The ride back to my mother's house was in silence, and the air was thick between us with words unsaid. Still, my mind reeled with the day's revelations: the will, the inheritance-the hostility of Michael's family. More than that, however, the words of William repeated over and over again in my mind, "There are forces at play that you don't understand.".
Martha and Ava were waiting for us when finally we arrived at the house. The tension in the air was palpable even to them. Ava ran to me, her small face screwed up with concern. "Mommy, are you okay?" she asked, her big brown eyes rummaging mine.
I forced a smile, trying to hide the turmoil inside. "I'm fine, sweetie. Just tired.
Martha gave me an all-knowing look, obviously aware that I was fibbing, but mercifully she didn't push it. Instead, she reached for Ava's hand. "Come on, darling, let's get you ready for bed.
As they disappeared upstairs, I turned to Mother. She hadn't said a word on the ride home, her face pinched and white. Now, she spoke finally, in a low, almost inaudible voice. "Alice, I need to tell you something. Something I should have told you long ago."
I folded my arms over my chest, my anger simmering just below the surface. "You mean the truth about my father? The truth you kept from me my whole life?"
She winced, but nodded. "Yes, that. and more."
I sat down on the couch, my heart pounding. "Go on.
She inhaled deeply, as if steeling herself for what was to follow. "Michael. your father. he was a powerful man, but at the same time, he was a perilous one. He had many foes, and he made decisions that put those dear to him in danger."
I scrunched up my brow, trying to make sense of what she was telling me. "What do you mean? What type of enemies?"
She looked down at her hands, which were shaking. "He was involved in. things. Things that I didn't fully understand, but I knew they were dangerous. That's why I left him, why I took you and ran. I thought it was the only way to keep you safe."
My mind raced as I tried to make out what she meant. "What kind of things? Was he into some sort of crime?
She didn't say it, but the expression in her eyes was enough. "Michael was a complex man, Alice. He was a man who loved you, in his own way, but his life was. dark. I didn't want that darkness to touch you."
I continued to stare at her, as my heartbeat pounded within my chest. "So you kept me from him. You kept me in the dark about who he was.
She nodded, her eyes welling up with tears. "I thought it was the only way. But now. now I see that maybe I have made a mistake."
Anger surged through me, hot and all-consuming. "A mistake? You think? You let me grow up without a father, without knowing who I really was, and now you tell me it's because he was dangerous?
She reached for me, but I pulled away, too angry to be touched. "I'm sorry, Alice," she whispered, her voice breaking. "I thought I was doing the right thing."
I stood, my hands shaking. "Well, it's too late for that now. I'm in the middle of this, whether I want to be or not. And I don't even know who my enemies are.
She looked up at me, her eyes afraid. "Alice, you gotta be so careful. There's people out there that will use you, that would do you harm. You need to protect yourself.".
But her words only inflated my anger. "How can I protect myself when I do not even know what I am protecting myself against? You have kept me in the dark your whole life, and now you just want me to figure it out?"
There was a knock at the door before she could say anything else. We both froze as the tension in the room heightened.
I walked to the door, my heart pounding. Opening it, I found William standing on the porch, an unreadable expression on his face.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, a little sharper than intended.
He didn't immediately answer. His eyes flicked to my mother before settling back on me. "We need to talk. Now.
I hesitated, but something in his tone said this was serious. I stepped aside, allowing him entry.
My mother bristled at his entry, narrowing her eyes. "What do you want, William?"
He brushed right past her, addressing me instead. "Alice, there's something you need to know. Something about your father's will."
I scowled, my ire giving way to puzzlement. "What do you mean?
He glanced at my mother, and for a second, something dark crossed over his features. "Michael didn't just leave you the company and the properties. He left you something else-something far more dangerous."
My heart missed a beat. "What are you talking about?"
He paused for a deep breath, as though he wanted to weigh every one of his next words in consideration. "There's a safe in the Rodriguez mansion. Inside that safe are documents, files, and other. things that your father kept hidden. Things that could change everything."
I reeled from the implications, his words hitting me like a freight train. "What kind of things?"
His eyes met mine, and I saw the seriousness in them. "Information. About his enemies, his allies, and the deals he made. And now, all of it is yours."
I felt the bottom fall out from under me as the weight of what he was saying began to sink in. My father's secrets, his enemies, his entire life. it was all in that safe. And now it was mine.
My mother's face went white, her hand clenching on the armrest of the couch. "Alice, you can't. you can't go after that. It's too dangerous."
But I knew there was no going back. For the first time in my life, the answers I had been searching for were within reach, and I couldn't back down.
I have to know," I said, trying to sound calm, yet my voice held steady, though inside my belly was taken over with fear. "I have to comprehend who my father was and why he did what he had done."
William nodded, an approving look in his eyes. "Then we go tonight. Before anyone else can get to it.
My mother got up; panic sparkled in her eyes. "No, Alice, please. You don't understand what you are getting into. It's not about your father's past. It is about your future, your safety. Please, do not do this.
But she spoke to deaf ears, I was too gone, too sure I had to find out what had happened. And I knew, as I turned to William, he was my only hope.
"We're going," I said with finality.
As we left the house, my mother's words continued ringing in my head-a warning I could not afford to abide by. I was going into the unknown, and I didn't know what was on the other side.
But one thing was for sure-whatever it was in that safe, it was going to change everything.