PART 3:
The sun rose over Paradise Valley, flooding my room with a golden light that clashed with the darkness of my thoughts. I hadn’t slept a wink. Every creak of the house, every rustle of the palm trees against the glass window made me jump.
A discreet knock at the door pulled me from my torpor. It was Martha. Her arms were loaded with garment bags of designer clothes. — Monsieur Brooks is waiting for you in the main office in an hour, madame. The children will have their breakfast in the veranda with me.
I thanked her with a nod of my head, my throat too tight to speak. In the marble bathroom, I got ready. The dress that had been chosen for me – a navy blue creation, simple but of a formidable elegance – transformed me. In the mirror, the exhausted woman from the highway had disappeared, replaced by a stranger with a hard and suspicious gaze.
I went down the grand staircase, my heart pounding. The corridors were a silent labyrinth. Suddenly, a drawling voice echoed behind me. — So, you’re the new recruit.
I turned around abruptly. The man Nathan was arguing with the day before was standing there. Up close, the resemblance to Nathan was striking, but his face was spoiled by an arrogant sneer and deep dark circles. — I am Julian Brooks, he said, approaching with a predatory step. The half-brother. The one Nathan is trying to rob. — My name is Emily, I replied, taking a step back. Julian let out a short, dry laugh. — Oh, I know very well who you are, Emily Parker. Or should I say… Emily Hayes?
My blood ran cold. The earth seemed to give way beneath my feet. Hayes. That was my mother’s maiden name, the one my late husband, David, had made me use to flee our creditors after the bankruptcy of his business. No one had known that name for five years. No one.
— How… how do you know that? I stammered, terror invading me. Julian approached, his face a few centimeters from mine, exhaling an odor of coffee and cold alcohol. — Did you really think my dear older brother had stopped by chance on that dusty road? Do you believe in fairy tales, Emily? You are in the wolves’ den. And your idiot of a husband has condemned us all.
— Do not speak of David! I snapped, anger suddenly taking over fear. — That’s enough, Julian.
Nathan’s voice cracked like a whip in the corridor. He appeared, dressed in a charcoal gray suit, his gaze so fierce that Julian took a step back. — Go away, Julian. If you get near her or the children again, I promise you the police will receive the USB drive even before the board meeting. Julian’s face blanched instantly. He threw me a final poisoned look before turning on his heel.
I found myself alone with Nathan. My hands were shaking. — What does this mean, Nathan? I almost screamed. How does he know my husband? Why did you find me on that highway? Who are you? Nathan closed his eyes for a fraction of a second, an expression of sincere pain crossing his usually impenetrable face. — Come with me, Emily. It is time that you know everything.
He guided me to his office, a huge room lined with books and secured by an armored door. He locked it behind us and sat down heavily behind his mahogany desk. He motioned for me to sit, but I remained standing, my fists clenched.
— Your husband, David… Nathan began, his voice grave. He never talked to you much about his family, did he? — He was an orphan, I said in a trembling voice. He grew up in foster homes. — That’s what he wanted you to believe. David was lying, Emily. To protect you.
He opened a drawer and took out a dog-eared photograph. He pushed it toward me. I approached reluctantly. The photo showed two teenagers laughing in front of the estate where we were. One of them was clearly Nathan. The other… my heart skipped a beat. — David, I whispered, tears rising to my eyes. — David Brooks, Nathan corrected. My little brother. And Julian’s big brother.
I collapsed onto the leather chair. The world spun around me. My husband, the man with whom I had shared a miserable little apartment, the man who had died of a heart attack due to stress and poverty three years ago… was the heir to a multi-billion dollar empire?
— Why? I murmured, unable to hold back a tear. Why did he flee? Why did he leave us to live in misery? — Because this inheritance is a curse, Nathan replied in a bitter tone. Our father was a tyrant. Upon his death, he left a twisted will: the absolute majority of the shares of the company and the total management of the estate would not go to his sons, but to the first of his blood grandsons who reached the age of majority. In the meantime, a legal guardian would manage the fortune. Nathan rose and walked to the window. — Julian has no children. I don’t have any. But David discovered he was going to be a father. He knew what our family was capable of to keep power. Julian, in particular, was ready for anything. So, when you fell pregnant with Noah, David faked his disappearance, changed his name, and hid. So that Noah would live.
The truth hit me with the violence of a high-speed train. — Noah… I said, my breath short. Noah is the main heir. — Yes. And Julian discovered it two months ago.
Nathan turned back to me, his gaze blazing. — That is why I looked for you, Emily. Your landlord evicted you? That was Julian’s doing. Your boss at the restaurant who fired you? Julian. He was trying to corner you, to destroy you, so he could recover legal guardianship of Noah through the courts, by declaring you an unfit mother. He tracked you all the way to Arizona. — And you? I threw out, terrified. — I intercepted his henchmen. I knew his target. I arrived on that highway ten minutes before them. I had no choice, Emily. I had to get you into that car, of your own free will, without you panicking.
