Ava couldn't move.
She couldn't speak.
She couldn't even breathe properly.
Because the man standing in front of her...
The man claiming to be her father...
It was impossible.
Her father had been gone for years.
She had attended his funeral.
She had watched people lower his coffin into the ground.
She had cried.
She had accepted the pain.
And now...
A stranger was standing in her living room saying:
"I am Daniel Bennett."
"No."
The word came out before she could stop it.
The man looked hurt.
Not angry.
Not offended.
It just hurt.
"I knew you would say that."
Ava stepped back.
"Because it's true."
Her voice shook.
"You are not my father."
Daniel looked down.
Then slowly reached into his pocket.
He pulled out something.
A small silver necklace.
Ava froze.
Because she knew it.
She knew that necklace.
Her mother used to wear it.
Every day.
Before she died.
"Where did you get that?"
Daniel looked at it.
"Your mother gave it to me."
Ava's eyes filled with confusion.
"My mother died."
"I know."
The way he said it...
The pain in his voice...
Made her hesitate.
"Then who are you?"
Daniel looked at her.
And whispered:
"The man who failed to protect you."
Meanwhile...
Across the city...
Damien Laurent sat alone in his office.
The lights were off.
The city below was alive.
But he felt completely still.
Ava's face kept appearing in his mind.
Her anger.
Her courage.
Her stubbornness.
The way she looked at him like he was human instead of a billionaire.
His phone buzzed.
A message.
From Julian.
"We need to talk."
Damien stared at the screen.
Then replied:
"About what?"
The response came instantly.
"About Ava."
His expression changed.
Twenty minutes later, Julian entered the office.
Damien didn't offer him a seat.
"Start talking."
Julian sighed.
"You found out."
"About what?"
"That Ava's father is alive."
Silence.
Damien stared.
"You knew?"
Julian looked away.
"I suspected."
"Suspected?"
Damien's voice became colder.
"You knew my entire life was falling apart and you kept secrets?"
Julian looked at him.
"You don't understand."
"Then make me understand."
A long pause.
Then Julian said:
"Daniel Bennett didn't disappear."
Damien waited.
"He was forced to."
"By who?"
Julian's face became serious.
"The same person who destroyed our family."
Damien's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
Julian hesitated.
And that hesitation told Damien everything.
"Julian."
Finally, he answered.
"The person who raised us."
Damien froze.
"What?"
Julian looked at him.
"Our father wasn't the only one keeping secrets."
A pause.
"Someone else was controlling everything."
Damien stood.
"Who?"
Julian looked toward the window.
And quietly said:
"The person you trusted after your father died."
At Ava's apartment...
Daniel placed another document on the table.
"This is why your father hid you."
Ava opened it.
Her hands shook.
It was an agreement.
But not between families.
Between enemies.
A deal.
A protection agreement.
And at the bottom...
Her father's signature.
Her mother's signature.
And one more name.
A name that made her blood run cold.
Because she knew it.
Everyone knew it.
It belonged to the person who had guided Damien for years.
The person who had helped build Laurent Industries.
The person everyone trusted.
Ava looked up.
"Why would they do this?"
Daniel's eyes filled with sadness.
"Because they knew what would happen if Damien and you ever met."
Ava frowned.
"Why?"
Daniel looked at her.
And his answer changed everything.
"Because your families didn't create a partnership."
A pause.
"They created a war."
Ava's heart raced.
"What are you saying?"
Daniel stepped closer.
"Your father and Damien's father were never friends."
"They were rivals."
Silence.
"Then why work together?"
Daniel looked at the agreement.
"Because they discovered something bigger than both of them."
Ava whispered:
"What?"
Daniel looked directly at her.
"The person controlling everything."
A pause.
"The person who has been waiting for Damien and you to destroy each other."
Before Ava could respond...
Her phone rang.
Damien.
She answered immediately.
"Damien?"
His voice was tense.
"Ava."
Something was wrong.
"What happened?"
A pause.
Then:
"I know who is behind everything."
Ava froze.
"Who?"
Silence.
Then Damien said:
"The person we trusted the most."
Ava looked at Daniel.
And Daniel looked terrified.
Because he knew exactly who Damien meant.
What is worse , losing someone you love, or discovering the person you trusted was the one who hurt you?