Part 1: The Broken Mirror of Blackwell Manor
The guard's voice echoed through the mansion.
"Mr. Blackwell... you need to see this."
Nathan didn't hesitate.
Without another glance at Vanessa, he strode toward the grand staircase, taking two steps at a time. His mother followed as quickly as her age allowed, while nearly every guest abandoned their champagne glasses to watch what had suddenly become far more interesting than a birthday celebration.
Emma remained near the edge of the ballroom, holding Ben's hand.
"Stay close to me," she whispered.
Ben nodded, his eyes wide with curiosity.
"I don't like the pretty lady anymore."
Emma squeezed his tiny fingers.
"Don't say anything unless someone asks you, sweetheart."
"I know."
The procession reached the second-floor library, a room few people outside the Blackwell family had ever entered. Floor-to-ceiling walnut shelves lined the walls, filled with leather-bound books collected over generations. A massive fireplace dominated one side of the room, while Charles Blackwell's antique oak desk sat beneath a portrait of the family patriarch.
One security guard stood frozen beside the fireplace.
Another had carefully pulled aside a framed landscape painting.
Behind it...
A narrow steel compartment had been built into the wall.
The hidden door hung open.
Inside were several yellow envelopes.
A leather journal.
A small velvet pouch.
And a portable hard drive.
Mrs. Blackwell covered her mouth.
"Oh, Charles..."
Nathan slowly approached the compartment.
His heartbeat pounded in his ears.
The guard spoke quietly.
"We didn't touch anything except opening the panel."
Nathan nodded.
"Good."
He reached inside and removed the leather journal first.
Its cover was worn with age.
Embossed in gold lettering were the initials:
C.B.
"My father's journal," Nathan whispered.
Mrs. Blackwell stared in disbelief.
"I thought it disappeared after he died."
Vanessa stood near the doorway, her face drained of color.
"You shouldn't read private journals," she said quickly.
Nathan looked at her.
"My father's journal."
"My house."
"My decision."
He opened the first page.
Charles's familiar handwriting filled the paper.
If anyone is reading this besides me, then my greatest fear has finally come true.
Nathan swallowed.
The room became deathly quiet.
Charles had written almost every day for over twenty years.
Business victories.
Family milestones.
Private regrets.
And one recurring name.
Elizabeth Carter.
Nathan frowned.
"Who is Elizabeth Carter?"
Mrs. Blackwell looked confused.
"I've never heard that name."
Emma felt something strange stir inside her.
Carter.
Her own last name.
It couldn't be related.
Could it?
Nathan turned another page.
His father's words became more personal.
Elizabeth refuses to let me provide for our son.
She says she wants him to earn everything honestly.
Nathan stopped reading.
"Our son..."
The words echoed inside the silent library.
Mrs. Blackwell slowly sank into a nearby chair.
"So..."
"The letter was true."
Nathan kept reading.
His name is Daniel.
He has my eyes.
Every birthday I watch him from across the park.
He doesn't know who I am.
Several guests quietly wiped tears from their eyes.
Even strangers could feel Charles Blackwell's regret.
Nathan closed the journal for a moment.
His voice had become almost inaudible.
"My father loved him."
Mrs. Blackwell nodded sadly.
"He was just too afraid."
Nathan looked toward the remaining contents of the compartment.
"Let's see everything."
Inside the velvet pouch lay a simple silver necklace.
Attached to it was a tiny baby bracelet engraved with one name.
Daniel.
Beside it rested several hospital documents.
Birth certificates.
Medical records.
Photographs.
Everything carefully preserved.
Everything proving Charles had secretly followed his first son's life from a distance.
Emma suddenly noticed Vanessa inching toward the doorway.
Very slowly.
Almost imperceptibly.
As if she hoped no one would notice.
But Ben noticed.
He tugged his mother's sleeve.
"Mommy."
Emma bent down.
"What is it?"
"The pretty lady is leaving."
Emma looked up.
Vanessa was indeed slipping quietly into the hallway.
Nathan noticed it too.
"Vanessa."
She froze.
"Where are you going?"
She forced a smile.
"I... I thought perhaps everyone needed some privacy."
Nathan's expression remained unreadable.
"No."
"I think you should stay."
For the first time since their engagement, Vanessa lowered her eyes.
"Of course."
Nathan reached for the portable hard drive.
"It probably contains business records."
The head of security stepped forward.
"We can connect it to the study computer."
Within minutes, the hard drive was plugged into Charles Blackwell's old desktop, which still remained preserved exactly as he had left it.
The monitor flickered to life.
Several folders appeared.
One immediately caught Nathan's attention.
IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO ME
He clicked it.
Inside were scanned documents.
Audio recordings.
Video files.
And a single document titled:
Read This First
Nathan opened it.
Charles's final written statement filled the screen.
If these files are ever discovered, I ask that my family forgive me.
Someone close to me has been trying to erase every trace of Daniel's existence.
Nathan frowned.
Someone?
Who?
He continued reading.
The person responsible knows exactly where these records are hidden.
If I die unexpectedly... do not trust anyone who insists these documents disappear.
The room fell silent.
Nathan slowly turned his head.
Only one person had desperately tried to stop the envelope from being opened.
Only one person had panicked when Ben found the music box.
Only one person had objected to searching the hidden compartment.
Vanessa.
She immediately shook her head.
"No."
"Nathan..."
"I didn't know."
He didn't answer.
Instead, he opened another folder.
This one contained surveillance photographs.
Charles meeting a young boy in parks.
Watching school baseball games from a distance.
Leaving anonymous birthday presents.
Never approaching.
Never revealing the truth.
Nathan's eyes filled with tears.
His father hadn't abandoned Daniel.
He had loved him in silence.
Then...
A final folder appeared.
Its title made everyone stop breathing.
WHO STOLE THE WILL
Nathan's hand froze above the mouse.
Mrs. Blackwell whispered,
"Charles made another will?"
Nathan slowly clicked the folder.
The first file was a scanned legal document.
Across the top, in bold letters, were the words:
LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT OF CHARLES BLACKWELL
Nathan's face turned pale.
"This isn't the will we read after his funeral."
The family attorney, who had attended the birthday celebration, stepped closer.
"It can't be..."
Nathan scrolled.
The signatures were genuine.
The witnesses were legitimate.
The date...
Was three months later than the will the family had inherited.
Someone had replaced it.
Nathan looked toward the attorney.
"You handled my father's estate."
The attorney's face had gone white.
"I..."
"I've never seen this version."
Then the final page loaded.
Nathan read the first paragraph aloud.
I leave equal shares of my personal estate to both my sons... Nathan Blackwell and Daniel Carter.
Gasps erupted throughout the library.
Half the Blackwell fortune...
Had never legally belonged to Nathan alone.
Someone had hidden the truth for decades.
Nathan slowly raised his eyes.
His gaze settled on Vanessa.
She was no longer pretending to be calm.
A single tear rolled down her cheek.
Not from sorrow.
From fear.
And before anyone could speak again...
The study computer suddenly went black.
May you like
The lights flickered.
Somewhere downstairs, a window shattered.
