Chapter 2: The Name They Buried

Victor’s expression changed for only a fraction of a second.

But Elena saw it.

Recognition.

Then fear.

He handed his champagne glass to Julian and began walking toward them.

“Elena,” Margaret whispered urgently. “You shouldn’t be here.”

“I have to be.”

“You don’t understand what these people are capable of.”

“My father understood.”

Pain crossed Margaret’s face.

“Thomas should have taken you and disappeared when he had the chance.”

Elena stared at her.

“You knew my father?”

Margaret opened her mouth, but Victor reached them before she could answer.

His public smile was flawless.

“Margaret,” he said warmly. “I didn’t know you had arrived.”

“You weren’t supposed to.”

Victor’s eyes shifted toward Elena.

“And who is this?”

Elena held his gaze.

“A server.”

Victor’s smile remained in place.

But the warmth vanished.

“I asked for your name.”

“Elena Marlowe.”

Julian appeared beside his father.

The moment he heard her last name, his face tightened.

Victor noticed.

“So,” Victor said quietly. “Thomas Marlowe’s daughter.”

Nearby guests continued laughing and talking, unaware that an old war had just returned to life.

Elena steadied the tray.

“You remember him.”

“I remember every employee who betrayed my company.”

“My father didn’t betray you. He found out what you were doing.”

Julian stepped closer.

“This isn’t the place.”

“No,” Elena said. “This is exactly the place.”

Margaret touched Elena’s arm.

“Listen to me. Your father’s investigation wasn’t the only reason Victor wanted him silenced.”

Victor’s jaw tightened.

“Margaret.”

She ignored him.

“Elena, your mother’s name wasn’t Anna Marlowe.”

Elena’s breath caught.

“What?”

“Her real name was Elizabeth Apex.”

The ballroom seemed to disappear around her.

Margaret’s voice trembled.

“She was our youngest sister.”

Elena stared at Victor.

Victor Apex was not merely the man who had destroyed her father.

He was her uncle.

“No,” Elena whispered.

Victor leaned closer.

“Your mother made choices that damaged this family. Thomas filled your head with lies because he wanted revenge.”

“My father never told me any of this.”

“He was protecting you,” Margaret said.

Julian glanced toward security.

Crane was already moving.

Victor lowered his voice.

“Give me whatever Thomas left you. Then walk out of this tower. I’ll make sure you never worry about money again.”

Elena almost laughed.

“You think this is about money?”

“Everything is about money.”

“That’s why you never understood my father.”

Crane arrived with two guards.

Victor gave him a small nod.

“Escort Miss Marlowe downstairs.”

Margaret stepped between them.

“Touch her and I’ll scream loud enough for every reporter outside to hear.”

Victor’s face hardened.

“You haven’t been part of this family for twenty years.”

“That doesn’t mean I stopped collecting evidence.”

Victor went still.

Elena looked at Margaret.

“What evidence?”

Margaret’s eyes filled with regret.

“Proof that your mother’s death wasn’t an accident either.”

Before Elena could speak, the ballroom lights suddenly dimmed.

The string quartet stopped.

A spotlight illuminated the stage.

The master of ceremonies stepped toward the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the founder and chairman of Apex Global, Mr. Victor Apex.”

Applause thundered through the ballroom.

Victor smiled again.

He looked at Elena and whispered, “Leave now, and you may live long enough to regret coming here.”

Then he walked toward the stage.

Elena watched him go.

Margaret slipped something cold into her palm.

A key.

“Service elevator,” Margaret whispered. “Sublevel three. Locker 117.”

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“What’s inside?”

“The reason Victor killed your mother.”