CHAPTER 6-THE ENEMY INSIDE THE FAMILY
The message remained on Marcus Thorne’s phone screen for less than ten seconds.
But those ten seconds changed everything.
Because everyone in that room understood the same thing.
This was no longer a battle over secrets.
No longer a fight over reputation.
No longer a billionaire family trying to hide an old scandal.
Someone had crossed the line.
Someone had threatened Khloe.
And Marcus Thorne had one rule that every person who knew him understood.
He could forgive attacks against himself.
He could tolerate enemies trying to destroy his company.
He could survive betrayal.
But anyone who threatened his family became something else.
A target.
“Give me the phone.”
Khloe’s voice was quiet.
Marcus looked at her.
“No.”
The answer came too quickly.
And she noticed.
She noticed everything now.
Every hesitation.
Every protective gesture.
Every attempt to hide information.
“Marcus.”
He looked away.
“Khloe, you don’t need to see this.”
Her expression changed.
“That sentence again.”
“What?”
“You don’t need to know.”
She stared at him.
“You don’t need to worry.”
“You don’t need to be involved.”
Her voice became colder.
“Do you realize how many times you have said that to me?”
Marcus remained silent.
“And every time you said it…”
She placed a hand over her stomach.
“You weren’t protecting me.”
“You were making decisions for me.”
The words hit him.
Because they were true.
For years, Marcus had convinced himself that secrecy was protection.
That carrying the burden alone was love.
But now he was beginning to understand something.
A person could hide behind good intentions and still hurt the person they claimed to protect.
Alexander stepped forward.
“Marcus.”
His voice was serious.
“She deserves the truth.”
Marcus looked at him.
“You don’t understand.”
Alexander’s expression hardened.
“No.”
“I understand exactly.”
“You spent your entire life watching Richard control everyone around him.”
“And now you’re becoming him.”
The words froze Marcus.
Because they were not an insult.
They were a warning.
Khloe looked between them.
And for the first time…
She saw Marcus truly afraid.
Not of losing money.
Not of losing power.
Of becoming his father.
Marcus slowly handed her the phone.
Khloe read the message.
Her face remained still.
But inside…
Everything broke.
If you want your wife and your child alive, stop looking for Sofia Bellini.
She looked up.
“Who knows about Sofia?”
Nobody answered immediately.
Then Isabella spoke.
“Too many people.”
Khloe looked at her.
“Explain.”
Isabella walked toward the window.
“The Thorne empire was built on secrets.”
She looked at the city below.
“Everyone thinks billionaires become powerful because they work harder.”
“They don’t understand.”
“Power comes from information.”
“Knowing what people want.”
“Knowing what people fear.”
“Knowing what people will do to protect themselves.”
She turned.
“Sofia discovered information that could destroy multiple families.”
Marcus frowned.
“Multiple?”
“Yes.”
“Not only Thorne.”
Isabella looked at herself in the reflection of the glass.
“Rossi.”
“Bellini.”
“Several investors.”
“Political figures.”
“The entire system was connected.”
Khloe listened carefully.
“So Sofia’s evidence could destroy everyone.”
“Yes.”
“And Richard wanted it.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn’t he just take it?”
Isabella looked at Marcus.
“Because Sofia was smarter than everyone.”
Marcus said nothing.
“She divided the information.”
“What?”
“She didn’t keep everything in one place.”
“She created a system.”
“One piece of evidence could only be understood when combined with another.”
Khloe frowned.
“So nobody had the complete truth.”
“Exactly.”
Isabella nodded.
“And that is why everyone is searching.”
Marcus looked at her.
“Where did she hide it?”
Isabella’s eyes moved toward Khloe.
That movement did not escape Marcus.
“What?”
Isabella hesitated.
“Marcus…”
“Where?”
She looked at Khloe.
“She trusted someone.”
The room became silent.
Khloe felt a strange feeling in her chest.
“Who?”
Isabella answered quietly.
“You.”
Marcus froze.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Sofia knew you would eventually discover the truth.”
“She knew Richard would manipulate you.”
“She knew you would spend years blaming yourself.”
“So she left something only you could find.”
Marcus shook his head.
“That makes no sense.”
“It does.”
Isabella replied.
“Because Sofia understood you better than you understood yourself.”
A painful silence.
Then Marcus’s phone rang.
Everyone looked.
This time it was not an unknown number.
It was his company’s emergency line.
Marcus answered.
“Thorne.”
A voice came through.
His security director.
Marcus’s expression changed within seconds.
“What do you mean missing?”
Everyone watched.
“No.”
“Lock down the building.”
“Now.”
He ended the call.
Khloe immediately knew.
“What happened?”
Marcus looked at her.
“The archives.”
Alexander frowned.
“What about them?”
“Someone broke into the private company archives.”
Isabella’s face changed.
“The old records?”
Marcus nodded.
“The Sofia files.”
Khloe felt cold.
“They know.”
Marcus looked at her.
“Yes.”
“They know we found out.”
The security director called again.
Marcus answered.
“What?”
The color slowly disappeared from his face.
“Repeat that.”
Nobody spoke.
Finally Marcus lowered the phone.
Alexander asked:
“What?”
Marcus looked at him.
“The person who accessed the archives…”
A pause.
“They didn’t steal the files.”
“Then what did they do?”
Marcus looked toward Khloe.
“They added something.”
Khloe frowned.
“Added what?”
Marcus swallowed.
“A confession.”
Everyone became confused.
“What confession?”
Marcus turned the phone screen toward them.
A new document had appeared inside the company system.
A video file.
Created today.
Named:
MARCUS THORNE’S FINAL CONFESSION
Nobody moved.
Because nobody understood.
Marcus had never recorded such a thing.
Alexander looked concerned.
“Open it.”
Marcus hesitated.
Then pressed play.
The screen showed a dark room.
A man sitting in a chair.
At first, his face was hidden.
Then the light changed.
And everyone froze.
Because the person in the video…
Was Marcus Thorne.
But not the Marcus standing in the hospital.
This video showed him six years earlier.
The younger Marcus.
The Marcus before Khloe.
The Marcus before the truth.
His voice came through the speakers.
“If you are watching this…”
The video Marcus looked directly into the camera.
“Then I failed.”
Khloe’s heart started beating faster.
The recorded Marcus continued.
“I failed to protect Sofia.”
“I failed to protect the truth.”
“And I failed to stop my father.”
Real Marcus stepped backward.
“No…”
The video continued.
“But there is one thing nobody knows.”
A pause.
“The person who destroyed Sofia’s life…”
“Was not Richard Thorne.”
The room went completely silent.
The younger Marcus looked terrified.
“Because Richard was only following orders.”
Khloe looked at Marcus.
Everyone looked at Marcus.
The video continued.
“The real person behind everything…”
“Is someone inside my own family.”
The screen flickered.
Then the final sentence appeared.
A sentence that made Marcus’s blood run cold.
“The person who betrayed Sofia Bellini is the same person standing closest to my wife today.”
The video ended.
Nobody spoke.
Slowly…
Everyone began looking around the room.
At Marcus.
At Alexander.
At Isabella.
At Khloe.
Because the enemy was not outside.
The enemy was inside.
May you like
And one question remained.
Who had been standing closest to Khloe all along?
