CHAPTER 6: THE SECRET INSIDE THE TEDDY BEAR
CHAPTER 6: THE SECRET INSIDE THE TEDDY BEAR
Lily awoke slowly.
The first thing she saw was white.
Hospital ceiling.
Soft lights.
The steady beep of heart monitors.
Then...
Sophie sleeping beside her bed with her head resting on folded arms.
Lily smiled weakly.
"Baby..."
Sophie woke instantly.
"Mommy!"
She carefully hugged her without touching the bandages.
"I thought you were gone."
"I'm still here."
Marcus quietly stepped into the room.
"You gave us quite a scare."
Lily looked at him with tired eyes.
"You paid for the surgery."
"It wasn't a loan."
"I can't repay—"
"You don't have to."
Tears filled her eyes.
"Why?"
Marcus hesitated.
Then answered honestly.
"Because once..."
"...someone couldn't save my mother."
Silence settled over the room.
For the first time...
Lily saw not a wealthy executive.
But a son who still carried an old wound.
Later that afternoon...
Rachel entered carrying a small evidence bag.
"We finally examined the teddy bear."
Marcus looked up.
"And?"
Rachel carefully cut the last few stitches.
Soft stuffing spilled onto the table.
Then...
Something small dropped out.
A black USB flash drive.
Everyone froze.
Sophie's eyes grew wide.
"My daddy said Teddy had a secret."
Marcus carefully picked it up.
"So he did."
An IT forensic specialist was called immediately.
The drive was encrypted.
After nearly an hour...
The final password was entered.
The screen unlocked.
Folders appeared.
Payroll Fraud
Offshore Accounts
Contract Conversions
Executive Payments
Rachel opened the first spreadsheet.
Her face went pale.
"Oh... my God."
Marcus leaned closer.
Every fake contractor account.
Every forged signature.
Every stolen insurance benefit.
Every diverted paycheck.
Millions of dollars.
Over eight years.
Then another folder opened automatically.
A video.
Recorded by Ethan Parker.
He appeared exhausted.
Looking over his shoulder every few seconds.
"If you're watching this..."
"...they finally found me."
He held up several printed documents.
"The theft goes higher than Daniel Brooks."
He slowly turned one page toward the camera.
A signature appeared at the bottom.
Marcus's expression froze.
His own family name.
GREEN.
Not Marcus.
Not his late mother.
Another Green.
One with real power.
The Chairman of Green Enterprises.
Marcus whispered,
"No..."
Rachel stared at the screen in disbelief.
"The chairman authorized every transfer."
Marcus's hands trembled.
The man who had built the company.
The man celebrated as a business legend.
The man Marcus had admired for years...
...was sitting at the very top of the corruption.
Before anyone could speak—
Marcus's phone rang.
Unknown number.
He answered.
A calm, familiar voice spoke.
"I see you've opened the drive."
Marcus's blood turned cold.
"Who is this?"
The man chuckled softly.
"You've been looking for me all along."
A pause.
Then the words that changed everything.
"I'm your uncle."
"And if you want Lily and Sophie to survive..."
"...bring the flash drive to me alone."
The call disconnected.
Marcus slowly lowered the phone.
Rachel stared at him.
"What did he say?"
Marcus looked at the USB drive...
...then at the sleeping child whose father had died protecting it.
Finally, he whispered one sentence.
May you like
"He isn't just the mastermind."
"He's family."
