Victoria.
Not Nathan.
Someone else.
Someone impossible.
Arthur Reed.
I looked at my father.
"What is this?"
His face changed.
"Celeste..."
"You were investigating yourself?"
"No."
His voice became urgent.
"You don't understand."
"Then explain."
He was silent.
Too long.
And that silence told me everything.
Suddenly...
The old phone on the desk rang.
Both of us froze.
Because nobody had used that phone in years.
Arthur slowly picked it up.
"Hello?"
His face changed.
I watched the color disappear.
"How did you get this number?"
Silence.
Then he handed the phone to me.
"No."
I looked at him.
"Who is it?"
His voice was barely a whisper.
"Someone who knows the truth."
I took the phone.
"Hello?"
A calm woman's voice answered.
"Hello, Celeste."
I froze.
Because I knew that voice.
I had heard it once before.
The woman behind the entire conspiracy.
Victoria Hale.
"You finally found your mother's files."
My grip tightened.
"Where are you?"
A soft laugh.
"Still asking the wrong question."
Silence.
Then she said:
"The question you should ask is..."
A pause.
"Why did your father let you survive?"
My heart stopped.
"What?"
Victoria continued.
"Because Black Tide was never designed to kill you."
The room became cold.
"It was designed to test you."
I couldn't speak.
"And your father knew."
I looked at Arthur.
He looked away.
That was my answer.
Victoria's voice lowered.
"Your father didn't abandon you because he hated you."
A pause.
"He abandoned you because he knew what you would become."
The call ended.
I stood frozen.
My entire life...
Everything I believed...
Everything I thought I understood...
Was changing.
I looked at Arthur.
"Tell me the truth."
He didn't answer.
"Why was I chosen?"
For a long moment...
My father said nothing.
Then he whispered:
"Because you were the only person who could survive."
My blood ran cold.
"Survive what?"
Arthur looked toward the dark window.
And when he spoke...
His voice carried fear.
"Something much bigger than Black Tide."
Outside...
A car stopped in front of the house.
Someone stepped out.
Someone I never expected to see.
Admiral Reed.
But he wasn't alone.
He carried a file.
And when he entered...
The first words he said were:
"Celeste..."
His expression was serious.
"We found the person who ordered the attack."
A pause.
"But there's a problem."
I looked at him.
"What problem?"
Admiral Reed placed the file on the table.
The name on the cover was visible.
BLACK TIDE AUTHORIZATION — FINAL APPROVAL
Underneath...
The signature.
May you like
My own.
CELeste Reed.
