Mara came willingly.
That surprised Claire.
After everything they had discovered, Claire expected denial.
Excuses.
Anger.
Instead, Mara sat down and immediately said:
“I owe Daniel the truth.”
Daniel looked at her.
“You owed me the truth three years ago.”
“I know.”
The honesty made it harder.
Because anger was easier when someone refused responsibility.
Mara opened a folder.
Inside were copies of old emails.
Contracts.
Private messages.
“I worked with Victor before.”
Daniel said nothing.
“I helped him acquire properties.”
Claire watched Daniel carefully.
He looked devastated.
Not because Mara had worked with Victor.
Because she had hidden it.
“How long?”
“Six years.”
“And Lydia knew?”
“Yes.”
“Did she know before she died?”
“Yes.”
Daniel stood.
“Then why didn’t she tell me?”
Mara’s eyes filled.
“Because she was trying to protect you.”
“That answer is getting old.”
Mara nodded.
“You’re right.”
She explained.
Lydia discovered Mara’s connection to Victor months before her death.
But she also discovered something else.
Mara had been trying to stop him.
After years of helping Victor, Mara realized his methods were destroying people.
She wanted out.
Victor threatened her.
He threatened her family.
He threatened to expose everything.
“So Lydia protected you?”
“Yes.”
Daniel laughed sadly.
“My wife protected everyone.”
The words carried pain.
Because it was true.
Lydia had carried everyone’s secrets.
Except her own.
Mara then revealed the final piece.
The person who had been giving Victor information was not Ethan.
Not her.
Someone else.
Someone who had access to family discussions.
Someone who knew when Daniel traveled.
Someone who knew Lydia’s plans.
Claire already felt the answer.
But she refused to say it.
Mara whispered:
“Your brother wasn’t the first person Victor approached.”
Daniel looked confused.
“Then who?”
Mara placed one final document on the table.
A payment record.
The recipient name was clear.
Vanessa Mercer.
Claire stared.
Daniel looked like he had been hit.
“No.”
Mara nodded.
“She was the connection.”
The room became silent.
Everything changed.
Vanessa.
The daughter who always seemed forgotten.
The sister who had appeared supportive.
The person nobody questioned.
“She gave Victor information?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Mara looked down.
“Because she believed she deserved what Daniel would leave behind.”
Claire felt sick.
Her family had not been destroyed by one betrayal.
It had been divided by years of resentment.
Ethan wanted approval.
Vanessa wanted control.
Victor wanted profit.
And everyone had found a weakness to exploit.
Daniel sat down.
“My children.”
His voice broke.
“I raised them better than this.”
Claire sat beside him.
“You did.”
“But they still chose.”
“Yes.”
That was the hardest truth.
Love could explain choices.
It could not erase them.
—
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Click here to continue reading: PART 12: Daniel Faced the Daughter Who Betrayed Him, and Lydia’s Final Message Revealed the One Truth He Needed Most
My Sister Announced Our Father’s Death Before Sunrise, but the Man Eating Breakfast Across From Me Had Other Plans
Part 11 of 20
