Ryan had never been more certain of one thing in his life: he wasn’t ready to say goodbye to his father. As he stepped out of the car and stood outside the church, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
“We couldn’t even give Dad a proper funeral,” he thought bitterly, staring at the closed church doors. But before he could dwell on it too long, a sharp bark from his dog, Bella, broke his concentration.
Turning to the car, Ryan saw Bella, usually calm and obedient, behaving oddly. She was pacing around in agitation, her tail stiff, her ears perked. Ryan frowned.
“Bella!” he called out, giving her a hand signal to lie down. She hesitated but obeyed, her eyes still darting around. He patted her head through the open car window, giving her a stern look. “Now, stay, Bella.”
As he walked away from the car, he could still hear Bella’s low whine, but he pushed it out of his mind. Inside the church, his father’s casket stood ready, closed and solemn. The funeral director had already cordoned off the area, as Arnold had died from an infectious disease.
Ryan sat beside his mother, feeling the weight of the loss settle on him, but his thoughts were interrupted when the mass ended and the mourners stood to sing the final hymn.
It was then that Bella’s frantic barking echoed through the church, piercing the mournful silence. Ryan’s heart skipped a beat as he turned toward the noise. Bella had somehow broken free, her paws on the casket, knocking over the flower arrangement as she barked madly.
Ryan stood frozen for a moment, but when Bella’s behavior shifted to an intense, alert stare, he knew something was terribly wrong. His gut twisted.
“Open the casket!” he ordered, his voice cold with urgency.
A shocked gasp rippled through the room. But Ryan didn’t care. He walked over to the casket and, with trembling hands, opened it. His heart pounded in his chest as he looked inside. The coffin was empty.
His uncle’s voice broke the stunned silence, his words shaky. “Wh-Where’s my brother?”
Ryan’s mother, her face pale with shock, suddenly collapsed. Her eyes rolled back, and she crumpled to the floor. Ryan caught her just in time, his heart racing as he helped her to her feet and rushed her to the hospital.
At the hospital, Ryan barely had a moment to process what had happened before he found himself dialing the police. His voice was frantic as he spoke to Detective Bradshaw.
“We don’t know what’s going on yet,” Bradshaw said on the phone. “The coroner confirmed your father’s cause of death and released the remains to the funeral home. Was your father involved in anything suspicious?”
Ryan thought for a moment. He hadn’t been involved in his father’s business for a long time—ever since he had opened his dog training and rehabilitation center. But there was something about all of this that didn’t add up. His father would never risk ruining the family name or the company’s reputation.
Bradshaw promised to stay in touch, but Ryan wasn’t willing to wait around. His mom was in the hospital for the night, and Bella needed him back at home. But Ryan needed answers.
He headed straight for the morgue. When he arrived, the nurse at the desk told him there was no new coroner. The coroner had mysteriously resigned, leaving no one in charge.
“What do you mean, no new coroner?” Ryan demanded. “Where’s my father’s file?”
The nurse refused, citing hospital policies, but Ryan wasn’t ready to give up. He placed $1000 on the counter, and the nurse reluctantly turned a blind eye as he slipped inside the coroner’s office. Ryan began searching the shelves for his father’s file, but it was nowhere to be found.
Frustrated and exhausted, he was about to give up when his phone buzzed. It was his father’s lawyer, Mr. Stevens. The lawyer wanted to meet urgently. Ryan felt a jolt of unease but agreed to meet him.
When he arrived at his father’s office, he opened Arnold’s Gmail account on the office computer. But the inbox was empty. Someone had erased everything. That’s when Ryan noticed two figurines missing from the office shelf.
“Where are the dancers?” he asked, his voice sharp.
Mr. Stevens glanced around uncomfortably. “Oh, Arnold took them home. Poor guy could never get the third figurine for the set. The man who owns it won’t sell for anything less than half a million.”
Ryan’s suspicion grew. He’d been through his parents’ house—he had never seen those figurines there. Something didn’t sit right.
