Chapter 18 The Enemy Wearing a Friendly Face
The room went silent.
Not the peaceful silence of a family moment.
The dangerous silence before something breaks.
Damian’s body reacted before his mind did.
He stepped forward.
Protecting.
Ready.
But this time, he did not push Adeline away from the danger.
He looked at her.
And she understood.
They were facing this together.
The person standing in the doorway noticed.
A faint smile appeared.
“Interesting.”
Damian’s eyes narrowed.
“What?”
“You finally learned.”
The words irritated him because they were true.
For years, he believed love meant putting himself between Adeline and every problem.
Now he understood.
Love meant trusting her enough to stand beside him.
“Put that down.”
Damian’s voice was calm.
The person laughed softly.
“You still think you can command every situation.”
“No.”
Damian looked directly at them.
“I think you have run out of places to hide.”
Adeline stared at the person.
The betrayal hurt differently.
Because this was not a stranger.
This was someone who had shared meals with them.
Someone who had comforted her.
Someone who had listened to her talk about her parents.
Someone who knew exactly where her wounds were.
“How long?”
Her voice shook.
The person looked at her.
“How long what?”
“How long did you know?”
A pause.
“About your mother?”
Adeline nodded.
The person looked away.
“Almost twenty years.”
The answer hurt more than she expected.
Twenty years.
Two decades of silence.
Two decades of pretending.
“You watched me grieve.”
The person’s expression changed.
“I know.”
“You watched me believe I had no one.”
“I know.”
“And you said nothing.”
The person swallowed.
“Yes.”
Adeline felt tears burning her eyes.
“Why?”
The person looked at her.
“Because I was afraid of what would happen if the truth came out.”
Adeline shook her head.
“That is not an answer anymore.”
Her voice became stronger.
“Everyone was afraid.”
She looked around the room.
“Everyone had a reason.”
A tear fell.
“But nobody thought about what it did to me.”
Nobody spoke.
Because she was right.
Damian watched carefully.
He knew this person was dangerous.
Not because of the weapon.
Because of the information.
People who controlled secrets controlled lives.
“What do you want?”
The person looked at him.
“The same thing everyone wanted.”
“What?”
“The truth.”
Damian almost laughed.
“You hid it.”
“Yes.”
“You lied.”
“Yes.”
“You hurt people.”
The person lowered their eyes.
“Yes.”
“Then do not pretend you are the hero.”
A long silence.
Finally, the person said:
“I never thought I was.”
Elena stepped forward.
“Why are you doing this now?”
The person looked at her.
“Because Richard is moving.”
Damian frowned.
“What does that mean?”
“It means he no longer cares about hiding.”
A pause.
“He knows Adeline exists. He knows she has the documents. He knows the Hawthorne inheritance is within reach.”
Adeline looked confused.
“I still don’t understand.”
The person looked at her.
“Your father left something behind.”
“The inheritance?”
“No.”
A pause.
“The evidence.”
Damian immediately understood.
“Evidence of Richard’s crimes.”
The person nodded.
“Your father collected proof before the accident.”
“Where is it?”
The person looked at Gabriel’s journal.
“Hidden.”
“Where?”
The person smiled sadly.
“That is the problem.”
Suddenly, a sound came from outside.
Vehicles.
Again.
But this time, everyone knew.
Richard.
Damian looked toward the window.
“How did he find us?”
Nobody answered.
Because the answer was obvious.
Someone had given him the location.
The person in front of them looked guilty.
Damian noticed.
“You.”
A pause.
“You told him.”
“No.”
The person shook their head.
“I didn’t.”
“Then how?”
The person looked at Elena.
And fear crossed their face.
“Because he has someone else.”
The farmhouse door opened.
Richard entered without permission.
No panic.
No urgency.
Just confidence.
That confidence was what made Damian dangerous.
Richard looked around.
“Well.”
His eyes landed on the journal.
“You found it.”
Damian stepped forward.
“You are not leaving with anything.”
Richard smiled.
“You still think this is about taking something.”
He looked at Adeline.
“It never was.”
Adeline stared.
“Then what do you want?”
Richard looked at her.
For the first time, there was something almost like regret in his expression.
“I want to correct a mistake.”
Nobody moved.
“What mistake?”
Richard looked at Damian.
“Your father.”
Damian’s expression hardened.
“My father did not make the mistake.”
Richard laughed.
“He did.”
A pause.
“He chose you.”
The bitterness returned.
“Again and again, he chose you.”
Damian stared.
“This is because you were jealous?”
“No.”
Richard’s voice became colder.
“It was because he destroyed my life to save yours.”
The statement confused everyone.
Elena looked at Richard.
“What are you talking about?”
Richard smiled.
“You really never told them.”
Nobody understood.
Richard looked at Damian.
“Your father knew the truth about my past.”
Damian frowned.
“What truth?”
Richard stepped closer.
“The reason I needed control of Vale Holdings.”
A pause.
“The reason I had nothing.”
The room became quiet.
Richard continued.
“I was not the villain first.”
Damian’s expression changed.
“Then who was?”
Richard looked at Adeline.
“Her father.”
Adeline froze.
“No.”
Richard nodded.
“Gabriel Hawthorne ruined my family.”
Elena stepped forward.
“That is a lie.”
Richard looked at her.
“Is it?”
He turned back to Adeline.
“Your father took something from me.”
“What?”
“My inheritance.”
Damian shook his head.
“That makes no sense.”
Richard smiled.
“Of course it doesn’t.”
He looked at the journal.
“Because Gabriel made sure nobody knew.”
Richard suddenly reached toward the table.
Damian reacted instantly.
He grabbed Richard’s wrist.
The weapon fell.
For a moment, the room exploded into movement.
Elias moved in.
Clara shouted.
Adeline stepped back.
But Richard only smiled.
Because the distraction had been the point.
A second person entered through the back door.
Someone nobody noticed.
Someone holding a folder.
The stranger placed it on the table.
Then spoke:
“You’re all looking at the wrong person.”
Everyone turned.
The stranger looked at Adeline.
“Your father did not hide the evidence from Richard.”
A pause.
“He hid it from you.”
Adeline stared.
“Why?”
The stranger opened the folder.
Inside was a birth certificate.
A different one.
A document that changed everything.
Damian picked it up.
Read it.
Then looked at Adeline.
His face became pale.
“What?”
He could barely speak.
“Adeline…”
She looked at him.
“What does it say?”
Damian slowly handed her the paper.
And the moment she read the name written there…
Her entire world stopped.
Because the truth about her birth was not what anyone expected.