Chapter 5 – The Man Who Knew Everything
The unknown caller never phoned again.
But those few words echoed in Daan's mind all night.
"You've already attracted the attention of people who have been waiting for this inheritance far longer than you."
The next morning, Daan returned to his hotel.
The receptionist handed him a small envelope.
"It was left for you early this morning."
"There was no name. Just instructions that only you should receive it."
Inside was a single photograph.
It showed Sanne leaving a law office in Barcelona.
She wasn't alone.
Standing beside her was an elderly man with silver hair and a walking cane.
On the back of the photo, someone had written in black ink:
"Follow him, not her."
* * *
At the same time, Sanne was meeting the elderly man inside a private office overlooking the harbor.
"My name is Willem Verhoeven," he said quietly.
"I was your father's closest friend."
Sanne looked at him carefully.
"My father never mentioned you."
"He couldn't."
"Why not?"
"Because if anyone knew I was protecting your family's trust, both of us would have been in danger."
He placed another folder on the table.
"This isn't about money anymore."
Sanne slowly opened it.
Inside were newspaper clippings dating back more than twenty years.
Several articles described mysterious fires...
Missing business partners...
Executives who had disappeared without a trace.
Every article had one thing in common.
Each case involved companies that had once tried to seize the Visser family's assets.
Sanne felt a chill run down her spine.
"What exactly did my parents leave behind?"
Willem looked directly into her eyes.
"Not just wealth."
"They left you enemies."
* * *
Meanwhile, Daan couldn't ignore the mysterious photograph.
He secretly followed Willem through the streets of Barcelona.
The old man eventually entered an underground parking garage.
Daan waited a few minutes before following him inside.
The garage was almost empty.
Only one black luxury sedan stood near the exit.
Before Daan could move any closer...
Two men in dark suits stepped out of the shadows.
One of them looked directly at him.
"Mr. Van der Meer."
Daan froze.
"We've been expecting you."
"Who are you?"
The man smiled.
"People who have been protecting the Visser family for a very long time."
"And if you're protecting them..."
Daan asked cautiously,
"...then who is trying to destroy them?"
The man's smile disappeared.
He answered with only one sentence.
"The same people who caused your father-in-law's fatal accident twenty-two years ago."
Daan's blood ran cold.
He had always believed Sanne's parents had died in a tragic accident.
But if it wasn't an accident...
Then everything he thought he knew had been a lie.
At that exact moment, Sanne's phone vibrated.
A message from an unknown number appeared on the screen.
"You have seven days to hand over the trust documents. Otherwise, you'll lose the only family you have left."
Attached was a recent photograph.
Someone had been secretly watching her.
Standing just outside her hotel.
The camera had captured her from only a few meters away.
Sanne slowly raised her head and looked through the window toward the busy street below.
Among hundreds of strangers...
One man in a dark coat was standing perfectly still.
Watching her.
When their eyes met...
He smiled.
Then he disappeared into the crowd.
To Be Continued...
