Chapter 5 - The Mother's Truth
The cinematic realism of the absolute, crushing betrayal hit Tess with the physical force of a freight train.
Tess read the legal clause out loud, her voice cracking with every single syllable. "Upon my passing, my entire estate, including absolute majority ownership of the company, shall be placed in a secure trust. On her twenty-fifth birthday, absolute control of the empire transfers immediately and solely to my daughter, Tess."
Tess stopped breathing. The paper slipped from her trembling hands, falling onto the glass table.
Her father didn't own the company. He had never owned it.
When Tess’s mother died, Arthur had meticulously, illegally forged a fake will. He had bribed the family lawyers to hide the truth so he could steal his own daughter’s massive inheritance and use her mother's brilliant empire to fund his reckless gambling addiction.
For ten years, he had treated Tess like a burden, living in absolute luxury on money that legally, undeniably belonged to her.
"He stole it," Tess wept, the agonizing realization burning her chest. "He stole my mother's legacy, bankrupted it, and then used me to pay off the debt."
"Yes," Roman replied coldly, his jaw clenching tight. "Your father is a parasite. And he almost got away with it."
Tess looked up at the terrifying billionaire, her tear-stained face radiating pure, unadulterated confusion.
"But how do you have this?" Tess asked breathlessly. "Why do you care? I'm just a stranger to you."
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Roman’s stoic, hardened expression finally cracked. A rare, profound sorrow flashed through his dark eyes.
👉 Roman sat down across from her, ready to reveal the massive secret that connected him to her mother.
