Chapter Fourteen

I can't believe this. How-? Why-? Okay, I'm speechless. I sit staring at the screen, dumbstruck and stay that way for about ten minutes. Okay, I'm back.

How did they get these ideas? I mean- I don't- I need to phone Dad. I tap in his number and wait for it to ring.

"Hello", he says slightly more cheerily.

"Hi Dad, can't stop for long, but remember those inventions you came up with ages ago, you wrote them down, right?" I ask.

"Yeah", he replies.

"Could anyone get to them?" I say.

"Nobody, I keep them in my office. Well, nobody except the staff", he answers. Ah, a traitor on the inside.

"Okay, thanks Dad, bye", I say. So, either Amelia, Clorrise or Alfred. Who is it? Who would want to see my Dad in misery? Who needs or needed money? Wait. I click back onto the tab I was on and check Alfred's accounts. He needed money, but ages ago. It would be pointless to take money from someone to pay off accounts when they're all paid off. And he would never hurt my father, he gave him a job, a life, a roof over his head, why would he? So, Alfred's out the picture; he hasn't got a motive and well, he's too nice. So, Amelia or Clorrise? Well, Amelia still doesn't have a motive, but she has an angry streak, so maybe Dad might have said something to spark her off? No, no, no. That's not right. Right, we're left with Clorrise. The mysterious little girl that I've only just found out about. Oh, and Alfred's granddaughter. Who can forget that saga? Wait, she was the one that was looking through Dad's files when I left for the plane. Oh my God. She's the one. She's the traitor on the inside. This is huge, this is absolutely massive. I have to tell someone, but who?

Well, probably the best person to tell is Gruffydd, because, well, he's very much involved. I stand up and immediately pins and needles run up and down my leg. Well, let's not get too hasty, this leg ain't moving for a while. Let's check my voicemails while I wait. "You have one new message", says the automated tone on the other end.

The monotone then changes to a voice I recognize, but can't place, "Hello Gruffydd, just a quick update on our deal, you keep that Kelly girl in the country and I'll tell you who you are. Just checking you didn't forget. Oh, and if you don't go through with this, I will take away everything you ever loved". Well, this consolidates my theory about someone blackmailing Gruffydd. Why does he want me here though? I'm sure this little meeting will answer that. Limping along I open the door and shout at the top of my voice, "GRUFFYDD!" A few moments later Gruffydd comes running up the hill, panting and sweating streams. "What is it?" he wheezes.

"We need to talk", I say and invite him in. He collapses on a chair, but when he sees my serious face, he sits upright.

"Okay, I'm interested", he exclaims.

"Who's blackmailing you?" I ask bluntly.

"Why's it matter to you?" he replies.

"Because the same person that is blackmailing you is trying to tear my family apart", I declare.

"You know that I can't tell you", he murmurs.

"Either you tell me or I go", I say.

"What do you mean?" he asks and his eyes narrow. Either he knows I'm near to the truth or I've completely confused him. Probably confused him, I have a habit of doing that.

"I know your blackmailer wants me to stay in the country. So, you tell me who he is, or I go and you lose everything", I yell. I feel like a police officer interrogating him. Maybe I should get a lamp and shine it in his face. He face creases up and he looks around panicked. I've really put him in a rock and a hard place.

"Fine, his name is Aled Owens. He's a famous CEO of a big company and for some reason he wants you to stay here. He said he knew who I was and what my heritage is", he admits.

"How could he possibly know-" I start, but then my thoughts overwhelm me. Of course, how could I be so stupid? The pieces of the puzzle are finally falling into place. "Gruffydd, how do you fancy going to New York?" I give a beam and he knows I know something that's important. He nods and I grab my bag off the bed. I shut the door behind me and we rush down the hill, hand in hand. We get to the road and everyone comes out of their houses. I wave to them all, but my goodbye is interrupted by my phone vibrating in my pocket. It's Peter, of course it is. He still scares me, but I have allies now. I'm not alone. Peter was the reason why I didn't want to go home, but now he will not stand in my way. In my eyes, he's like a childhood fear, once you accept you're scared, but stand up to it, it doesn't look so big compared to the things that make you smile. And the people that I left in New York, the people that made me smile, are bigger in my life than Peter will ever be. So, you're probably asking yourself right now, if she loved them so much, is she regretting going to Glyntafon? And the answer to that is no. I've made so many friends here, so many acquaintances, so many romances that I wouldn't give up my short time here for anything. This has literally been the greatest three days of my life. And I've learnt so much here and I've heard an old Welsh proverb go round that I think I might live by: "Better educated than wealthy".

So let's go and put this new knowledge to use.

Bạn đang đọc truyện trên: AzTruyen.Top