Chapter 7: The Deal Made Before I Was Born
The sentence on the document blurred.
Not because I couldn’t read it.
Because my mind refused to accept it.
A deal.
A contract.
My father’s signature.
The Ashworth name.
Twenty years ago.
The same year my mother died.
I stared at the page, waiting for the words to rearrange themselves into something that made sense.
They didn’t.
The truth remained exactly where it was.
Cold.
Impossible.
Cruel.
“Evelyn.””
My father’s voice echoed in my memory.
Choose carefully. A person’s character appears when they believe they have power over you.
I thought he was warning me about Sebastian.
But maybe he was warning me about everyone.
Even himself.
“What is this?”” I whispered.
Thomas stood across from me.
For the first time that night, he looked almost sympathetic.
Almost.
“This is the truth your father spent years hiding.””
I looked at him.
“You expect me to believe you?””
“No.””
His answer surprised me.
“I expect you to read.””
My fingers tightened around the paper.
That was the problem.
I wanted to reject him.
I wanted to call him a liar.
I wanted this to be another manipulation.
But documents did not care about feelings.
Signatures did not care about memories.
And my father’s name was right there.
Mr. Osgood moved closer.
“Miss Winslow, perhaps we should review the document privately.””
“No.””
Everyone looked at me.
I held the paper tighter.
“I spent my entire life being kept away from the truth.””
I looked around the ballroom.
“At this point, everyone can hear it.””
Nobody argued.
Even the Ashworth family stayed silent.
Because this was no longer their scandal.
It was mine.
I read the first paragraph.
The words were formal.
Legal.
Emotionless.
But the meaning was clear.
Twenty years ago, my father had entered an agreement with Richard Ashworth.
A business partnership.
A financial arrangement.
And a protection clause.
A clause connected to me.
My name appeared near the bottom.
My name.
Not as a person.
As an asset.
My stomach twisted.
“No.””
I looked at Thomas.
“My father would never do this.””
Thomas’s expression softened.
“Your father loved you.””
“Then why?””
“Because he was desperate.””
I looked down again.
The date.
The signatures.
The details.
Everything matched.
My father had been fighting financial problems after my mother’s death.
Winslow Holdings had nearly collapsed.
The Ashworth family offered help.
But the help came with conditions.
Conditions that connected our families forever.
Conditions that included a future partnership between our heirs.
Between me.
And Sebastian.
I felt sick.
The engagement.
The wedding.
The merger.
Had my entire relationship been planned before I even knew Sebastian existed?
I looked at him.
He was staring at the document.
His face had lost all color.
“Is this why?”” he asked quietly.
Nobody answered.
“Is this why our families pushed us together?””
Richard looked away.
That was enough.
Sebastian laughed.
A broken, empty sound.
“All this time…”
He looked at me.
“All this time, I thought I chose you.””
The words hurt.
Because I understood.
Maybe that was the cruelest part.
We were both trapped.
The difference was…
I had been hurt by the person I trusted.
And he had been hurt by the people who controlled him.
But pain did not erase responsibility.
I looked at him.
“You still had a choice.””
His eyes lowered.
“I know.””
That was the first honest thing he had said all night.
Thomas watched us carefully.
“You see now.””
I turned toward him.
“See what?””
“That you and Sebastian were never supposed to be free.””
I stared at him.
“And you think that justifies what you did?””
His expression remained calm.
“I think it explains it.””
“No.””
My voice sharpened.
“It doesn’t.””
Everyone became quiet.
“Explanation is not forgiveness.””
Thomas studied me.
For the first time, I think he realized something.
I was no longer the girl who wanted approval.
I was no longer the woman who wanted to believe everyone had good intentions.
The person standing in front of him was someone who had lost too much to keep pretending.
“You planned this entire night,” I said.
Thomas smiled slightly.
“Yes.””
The honesty was disturbing.
“You planned for Sebastian to betray me.””
“Yes.””
“You planned for Lavinia to be here.””
“Yes.””
“You planned for the documents to appear.””
“Yes.””
I stepped closer.
“Why?””
Thomas looked at the room.
“At some point, every empire reveals its weakness.””
“What weakness?””
He looked directly at me.
“Emotion.””
I almost laughed.
“You destroyed my wedding because you wanted to prove people have emotions?””
“No.””
His voice became colder.
“I destroyed your illusion.””
A chill moved through me.
“About what?””
“About your family.””
The words landed.
“You believe your father was protecting you.””
Thomas paused.
“He was protecting his secrets.””
I looked at Mr. Osgood.
The old butler looked away.
That scared me more than anything.
Because Mr. Osgood had always been loyal to my father.
If he was uncertain…
then maybe there was more.
“Where is my father?”” I asked again.
Thomas did not answer immediately.
And that hesitation told me everything.
“Thomas.””
“He is safe.””
“You keep saying that.””
“Because it is true.””
“Where is he?””
His silence stretched.
Then finally:
“He is with someone who can explain everything.””
“Who?””
Thomas looked toward the entrance.
My heart stopped.
Because everyone else had forgotten one person.
The man who had entered earlier.
The man who had stood beside Thomas.
My father’s security chief.
Daniel Cross.
Daniel stepped forward.
I knew him my entire life.
He had carried me on his shoulders when I was a child.
He had taught me how to ride a bicycle.
He had stood outside my father’s office during every major business meeting.
He was family.
Or so I thought.
“Daniel?””
His face was unreadable.
“Miss Winslow.””
The way he said my name felt wrong.
Formal.
Distant.
“Where is my father?””
Daniel looked at Thomas.
Then at me.
“He is waiting.””
“Waiting where?””
Daniel hesitated.
Then answered.
“At the old Winslow estate.””
My heart sank.
The old estate.
The house my mother loved.
The house we sold after she died.
The house nobody had entered in years.
“Why?””
Daniel looked at the floor.
“Because that is where it started.””
A cold silence filled the room.
“What started?””
Nobody answered.
Then Thomas said:
“The night your mother died.””
My hands went cold.
“No.””
Thomas continued.
“She discovered the truth about the Ashworth family.””
I looked at him.
“And my father?””
Thomas’s eyes darkened.
“Your father made a choice.””
“What choice?””
He took a breath.
“The choice between protecting the woman he loved…”
The room became silent.
“And protecting the daughter she left behind.””
I felt my chest tighten.
I wanted to reject it.
I wanted to scream.
But I needed the answer.
“What happened that night?””
Thomas looked at me.
Then he said something that changed the way I saw my entire childhood.
“Your mother didn’t die because of the Ashworths.””
I froze.
“She died because she discovered your father had been working with them.””
The words cut deeper than anything Sebastian had done.
Because Sebastian was a stranger compared to this.
My father was supposed to be my safe place.
My final truth.
My home.
And suddenly, even that was uncertain.
Thomas reached into his pocket and removed one final item.
A small envelope.
Old.
Yellowed.
The paper was damaged from time.
He held it out.
“Your mother wrote this the night she died.””
I stared at it.
“Why do you have that?””
His eyes met mine.
“Because she gave it to me.””
My heart stopped.
“She knew she might not survive.””
The room disappeared.
I could barely hear anything.
My mother’s final words.
Her final warning.
Her final secret.
Thomas placed the envelope in my hand.
Then he whispered:
“Evelyn, before you open this…”
He looked toward Sebastian.
Then toward my father’s security chief.
“You need to know one thing.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
His answer was quiet.
Terrifying.
“Your mother did not write this letter to warn you about the Ashworth family.””
I swallowed.
“Then who?””
May you like
Thomas looked at the envelope.
“She wrote it to warn you about your father.””
