Chapter 8: The Guardian Battle
I stared at the message until the words blurred.
My mother.
The woman who held my hand when I took my first steps.
The woman who told me family was everything.
She was trying to take my daughter.
I felt something inside me turn cold.
Not anger.
Not sadness.
Something deeper.
Betrayal.
Mark saw my face.
“What happened?””
I handed him my phone.
His expression changed.
“No.””
I looked at him.
“You knew?””
“No.””
His voice was immediate.
“I swear, I didn’t know.””
I grabbed my jacket.
“Where is she?””
“Daniel.””
“Where is my mother?””
Mark didn’t answer.
That was enough.
I left the mansion.
I drove straight to the Bennett family office.
Because I knew that was where she would be.
The place where my family made decisions.
The place where they believed they controlled everything.
When I entered the conference room, my mother was sitting there.
With lawyers.
Victoria was beside her.
And my father was standing by the window.
They all looked at me.
Like they expected me.
My mother stood.
“Daniel.””
I threw my phone onto the table.
“Explain.””
Nobody spoke.
Victoria looked uncomfortable.
My father remained silent.
My mother sighed.
“You don’t understand the situation.””
“No.””
I stepped closer.
“I understand exactly.””
She looked hurt.
“You are my son.””
“And Lily is my daughter.””
The room went quiet.
My mother looked down.
“We are concerned about your judgment.””
I almost smiled.
“My judgment?””
Victoria spoke.
“You attacked a family member.””
I looked at her.
“You hurt a child.””
She rolled her eyes.
“It was never supposed to go that far.””
I turned to my father.
“And you?””
He said nothing.
That was worse.
I looked back at my mother.
“You are trying to remove me as her guardian because I protected her?””
Her face tightened.
“We believe Lily needs stability.””
I laughed.
“Stability?””
I pointed around the room.
“This family caused her fear, and now you want to pretend you’re saving her?””
One of the lawyers cleared his throat.
“Mr. Bennett, this is not about blame.””
I looked at him.
“Then what is it about?””
He hesitated.
My father answered.
“Control.””
Everyone looked at him.
Even Victoria.
For the first time, Richard Bennett admitted it.
He walked toward the table.
“You think this is about Lily.””
I stared.
“What else would it be?””
He looked directly at me.
“It is about what Lily represents.””
I frowned.
“What?””
My father smiled.
“She is your weakness.””
My hands tightened.
“No.””
His expression changed.
“She is the reason you won’t destroy us.””
There it was.
The truth.
They weren’t afraid of losing family.
They were afraid of losing power.
My mother looked away.
And that hurt almost as much as everything else.
I stepped back.
“You all really thought you could use my daughter to control me.””
Nobody answered.
Because nobody needed to.
I walked toward the door.
Then my father spoke.
“You don’t understand what happens if that key is opened.””
I stopped.
Slowly turned around.
“What did you say?””
The room became silent.
My father realized his mistake.
Too late.
“You knew about the key.””
He looked away.
I stepped closer.
“You knew.””
His face hardened.
“You have no idea what is inside that drive.””
I smiled.
For the first time in days.
Because now I knew.
The key wasn’t just evidence.
It was a weapon.
And my family was terrified of it.
I walked out.
But before I reached the elevator, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man’s voice spoke.
“Daniel Bennett?””
“Yes.””
“You don’t know me.””
“Who are you?””
A pause.
Then:
“I’m the person your father has been protecting.””
My grip tightened.
“What?””
The man continued.
“Your daughter was never the target.””
I froze.
“Then who was?””
The voice lowered.
“You.””
The elevator doors opened.
I stepped inside.
Then the man said the words that changed everything.
“Your father didn’t order Lily’s attack.””
May you like
A pause.
“Your mother did.””
