I stared at my father.
"A fortune?"
The word sounded ridiculous.
I had grown up surrounded by wealth. Beautiful houses, expensive cars, private security, businesses with my father's name on them.
What could possibly be worth so much that three families had been fighting over it for ten years?
My uncle looked at my father.
"Tell her."
My father remained silent.
I stepped toward him.
"What did you inherit?"
He looked at me with an expression I couldn't understand.
"Nothing that concerns you."
"Then why am I being married to Daniel?"
He didn't answer.
My uncle did.
"Because the fortune was never entirely your father's."
I turned toward him.
"What does that mean?"
"The money was supposed to be divided among three families."
He pointed toward my father.
"But he took control of everything."
My father suddenly shouted, "That's enough!"
My uncle didn't flinch.
"You stole from us."
"I protected what was mine."
"You destroyed lives."
"I did what I had to do."
Their voices filled the garden.
I looked at Adrian.
He was watching them carefully.
"Do you know about this?" I asked.
He nodded.
"Some of it."
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"I was trying to find proof."
I looked at Daniel.
"And you?"
Daniel sighed.
"My father knew about the agreement."
"Did he know I was supposed to marry you?"
"Yes."
My chest tightened.
"So everyone knew except me."
Nobody answered.
I laughed bitterly.
"My entire life has been built around secrets."
My uncle stepped closer.
"There is one more thing."
I looked at him.
"What?"
"The fortune isn't in your father's name anymore."
My father immediately turned toward him.
"Don't."
My uncle smiled.
"It's in hers."
I froze.
"What?"
"Your father transferred ownership years ago."
I looked at my father.
"Is that true?"
He said nothing.
My uncle continued.
"He placed everything under your name because he knew that if anything happened to him, the assets would remain protected."
My heart pounded.
"Then why Daniel?"
"Because the marriage agreement gives the Morgan family control over those assets."
I turned toward Daniel.
His face was pale.
"Is that why you agreed to marry me?"
"No."
His answer came immediately.
"I didn't know the full arrangement."
"But you knew something."
"Yes."
I stepped away from him.
"You should have told me."
"I should have."
Before anyone could speak, my father's phone rang.
He answered.
"Yes?"
His face changed.
"What do you mean she's gone?"
Everyone went silent.
My father listened.
Then he looked directly at me.
"What?"
The person on the other end said something.
My father slowly lowered the phone.
"Your mother is missing."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
He didn't answer.
I rushed toward the house.
"Mom!"
Adrian followed me.
Daniel came behind us.
My uncle remained in the garden.
As I reached the living room, I noticed something on the floor.
A white envelope.
My name was written across it.
I picked it up with trembling fingers.
Inside was a single sentence:
If you want your mother back, forget Adrian and marry Daniel.
My blood ran cold.
At the bottom of the page was a signature.
Not my father's.
Not Daniel's.
Not my uncle's.
A name I had never seen before.
Samuel.
I looked at Adrian.
"Samuel Morgan is alive."
His expression changed.
Then the lights suddenly went out.
And somewhere in the darkness, a man's voice whispered:
"Now the real game begins."