Chapter 6: The Ownership He Hid From Me

Derrick's silence confirmed that Rosalie had found the one subject capable of making him hesitate.

I stared at him.

"Tell me."

He looked at me, then at Georgina.

"This isn't what you think."

"Then explain it."

Rosalie smiled from across the room.

"Go ahead, Derrick."

"Tell your wife what you did."

Derrick's expression hardened.

"Leave, Rosalie."

"Not until she knows."

"You don't get to decide what my wife needs to know."

"Apparently, neither do you."

I stepped between them.

"Enough."

"Derrick, speak."

He finally took a breath.

"Before we got married, your family's company had ownership rights in several major hotel properties."

"Including Solenne."

"I know that."

"What you don't know is that there was a legal dispute over those shares."

"My father wanted to protect them."

"So he created a trust."

I frowned.

"A trust?"

"Yes."

"Your father transferred part of your family's ownership into it before his death."

"And who controls it?"

Derrick looked at me.

"You."

Silence.

I stared at him.

"Me?"

"Yes."

Rosalie laughed bitterly.

"There it is."

"Your marriage wasn't just about love."

"Your family needed you to be protected."

"And Derrick's family needed access to those assets."

My eyes narrowed.

"Is that why you married me?"

"No."

Derrick stepped closer.

"I didn't know about the trust when I married you."

"Then why didn't you tell me about it later?"

"Because I only found out after the wedding."

"When?"

"Several months later."

"And you never told me."

"Because the trust was under your name, and my father believed the information could make you a target."

Georgina looked at Derrick sharply.

"That's what you were told?"

"Yes."

"Who told you?"

Derrick hesitated.

"My father's attorney."

Georgina's expression changed.

"Which attorney?"

"Victor Hale."

She froze.

"Victor Hale died eight years ago."

"Exactly."

"Then you should have checked the documents yourself."

Derrick lowered his head.

"I should have."

I looked at Rosalie.

"How did you know about the trust?"

"Because my father helped draft the original agreement."

"He believed the Hart family would eventually take control."

I turned toward Derrick.

"Were you trying to take control?"

"Never."

"Then why did Rosalie have access to my records?"

"I don't know."

"Why did she know about my family's ownership rights?"

He looked toward her.

Rosalie smiled.

"Because I was given access by someone inside Hart International."

Georgina's expression hardened.

"Who?"

"You really think I'm going to tell you?"

Derrick took a step forward.

"Tell us."

"Or what?"

"You'll finally prove that everything you've done was never about survival."

"It was about revenge."

Rosalie's smile disappeared.

"You have no idea what I've sacrificed."

"I lost my family's position."

"I lost the marriage I was promised."

"And then you brought Vera into my life as if I never existed."

"So yes."

"I wanted something back."

I looked at her quietly.

"You wanted revenge on me for a decision Derrick made."

"You blamed the wrong person."

"Maybe."

"But you still got everything you wanted."

"Did I?"

She pointed toward me.

"Look at her."

"She has your company."

"Your name."

"Your protection."

"And now she has the trust too."

Her voice turned bitter.

"You always choose her."

Derrick's expression was cold.

"Because she's my wife."

Rosalie laughed.

"That's exactly why this hurts."

She suddenly pulled out her phone.

"Look."

She showed Derrick a document.

His face changed.

"Where did you get this?"

"From the original trust records."

"The beneficiary clause has been altered."

"What?" I asked.

Derrick took the phone.

His eyes moved rapidly over the document.

"This isn't my family's version."

"Exactly."

Georgina stepped closer.

"There are two versions."

"Someone changed the beneficiary."

I felt cold all over.

"To whom?"

Rosalie looked at me.

"Your brother."

I froze.

"My brother?"

"Yes."

"Someone transferred control of the trust to your brother without your knowledge."

Derrick stared at the document.

"That doesn't make sense."

"It does if someone wanted to create a conflict between your family and ours."

Georgina's face became serious.

"This goes deeper than Rosalie."

"Much deeper."

Derrick immediately called his legal team.

"I need a complete forensic review of the original trust."

"Every version."

"Every signature."

"Every person who accessed the records."

"Today."

He ended the call.

Then he looked at me.

"Vera, I swear I never touched your family's ownership."

"I believe you didn't create this," I said.

"But you still kept secrets from me."

"I know."

"And that's something you're going to have to repair yourself."

He nodded.

"I will."

Rosalie laughed softly.

"You really think the two of you can fix this?"

"You still don't understand what's happening."

Derrick looked at her.

"Then explain."

"Your company is already compromised."

"Several executives are working against you."

"The trust is only one part of it."

"Then why tell us?" I asked.

"Because I want you to know how easily Derrick can lose everything."

"And when he loses everything..."

"You'll finally understand what it feels like to have nothing."

I looked at her.

"You want to destroy him."

"Yes."

"Even if you destroy yourself too."

Rosalie didn't answer.

Derrick turned to security.

"Escort her out."

Rosalie didn't resist.

Before leaving, she looked at me.

"Ask your husband what happened the night your marriage papers were signed."

"There's one more secret."

The door closed behind her.

Silence returned.

I turned toward Derrick.

"What happened that night?"

"I told you the marriage was my choice."

"Was it?"

He looked away.

My heart sank.

"Derrick."

"I was going to marry you anyway."

"But the night before the ceremony, my father threatened to cut me off from the company if I refused the merger agreement."

I stared at him.

"So you chose me because you wanted me... but also because you were forced."

"Yes."

"And you never told me."

"I was afraid you'd think our marriage wasn't real."

I laughed quietly.

"You were afraid of exactly what you created."

Derrick closed his eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"I know."

"But I'm not leaving because of the past."

He looked at me.

"Then why?"

"Because the present is still full of secrets."

"I need to know whether I can trust you."

He nodded.

"Then I'll earn it."

My phone suddenly rang.

It was the hotel's security department.

"Mrs. Hart, we found something."

"What?"

"A hidden server in the Solenne Hotel."

"It contains several years of deleted records."

"Including private communications between Mr. Hart and Ms. Rosalie."

Derrick's expression became tense.

"We'll be there."

He ended the call.

I looked at him.

"Let's go."

"Together?"

"Yes."

"Because if we're going to uncover the truth..."

"We might as well do it at the same time."

Derrick nodded.

For the first time since the pool incident, we walked side by side without an argument.

But neither of us knew that the hidden server contained something far more dangerous than Rosalie's lies.

It contained the evidence of who had been manipulating the Hart family for years.

And once we saw it...

There would be no going back.