CHAPTER NINE
The name Robert Cole hung in the room like a terrible memory.
Daniel looked at his father in disbelief.
"Robert Cole? The same Robert who used to work with you?"
Richard nodded slowly.
"He was my business partner many years ago."
"What happened to him?" Aisha asked.
Richard sat down heavily.
"Robert was ambitious. He wanted control over everything we built together. When I refused to give him what he wanted, our relationship became bitter."
"How does my mother fit into this?" Aisha asked.
Richard looked at her.
"Robert knew Grace and I were together. He knew how much she meant to me."
"Did he threaten her?"
Richard hesitated.
"Not directly. At least, not that I knew of."
Victoria looked at him sharply.
"Richard, you cannot keep pretending you know nothing."
He turned toward his wife.
"Victoria, not now."
"Then when? After someone gets hurt?"
Aisha watched their exchange carefully. There was clearly more to the story than either of them wanted to admit.
Daniel stood beside her.
"Dad, if Robert is behind these messages, we need to find him."
Richard shook his head.
"You don't understand. Robert disappeared years ago. We were told he had left the country. I believed I would never hear his name again."
"But now someone is using his name to threaten Aisha," Daniel replied. "That means we need answers."
Richard rubbed his forehead.
"I'll make some calls. Until I know what's happening, both of you need to be careful."
Aisha stood.
"I'm going home."
Daniel immediately rose.
"I'll take you."
"That's not necessary."
"Aisha, please. After everything we've heard tonight, I'm not letting you go alone."
She wanted to argue, but the truth was that she was frightened.
Not of Daniel.
Of the person who had somehow learned about her investigation.
"Fine," she said.
Outside, the night air was cool. Daniel opened the passenger door for her, and she climbed inside.
For several minutes, neither spoke.
Finally, Daniel broke the silence.
"I'm sorry."
Aisha looked at him.
"For what?"
"For the way my family has treated you. You came looking for answers, and somehow, you've ended up in the middle of something none of us understands."
"You didn't create this situation."
"No, but I know how it feels when people you trust refuse to tell you the truth."
Aisha turned toward the window.
"Do you?"
"Yes."
His quiet answer made her look back at him.
Daniel kept his eyes on the road.
"After you stopped talking to me, I spent a long time wondering what I could have done differently. I thought about that night more times than I can count."
Aisha's throat tightened.
"Daniel, please."
"I'm not saying this to make you feel guilty. I just want you to understand that losing you hurt me too."
She looked down at her hands.
For years, she had believed she was the only one who had carried the pain of their separation.
Hearing him admit otherwise made her feel strangely vulnerable.
When they arrived at her apartment, Daniel parked outside.
"Thank you for bringing me home," she said.
"You're welcome."
She opened the door, then paused.
"Daniel?"
He looked at her expectantly.
"Thank you for helping me."
His expression softened.
"Anytime, Aisha."
She stepped out and walked toward the entrance.
Before she reached the door, she turned around.
Daniel was still watching her.
For one brief moment, their eyes met, and the years between them seemed to grow smaller.
Then she went inside.
Later that night, Richard sat alone in his study, staring at an old photograph.
It showed him standing beside Grace outside a small restaurant. They looked young and happy, unaware of how complicated their lives would become.
He opened the bottom drawer of his desk and removed a faded envelope.
Inside were several documents and an old letter written in Robert's handwriting.
Richard read the first few lines, and his hands began to tremble.
The letter contained an accusation against Grace, along with a warning that Richard's relationship with her would destroy everything he had worked for.
At the bottom was a sentence Richard had never forgotten.
If you choose her, you will lose more than you can imagine.
Richard closed his eyes.
For years, he had believed he made the right decision by walking away from Grace.
Now, with Aisha asking questions and Robert's name returning to his life, he wondered whether he had allowed himself to be manipulated.
His phone rang.
An unfamiliar number appeared on the screen.
Richard answered cautiously.
"Hello?"
A man's voice came through.
"Still keeping old secrets, Richard?"
Richard stood abruptly.
"Who is this?"
The man laughed softly.
"You know exactly who I am."
Richard's grip tightened around the phone.
"Robert?"
"Congratulations. You still remember me."
"Where are you?"
"Somewhere you should have looked a long time ago."
"What do you want?"
There was a pause.
"Your son has grown into a stubborn man. And Grace's daughter is asking far too many questions."
Richard's heart began to pound.
"Leave them alone."
"Then perhaps you should tell them the truth."
The call ended.
Richard stood motionless, staring at his phone.
For the first time in years, he understood that the past had not disappeared.
It had only been waiting for the right moment to return.