Chapter 13 - THE SIN OF THE FATHER
I followed her into a massive, dust-draped library dominated by a roaring stone fireplace. Shelves stretched up to a vaulted ceiling, crammed with leather-bound ledgers and scientific journals.
Evelyn walked over to a heavy mahogany desk, picked up a thick stack of faded, yellowed patent certificates, and dropped them onto the wood with a dull thud.
"Your father wasn't the self-made genius he pretended to be when he immigrated to the States," Evelyn said quietly, her voice trembling slightly with suppressed rage. "He was a brilliant chemist, yes—but he was a thief. These chemical formulas for industrial polymer synthesis? Every single one of them was researched, tested, and patented by my late husband, Arthur Blackwood, in 1984."
I stepped closer, my eyes scanning the documents. Sure enough, right there on the official UK patent filings, alongside Arthur Blackwood’s signature, was my father’s signature acting as a junior partner.
"My father left England after Arthur died under 'mysterious circumstances' abroad," Evelyn continued, turning her piercing gaze toward me. "He fled to America with the core research, built a multi-million-dollar manufacturing empire, and left our family destitute. Julian and Luca were just the wretched fruit of a poisoned tree. Greed runs deep in your bloodline, Jessi. But you... you inherited his brains."
"Why are you telling me this now?" I asked, my voice steady despite the shock vibrating through my chest. "If you wanted revenge, you could have ruined him while he was alive."
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"Arthur didn't want revenge; he wanted the truth brought to light," Evelyn said, walking over to a heavy iron safe built into the stone wall. She spun the dial, pulled the heavy door open, and retrieved a sleek, modern, encrypted flash drive.
"Julian didn't just stumble into your family's life by accident six months ago," Evelyn revealed, sliding the drive across the desk toward me. "He partnered with an underground syndicate in London that has been quietly buying up your father’s old corporate debt. Julian wanted the house, yes—but he also wanted to destroy your business empire to finish what your father started against mine."