“But anyway,” Mr. Stevens continued, “we have bigger problems. The company’s in serious debt, and investors are threatening to pull their support. It all started when Arnold hired that new secretary. I believe he was having an affair with her.”
Ryan’s blood ran cold. His mind raced back to his mother’s grief-stricken face. He would have confronted his father’s secretary, but Mr. Stevens stopped him, reminding him it would only ruin Arnold’s reputation.
Later that day, as Ryan worked to settle the company’s debts, he couldn’t shake the feeling that something more was going on. He decided to follow his father’s secretary, Miss Pearson. It was a long shot, but she was his only lead. He tailed her car as she pulled into a modest suburban house, and decided to wait.
Hours passed, and just when Ryan was about to give up, the sound of a garage door lifting caught his attention. He watched as Miss Pearson’s car headed toward the city. Ryan didn’t follow. He had a better idea. He slipped into her garage before the door closed behind her. Inside, he found a doorway leading into her house.
His heart raced as he searched her home, careful not to turn on the lights. In the bedroom, he found a photo of Miss Pearson kissing his father on the nightstand. The discovery made his stomach turn, but he kept his focus. He needed to find something concrete.
And then he found it.
In a drawer, partially open, was a Manila envelope. Inside it was Arnold’s life insurance policy, worth $7 million—and the sole beneficiary was Miss Pearson.
Ryan rushed to the police station. Detective Bradshaw looked over the document with narrowed eyes. “This is quite compelling… Let me see what else I can find out about Miss Pearson.”
But Ryan didn’t want to wait. That’s when he learned that Miss Pearson was booked for a flight to Morocco, leaving in just 30 minutes. Without thinking, Ryan followed Detective Bradshaw and her team to the airport.
“Police!” Detective Bradshaw shouted as they approached the boarding gate. “Let us through!”
Ryan, using the chaos to his advantage, slipped past security and into the boarding area. The officers spread out, searching the passengers. They found a woman with dark hair in a white shirt and ordered her to step out of line.
But as she turned around, Ryan’s heart sank. It wasn’t Miss Pearson. The search continued for hours, but she was gone.
Ryan returned to square one, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that his father was alive. His search for answers led him to a collector who owned the third dancer figurine that Arnold had never been able to buy. The price? $750,000.
Ryan was desperate. He called Mr. Stevens and arranged to sell a portion of his shares in the company. “You won’t have a controlling stake if you sell those shares, Ryan,” Mr. Stevens warned.
“I know,” Ryan replied. “But this is urgent. Trust me.”
When the money hit his account, Ryan rushed to buy the figurine, knowing it was his best chance to find his father.
At the auction house, Ryan stood near the back, watching intently as the figurine was brought forward. The bidding started, and the price climbed higher. Ryan felt his pulse quicken.
“$600,000 going once,” the auctioneer called.
“$1 million!” A familiar voice rang out.
Ryan’s heart stopped. He turned in shock. There, at the back of the room, was his father, rising from his seat and removing his wide-brimmed hat.
“$1 million going once… going twice… sold!” the auctioneer declared, slamming his gavel down.
Ryan rushed forward, blocking his father’s path. “Dad!” he called, his voice sharp.
Arnold’s face twisted in frustration. “You tricked me!” he spat.
“You faked your death, Dad! You had an affair and left us all behind. How could you?” Ryan’s voice shook with betrayal.
Arnold’s shoulders slumped as he admitted his guilt. “I wanted a new life, Ryan. I was tired of the old one. Miss Pearson and I… we had big plans.”
Ryan’s voice grew cold. “You taught me that a man should do what is right, not follow his own selfish interests. You didn’t follow your own advice, Dad. And now look where it’s got you.”
Detective Bradshaw stepped forward, cuffing Arnold. “Miss Pearson will be caught soon too,” she assured Ryan as they led his father away.
Ryan stood still, his emotions in turmoil. But deep down, he knew this was the end of a twisted chapter, and he could finally move on.
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