I took my head in my hands. My entire life for the past three years was nothing but a manipulation orchestrated by billionaire ghosts. — And your mother? I questioned him suddenly. You said she was in a coma. That she was dying. Nathan’s face hardened to the extreme. — She discovered what Julian was plotting against Noah. She threatened to reveal everything to the police. The next day, she had an unexplained fall down the stairs. Julian masked it as an accident. Since then, he has bought off the board of directors’ doctors to declare her brain dead and strip me of my decision-making powers. The meeting takes place in two hours. They are going to vote for my dismissal, unplug my mother, and launch a procedure to take Noah from you.
I jumped up. The panic that had inhabited me the day before evaporated, instantly replaced by the most primal instinct in the universe: that of a mother whose children are threatened. — What do we do? I asked, my voice cold and determined.
Nathan looked at me, and for the first time, I saw a true gleam of admiration in his eyes. — The marriage contract we signed last night in the judge’s office. It makes me your legal spouse. Consequently, it makes me the legal stepfather and co-guardian of Noah. If Julian wants to attack your capacity to raise your children, he will have to attack the CEO of Brooks Enterprises in person. He placed a USB drive on the desk. — Inside, I have the proof of Julian’s payments to the henchmen who harassed you, and the tampered surveillance footage from the day of my mother’s accident. We are going to enter that meeting room, and we are going to crush Julian.
At exactly noon, the double doors of the board room opened. I walked alongside Nathan. I felt like I was walking toward a battlefield, my armor woven of silk and lies that had suddenly become vital.
Around the huge glass table, a dozen hostile faces turned toward us. Julian sat at the end, a triumphant smile on his lips. — Nathan, he said in a sweet tone. You are late for your own professional execution. And I see you brought… entertainment.
Nathan did not sit down. He placed his hands flat on the table, towering over the assembly. — I introduce to you Emily Brooks, my wife.
A murmur of shock ran through the room. Julian burst out laughing. — This is pathetic, Nathan! A last-minute white marriage will not save your place. You are no longer fit to lead, and mother will not wake up. We vote for destitution. — You will vote for nothing at all, Nathan cut in with a voice that froze the air in the room.
He made a sign to a man in a dark suit near the door – his lawyer. The man distributed folders to each member of the board. — What you have in front of you, Nathan announced, is the marriage certificate, but also a DNA test performed last night. It proves that Emily’s son, my stepson Noah, is the biological son of the late David Brooks.
The silence that fell was deafening. Julian jumped up, his face red with fury. — It’s a fake! It’s a manipulation! — It’s the end, Julian, Nathan replied implacably. As the legal guardian of the majority heir, I have the power of dissolution over this board. Furthermore…
Nathan turned toward the door. Two police officers in uniform entered the room. — Mr. Julian Brooks? one of them said. You are under arrest for attempted murder on the person of Victoria Brooks, as well as for extortion and harassment.
Julian struggled, shouting threats, overturning a chair in his panic. His gaze met mine, filled with pure hatred. But I did not back down. I raised my chin, staring him straight in the eyes, until he was handcuffed and dragged out of the room.
Julian struggled, shouting threats, overturning a chair in his panic. His gaze met mine, filled with pure hatred. But I did not back down. I raised my chin, staring him straight in the eyes, until he was handcuffed and dragged out of the room.
The other board members, pale with terror, murmured apologies that Nathan swept away with a wave of his hand. — All of you, get out. My company will undergo a major restructuring starting tomorrow.
When the door closed on the last terrified lawyer, silence returned. I leaned against the wall, my legs suddenly shaking under the drop of adrenaline. I felt like I had run a marathon.
Nathan approached slowly. The tension had finally left his shoulders. For the first time since I had met him on that highway, he smiled. A real smile, warm and benevolent. — You were incredible, he murmured. David was right to choose you. You are a lioness, Emily. — Noah and Lily… I stammered. Are they really safe now? — Absolutely. The fortune is protected, Julian will go to prison for a long time. And my mother… the hospital just sent me a message. Her vitals are improving. The doctors I put in place last night stopped the sedatives that Julian was having administered to her in secret. She could wake up soon.
I let out a sob of relief that I couldn’t hold back. Nathan hesitated, then wrapped me in his arms. His embrace was solid, protective. It was the first time since David’s death that I felt safe.
— And us? I asked softly against his chest, looking up at him. What happens now? This marriage… it was a contract.
Nathan stepped back just enough to plunge his gaze into mine. The cold distance of the businessman had completely disappeared. — It was a contract to save you. But I have no desire to cancel it, Emily. You are the mother of the heir, yes. But above all, you are the bravest woman I have ever met. If you want to leave, with the money that belongs to Noah, you will be free to do so. But if you want to stay… if you want to get to know me, without the secrets, without the fear… this house desperately needs a real family.
I thought of the burning highway. Of my empty lunch box. Of the permanent anxiety of tomorrow. Then I looked at the man in front of me, who had risked his own empire to keep a promise made to a missing brother.
I slipped my hand into his. His fingers closed over mine, warm and firm. — Noah and Lily have always dreamed of having a big garden, I murmured with a faint smile. And I think I want to see what life looks like without needing to run.
In the harsh light of the board room, amidst the ruins of family plots, the hostile desert of my past had finally just faded away. The Brooks fortress was no longer a golden cage; it was becoming, for the first time, a true home.
The end.
