Chapter 3: The Secret Behind The Game
I stared at the phone long after my father ended the call.
The room around me felt strangely quiet.
Too quiet.
My father’s final words kept repeating in my mind.
“Ask Victoria why Lily was chosen.””
Not why Lily was hurt.
Not why everyone lied.
Why she was chosen.
That meant there was a reason.
A hidden reason.
I grabbed my jacket and left the office before I could change my mind.
Twenty minutes later, I was parked across the street from Bennett Holdings.
The same building where my father had spent thirty years building his empire.
The same building where my family believed their name made them untouchable.
I walked through the lobby.
People stopped talking.
Employees looked away.
Everyone knew something had happened.
News traveled fast in my family.
Especially when someone challenged the people at the top.
The receptionist stood immediately.
“Mr. Daniel Bennett.””
I looked at her.
“Yes?””
She swallowed.
“Your sister is waiting for you upstairs.””
Of course she was.
I took the elevator.
When the doors opened, Victoria was standing outside the executive conference room.
She looked different from last night.
The confidence was still there.
But the smile was gone.
“You came.””
I stared at her.
“Why did you hurt my daughter?””
She crossed her arms.
“I didn’t hurt her.””
My expression didn’t change.
“You keep saying that like repeating it makes it true.””
Her eyes narrowed.
“You don’t understand what happened.””
“Then explain.””
She looked around the hallway.
“Not here.””
I followed her into the conference room.
The moment the doors closed, she changed.
No audience.
No performance.
Just anger.
“You ruined everything.””
I laughed quietly.
“You’re worried about yourself?””
“You have no idea what you’ve done.””
I stepped closer.
“My daughter woke up crying because she was afraid someone in this family would come after her.””
Victoria looked away.
For a brief second, I saw something.
Guilt.
Then it disappeared.
“She wasn’t supposed to get hurt.””
My chest tightened.
“Not supposed to?””
Victoria remained silent.
I slammed my hand on the table.
“Tell me the truth.””
She flinched.
And that was when I knew.
She knew something.
“I said tell me.””
Victoria took a deep breath.
“It started because of Dad.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“He found out you were building your own company.””
I stared at her.
“That’s it?””
“No.””
She walked toward the window.
“Dad was angry because you walked away from Bennett Holdings and still succeeded.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t explain Lily.””
Victoria looked at me.
“He thought you needed to be reminded where you came from.””
My stomach turned.
“You’re saying my father approved this?””
She didn’t answer.
She didn’t need to.
The silence was enough.
I walked backward slowly.
“My own father.””
Victoria’s voice became quieter.
“Dad wanted to prove you were weak.””
I looked at her.
“So he used my daughter?””
Her face tightened.
“No.””
I pointed at her.
“Yes.””
She looked down.
And for the first time since I was a child, I saw my sister look afraid.
“What happened outside wasn’t supposed to happen.””
I frowned.
“What happened outside?””
She hesitated.
Then said:
“The scratches weren’t from the game.””
My blood ran cold.
“What?””
Victoria looked at me.
“Someone else interfered.””
The room suddenly felt smaller.
“Who?””
She opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, the conference room door opened.
My father walked in.
Richard Bennett.
Perfect suit.
Calm expression.
Like nothing in the world could touch him.
“Enough.””
Victoria immediately stepped back.
My father looked at me.
“You’re making emotional decisions.””
I stared at him.
“You hurt my child.””
“No.””
His voice was cold.
“You are choosing to believe a child’s fear over your family.””
I felt something inside me go silent.
Because I finally understood.
My father didn’t regret what happened.
He regretted that I found out.
“You really think this is about loyalty?””
He looked at me.
“It is about respect.””
I laughed.
“Respect?””
I stepped closer.
“You lost that when you watched your granddaughter come through that door covered in injuries.””
My father’s jaw tightened.
Then he said something that made my entire body freeze.
“Ask your daughter what she saw before she was hurt.””
I stared at him.
“What does that mean?””
But my father only smiled.
A small, cruel smile.
The same smile I had seen on Victoria’s face.
“You should have asked her last night.””
I left the room immediately.
Because suddenly I was no longer looking for revenge.
I was looking for the truth.
And I knew exactly where to find it.
At home, Lily was sitting at the kitchen table drawing.
She looked up when I walked in.
“Daddy.””
I forced a smile.
“Hey, sweetheart.””
She held up her drawing.
It was our family.
Me.
Her.
And a small house.
But then I noticed something.
There was a person standing far away from us.
A tall figure.
With a dark circle drawn around them.
I sat beside her.
“Who is that?””
Lily stopped drawing.
Her fingers tightened around the crayon.
“Nobody.””
I gently touched her hand.
“Lily.””
Her eyes filled with tears.
“I’m not supposed to tell.””
My heart stopped.
“Who told you that?””
She whispered:
“Grandpa.””
The room went silent.
Then she looked at me.
“Daddy…”
Her voice trembled.
“There was someone else in the garden that night.””
I leaned closer.
“Who?””
She looked toward the hallway.
Like she was afraid someone was listening.
May you like
Then she whispered:
“Someone who was supposed to hurt you.””
