Billionaire Pretends to Be Homeless, But the Poor Girl Knows His Biggest Secret
Chapter 6
Alexander didn’t sleep.
He sat across from Evelyn in a private safe house until sunrise.
“Start at the beginning.”
Evelyn looked exhausted.
“Your father had a business partner.”
“Who?”
“Daniel Carter.”
Lily’s father.
Alexander stared.
“That’s impossible.”
“Daniel was brilliant.”
“What did he do?”
“He helped build the company’s international accounting system.”
“He stole from us.”
“No.”
“He disappeared.”
“Yes.”
“Then where is he?”
Evelyn looked at him.
“Alive.”
Alexander’s heart pounded.
“Lily’s father is alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Evelyn folded her hands.
“Daniel discovered the same network your father discovered.”
“The stolen money.”
“Yes.”
“But Daniel wasn’t stealing it.”
“No.”
“He was investigating it.”
“Yes.”
Alexander felt a chill.
“Then why did everyone say he abandoned Lily?”
“Because someone needed everyone to believe he was dead.”
“Who?”
Evelyn looked away.
“Thomas.”
Alexander went still.
His uncle had destroyed both families.
But why?
Evelyn continued.
“Thomas wanted control of Reed Holdings.”
“He could have waited.”
“He couldn’t.”
“Why?”
“Because your father intended to give half the company to Daniel’s family.”
Alexander stared.
“Why?”
“Because Daniel had saved the company.”
“And Lily?”
Evelyn shook her head.
“Lily was the reason.”
“What?”
“Daniel discovered that Thomas was using the company to build a private financial network.”
“A criminal empire.”
“Yes.”
“Richard planned to expose him.”
“Yes.”
“And Daniel helped.”
Evelyn nodded.
“But Thomas found out.”
Alexander’s voice became quiet.
“What happened?”
“Richard died.”
“Daniel disappeared.”
“Margaret died.”
“And you faked your death.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect you.”
Alexander laughed bitterly.
“Everyone says that.”
His mother looked at him.
“Because it’s true.”
Then she handed him a folder.
Inside was a birth certificate.
Lily Carter.
Mother: Margaret Carter.
Father: Daniel Carter.
Alexander looked up.
“So she isn’t a Reed.”
“No.”
“Then why did you tell me—”
“I told you she was the daughter of the man who destroyed our family.”
Alexander stared at the name.
Daniel Carter.
Not a villain.
Not a thief.
A whistleblower.
His mother had intentionally used ambiguous words because she wanted Alexander to listen before reacting.
“Why is Lily so important?”
Evelyn looked toward the window.
“Because Daniel didn’t hide the evidence in a bank.”
“Where?”
“In her.”
Alexander frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Evelyn handed him another document.
A neurological evaluation.
Then a photograph.
Lily as a child.
Three symbols had been drawn on a piece of paper.
Evelyn whispered,
“Daniel taught her the access code before he disappeared.”
“Lily doesn’t know it.”
“She doesn’t know she knows it.”
Alexander finally understood.
The bedtime stories.
The house.
The numbers.
The melody.
Her childhood memories were not random.
They were the password.
A password designed to survive even if everyone else disappeared.
“What does the code unlock?”
Evelyn’s face tightened.
“The Reed Foundation vault.”
Alexander looked at her.
“What is inside?”
“Proof that could destroy Thomas.”
“And Victor?”
“He works for Thomas.”
Alexander stood.
“We need Lily.”
His mother looked worried.
“She may never trust you again.”
He sighed.
“She shouldn’t.”
Then he reached for his phone.
One message from Lily.
Meet me at the train station. Alone.
Alexander immediately understood.
Someone had reached her.
He drove there.
When he arrived, Lily was standing beneath the station lights.
Her eyes were red.
“Are you my father?”
“No.”
She closed her eyes.
“Good.”
He stepped closer.
“I know what happened.”
“Do you?”
“Yes.”
She looked at him.
“Then tell me the truth.”
“Your father is alive.”
Her face crumpled.
“What?”
“And your mother was killed because she helped him.”
Lily stared.
Alexander continued.
“The secret your mother hid isn’t inside an object.”
“Then where?”
He looked into her eyes.
“It’s inside your memory.”
