Chapter 7 - A Father's Secret
Later that evening, the office was mostly empty. I stayed behind to review the legal documents for Hale’s impending bankruptcy.
I needed a specific file from the archive room. Marcus had given me full access credentials earlier that day.
I walked down the quiet, dimly lit hallway and scanned my badge at the heavy secure door. It clicked open.
The room was filled with physical servers and lockboxes. I found the cabinet labeled 'Historical Mergers - 1996'.
As I pulled out the file on Hale Enterprises, another folder caught my eye. It was sealed with red tape and marked Confidential: Operation Genesis.
Curiosity got the better of me. I broke the seal and opened it.
Inside were old newspaper clippings and private investigator reports. The headline of the top article made my breath catch: Local Woman Killed in Hit-and-Run. Police Suspect Foul Play.
It was my mother.
I flipped through the pages rapidly. There were photos of the suspected driver, wiretap transcripts, and corporate records.
My father had tracked down the men responsible for the hit. He had systematically destroyed their lives. But there was one name circled in red ink at the bottom of a financial transfer.
Richard Hale.
My hands started shaking. I read the attached report.
Thirty years ago, Richard Hale was a junior executive at a rival firm. He wasn't the mastermind behind the hit on my mother, but he had signed off on the payment to the driver, disguising it as a "logistics fee."
My father didn't just investigate Hale recently. He had known exactly who Richard Hale was for decades.
The door to the archive room clicked open.
I spun around. My father stood in the doorway, his face unreadable.
“You found it,” he said quietly.
“You knew,” I whispered, holding up the file. “You knew he was involved in Mom’s death. That’s why you let me date Vanessa? To get close to them?”
“No,” my father said sharply, stepping into the room. “I swear to you, Daniel, I didn't know you were dating his daughter until you brought her home. By then, you were in love.”
“So you let me propose to the daughter of the man who helped kill my mother?!” I yelled, throwing the file on the table.
“I tried to talk you out of it!” my father fired back, his composure breaking. “Do you remember the fight we had? I told you they were bad people! But you said I just didn't understand your world!”
I froze. He was right. We had a massive argument six months ago. I accused him of being bitter and poor. The memory made me sick to my stomach.
“Why didn't you just tell me the truth?” I asked, my voice cracking.
“Because if I told you the truth about Hale, I would have to tell you the truth about me,” my father said, his voice dropping. “And I was terrified you would look at me exactly the way you are looking at me right now.”
We stared at each other in the cold archive room. The silence was heavier than any words.
May you like
“Hale gets destroyed tomorrow,” I finally said, my voice cold.
My father nodded slowly. “Tomorrow.”
