Chapter 345: Lost Not One Thing, But Everything

If she had any other choice, she would not force this issue now, but the truth was long overdue. She could not wait for another opportunity to discover the past.

"Tell me the truth, Dad. I can take it." She sat calmly on the sofa beside Alex as she faced her father, who still appeared weaker from his recent operation.

She recently realized with the aid of Alex that her father might have kept some things from her because he only wanted to protect her.

It might be his instinct as a father to shield her from anything that he thought might harm her.

However, she was not young and naive anymore. She was capable of handling the hard truths, no matter how grim it might sound. She had to know the reason behind the secrets hidden from her.

"It would seem that Cassie stumbled on a secret that I had kept from everyone. I always suspected that she was the one who told you about it." Ethan closed his eyes for a few seconds as he recalled the scenes in his mind.

He did not see the point of confronting Dani about it at the time. He could see that she was already in deep sorrow after learning of Nick's betrayal. He did not want to add up to what she was going through.

"Yes. It was Cassie who told me." She remembered confronting her friend for what she did to her. She was furious that Cassie could betray her trust by sleeping with her fiance.

In retaliation, Cassie informed her of her father's sins. Cassie narrated a part of the past that Dani never thought was possible. It was a story about her father's participation in destroying a company and a man. A dear friend. Cassie's father.

At the time, she was too angry at her father to clarify his participation in the scandal that happened a long time ago. She ended up judging him based on what Cassie said.

"But what she said, is it true?" Dani asked her father about Cassie's allegation.

She automatically believed everything that Cassie told her. She did not even look for evidence to support her friend's claim against her father. She readily judged her father because of what happened with her and Nick.

In a way, she also blamed her father for the failure of her relationship with Nick. Now, she realized how petty she was back then. She did not even give her father a chance to explain himself.

"In a way, it was true." Ethan was still thinking of how to explain the entire situation. The true story was complicated. "But I am hoping that this time, you will open your mind to the possibility that I might be innocent in this."

Although, the business industry and the justice system cleared his name of any wrongdoing. It would seem that Cassie and his daughter still believed that he was a criminal.

He would never have minded if he was convicted and sent to jail as long as his only daughter was on his side. Instead, it went the other way around. 

"Ok. I will try to keep an open mind." She owed her father that after all these years that she blamed him for everything.

Her hated consumed her, making her blind to the truth. She only saw what she wanted to see and passed judgment on her father without giving him a chance to defend himself.

"It began with Cassie's father, Gary. He came up with a proposal for a business venture." He longed more for an alcoholic drink to calm his nerves down. He suddenly found himself anxious, knowing that Dani still might not believe him after his revelation.

He began recalling the time Gary stormed into his office, armed with several files, studies, and different testimonies. He had been his friend for as long as he could remember. 

But unlike him, he was no genius in planning and strategies. He was more of a great artist, creating masterpieces. But her wife was not content with the way he was earning his money. So, she convinced him of this idea.

"Is that the business that Cassie was talking about?" Dani asked, unaware of the background of the story Cassie had told her.

After her fight with her father, she never bothered checking up on the story. She already assumed that her father was capable of doing such a terrible deed. She did not need to waste her time clearing up his name.

"Probably. But before I tell you anything, know this. I only did what I did because I love you and your mom. I never intentionally want to hurt you." He uttered in his low voice as if that was the only thing he regretted with this entire situation.

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"I guess I always knew that, Dad. I was just too preoccupied with my pain that I failed to see beyond it." She admitted to her father what she had realized since Alex showed her the value of family. "I love you too, Dad."

Right now, she was willing to listen to whatever her father was about to tell her. Let him complete the story that she believed was half cook when served to her.

She wanted to give her father a chance to prove his innocence and to clear his name in her eyes. For once, she wanted all her doubts to disappear and love her father again unconditionally.

"That is all I ask, princess." He shifted in his spot as he stretched his weary body from his sitting position. There was still slight pain in his operated area, so his movements were still limited.

Then, he began telling them a story about a friendship built with trust and respect. Gary had been like a brother to him. Growing up as an only child, Gary had been his only companion and friend.

He and Gary had sworn to help each other no matter what happened. It was a pack that no one or anything could break. It was a promise that had solidified their friendship.

"He came to me with a proposal that I can't refuse. He asked me for help to finance his business because no one else wanted to believe in his abilities." Ethan could only recall his memories with sadness.

He remembered having doubts about accepting his friend's plan, but Gary was so excited about it that he could not turn him away. Besides, when Gary started the business, it only required little capital.

The quick return of investment and the higher rate compared to other companies, together with his support, had lured many investors to the project. His friend's plans and projections were starting to materialize.

"The business was booming." Ethan continued to tell the story. He could see that there was nothing that could stop the business from moving to the top. 

He thought that he had made the mistake of not believing his friend from the start. But what he did not expect was the problem that soon came to destroy everything his friend had established.

"Then, what happened?" Dani asked her father.

After Cassie informed her of what happened to the business venture of their fathers, she tried to stay clear of it. She was angry, at the same time, ashamed of her father's involvement in this terrible situation.

At that moment, she wondered if she had done the right thing by believing Cassie over her father. Maybe she did misjudge the situation and sentenced her father without due process.

"One issue after another surfaced, causing difficulties for the company. At first, we were able to manage it just fine. Weeks turned to months, but the problems kept coming until there was no more point of denying that the company was dying." Ethan remembered how much his friend had suffered the consequence.

Ethan also blamed himself for what happened. His friend was not suitable to run a business, but he supported and encouraged him to manage one. 

If he had foreseen what would happen back then, he would have put a stop to it. Maybe he should have even discouraged his friend from pursuing his plans. 

Maybe his friend was successful now alongside him, doing something he enjoyed and excelled at, but instead, he was now buried six feet under the ground.

"If he was the one who managed the business, then why was Cassie putting the blame all on you. Why is she blaming you for the downfall of his father's company?" Dani was confused about the situation. She looked at her father and then at Alex, who remained silent while she and her father conversed.

Alex felt that it was not his place to meddle in the situation since he was not involved in it in the first place. He stayed so that he could give support to both father and daughter.

He also wanted to get to the bottom of the story. So, if the need arose, he would know how to handle the situation. After all, he was the one running the business now.

"First, I understand why Cassie did what she did. She was hurt by what happened to her family. I do not blame her for hating me. I feel like I deserved it after what happened to her father." Ethan stated with much regret. 

He could not help but be teary-eyed after recalling the sad news. It had been hard for him to accept. He could only imagine it might have been worse for Cassie.

"I only lost a friend." He continued before Dani could say anything else. He shook his head, thinking of the young woman, who he took under his protection.. "Cassie had lost not one thing, but everything that she valued dearly to her heart."

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