The waiting area of Clarke & Hills was pristine. Marble floors. A wall-length aquarium. A receptionist who blinked too much when she saw Emma.
"I have an appointment with Mr. Clarke," Emma said calmly.
The receptionist hesitated, then buzzed her through.
As Emma walked the long glass hallway, the weight of history pressed on her. She had walked this corridor before, as a child—holding Grace's hand. Richard had bought her candy from the break room. Smiled. Lied.
Not today.
⸻
Inside Richard's Office
He didn't stand when she entered. He just folded his hands on the desk like a man who'd already calculated the odds.
"Emma," Richard said, voice smooth. "You've grown into a remarkable woman."
She didn't sit.
"I'm not here for compliments. You know why I'm here."
Richard leaned back, watching her with mild amusement. "To rehash a painful story that doesn't need to be public?"
"To expose what you helped cover up," Emma replied. "Fraud. Perjury. Forged documents. You ruined a man to protect a woman who used a child's name to steal money."
Richard sighed. "Your mother… was unwell. And Michael—he was naïve. Emotional. Not suited for courtrooms or power struggles."
Emma's voice was cold. "He was my father."
"And yet, you called me Dad for twenty years."
That landed. But she didn't let it show.
He opened a drawer and slid a manila folder toward her. "This is an agreement. A full settlement. We'll offer you a public apology. A quiet financial resolution. And you'll drop the suit."
Emma didn't touch the folder.
"What if I don't?"
His eyes narrowed. "Then I'll bury you in court, Emma. Not out of malice—out of necessity. You're playing with fire."
She shook her head. "I'm holding a torch. There's a difference."
He smiled slightly. "I wondered if you had your father's defiance. I see now—you do."
Emma turned to leave, but his next words stopped her cold.
"Your mother didn't just manipulate Michael. There was another man. Before him. A fiancé who died under strange circumstances. Drowned in a quarry. No investigation."
She slowly turned back. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying you think this case is about lies in court. But it might be about something much darker. Your mother has… history. And it didn't start with Michael."
Emma stared at him.
"She never told me about anyone before Michael."
"She wouldn't," Richard said. "But the truth always finds its way to the surface. Even when buried under years of grief, guilt—and blood."
⸻
Outside the Office
Emma walked out into the sunlight, heart pounding. The streets of London buzzed with noise, but her mind was locked in on Richard's final words.
Another man?
A death?
A cover-up?
The case wasn't just legal anymore.
It was personal. Criminal. And possibly deadly.
⸻
Later – Back at Caroline's Office
Emma dropped the settlement offer on Caroline's desk.
"We're not taking their money."
Caroline didn't even open it. "Did he threaten you?"
"Worse. He told me to dig deeper."
Caroline's eyes narrowed. "What did you find?"
Emma's voice dropped.
"My mother might've killed someone before she met my father. And she covered it up just like she did everything else."
Silence.
Then Caroline said, "Then it's time to open her past."
⸻
Final Scene – Emma's Research Begins
Late that night, Emma sat on her laptop scrolling through archives, death certificates, and engagement announcements from Grace's university years.
Then she found it.
Daniel Mercer, 23, found drowned in Stonemill Quarry. No foul play determined. Grace Clarke listed as his next of kin. No engagement confirmed—but a photo attached to an old article showed them arm-in-arm at a college fundraiser.
Emma stared at Grace's face in the photo.
Smiling. Radiant.
Deadly?
She typed a single line into the search bar:
"Stonemill Quarry – suspicious deaths, 1990s."
And as the results loaded, she whispered aloud:
"What else have you hidden, Mother?"