CHAPTER 2: ELENA’S SECRET
Three hours later, Daniel sat beside Elena’s hospital bed.
The woman he almost lost forever opened her eyes slowly.
For a moment, she looked confused.
Then she saw him.
“Daniel…”
Her voice was weak.
But alive.
He immediately grabbed her hand.
“I’m here.”
Tears filled Elena’s eyes.
“I thought I would never see you again.”
Daniel leaned closer.
“Tell me what happened.”
Elena looked toward the hospital door.
She was afraid.
Not confused.
Not emotional.
Afraid.
“They were watching me.”
Daniel’s face hardened.
“Who?”
She swallowed.
“Your mother and Marcus.”
The words still hurt.
Even though Daniel already suspected them.
Elena explained everything.
Two months after Daniel left for Abu Dhabi, Marcus started visiting the estate more often.
At first, he acted like a caring brother.
He brought gifts.
He asked about the baby.
He offered help.
But then Elena discovered something.
Marcus was transferring company assets without Daniel’s permission.
When she confronted him…
everything changed.
“He told me you would never come back,” Elena whispered.
Daniel felt his chest tighten.
“What?”
“He said your business trip could become permanent. He said people disappear all the time.”
A cold silence filled the room.
“He wanted you gone?”
Elena nodded.
“He wanted everything.”
The company.
The inheritance.
The estate.
And even Daniel’s identity.
“He told me that after your funeral, nobody would question anything.”
Daniel stared at the floor.
His own brother had planned his entire destruction.
Then Elena reached under her pillow.
She pulled out a small envelope.
“I found this before they drugged me.”
Daniel opened it.
Inside was a handwritten note.
The handwriting belonged to his father.
Daniel immediately recognized it.
His father had died five years earlier.
The note said:
"Daniel, if you are reading this, it means someone inside the family has betrayed you."
Daniel’s hands trembled.
The letter continued.
"Your brother has always wanted what was yours. But the greatest danger is not his ambition. It is the person who protects him."
Daniel looked up.
His mother.
The final sentence shocked him.
"The truth about your inheritance is hidden where nobody would ever look."
Daniel read it again.
Then again.
“What does this mean?”
Elena looked at him.
“I think your father knew.”
Daniel stood up.
His military instincts returned.
A mission.
A target.
A truth to uncover.
That night, Daniel returned to the mansion.
But he did not return as a grieving husband.
He returned as a man preparing for war.
He entered his father’s old office.
The room had been untouched for years.
Until now.
He searched through everything.
Old books.
Drawers.
Paintings.
Then he noticed something strange.
Behind an old family portrait…
was a hidden compartment.
Inside was a small black box.
Daniel opened it.
Inside were documents.
And one photograph.
A photograph of Marcus.
Standing beside someone Daniel had never seen before.
A woman.
His mother.
And a lawyer.
The date on the photograph was shocking.
It was taken six months before his father died.
Daniel stared at the picture.
May you like
Because written on the back were six words:
"They planned this years ago."
