Chapter 9: Uncovering the Past

Clark paced the dimly lit study, the old documents set out before him. He had dedicated hours meticulously examining documents, searching for anything that could connect the Miller family to unlawful activities. The more he revealed, the more it seemed they were concealing something much deeper than he had ever thought.

His phone rang with a message from Mary. He glanced at it, then tossed the phone aside without replying. He couldn't afford diversions, not now. He had to focus.

A tap at the door stopped his thoughts. He glanced up to find Mary in the doorway, her face showing a blend of fear and suspicion. 

"What brings you here, Clark? "She questioned quietly, coming inside. "You've been locked away for hours. Is everything okay?"

Clark didn't look up from the papers. "I'm fine. Just looking into something."

Mary raised an eyebrow. "Looking into what, exactly? You've been acting strange lately. You're digging into stuff that—"

"Things that what, Mary?" Clark interrupted, his voice angry. He stood and turned to face her, frustration seething to the surface. "Things that your family doesn't want me to know? Things that would divulge everything they've done?"

Mary shook, her eyes narrowing. "Clark, stop it. You're not aware of the gravity of what you're saying." 

"I know more than you could think," he retorted. "I know your father's involved in illegal activities. I know he's been undermining my career for years."

Mary's cheeks paled. "What is it that you're talking about?"

Clark pulled a bunch of documents as an evident and threw them on the desk, the crash echoing within the room. "I've been doing my findings." Harold Miller—your father—was behind the decision to ruin me. He's the one who pulled the strings to get me fired."

Mary drew back, her hands twitching. "You're wrong, Clark. My father wouldn't—"

"Wouldn't what?" Clark cut her off, his voice rising. "He wouldn't destroy my career? He wouldn't make sure I ended myself here, living like a damn servant in his house?"

Mary's eyes filled with tears, but she didn't speak. Clark's wrath only grew. "He used his power to ruin me. And now, he's trying to keep me under his thumb."

Mary's voice was barely a whisper. "Clark, please. You're upset. I realize you're unhappy, but you don't know all about my father. He—"

"I don't need to know anything more about him," Clark said, his fists twisted. "I know enough to understand that he's been plotting against me from the start."

He stepped toward her, his voice strong and controlled. "I'm going to expose him, Mary. I'll make sure the world knows exactly who he is."

"Stop it, Clark!" Mary shouted, her cheeks flushed with wrath. "This isn't you. You're changing. This obsession with revenge—it's making you crazy. You're losing yourself."

Clark moved back, his eyes darkened with a savage determination. "I'm not losing myself, Mary. I'm finally seeing clearly. Feeling sober, all this while, I've been the one in the dark. Your father, your whole family—they've been lying to me, manipulating me. And I'm done being their pawn."

"Clark—" Mary started, but held up her hand to stop him.

"Don't try to stop me, Mary. I'm going after your father, and there's nothing you can say to change that." His voice softened significantly; a hint of pain entered his tone. "You were always blind to what was going on in your own family. Maybe you still are."

Mary recoiled as though hit, the hurt in her eyes penetrating more than anything he had stated before. "You think I'm blind? You think I haven't been trying to make things right? I've been dealing with this—this... family of mine—for years. But you can't just—"

"Can't just what?" Clark hissed. "Can't you just expose your adored father for what he is?"

"Clark, please do not do this," she pleaded, her voice quivering and crying. "We can sort this out. We can mend difficulties. You don't have to walk down this path."

Clark's countenance hardened, and he took a long breath, trying to rein in his emotions. "No, Mary. It is too late for that. I am going to defeat him. And everyone who is in my way will pay the price."

"I'm standing in your way, then," Mary muttered gently, her voice low yet firm. "If you go after my father, if you keep going down this path, I'm done. I won't stand by and watch you wreck everything we've had."

Clark felt his chest tighten. He hadn't anticipated her saying it. Her determination, however, was evident in her tone. She'd drawn a line in the sand, and he couldn't stop feeling the hurt.

"You'll stand by me, Mary," he said softly, his voice rougher than usual. "You'll have no choice."

With that, he turned and dashed out of the room, leaving Mary standing there, pale and worried.

---

Clark and Elias met afterwards in the shadows of the mansion's backyard. The air was thick with tension, and Clark's mind was racing with his discoveries. He could feel his future acts weighing on him.

Elias gazed at him, sensing his worry. "You've uncovered the truth, haven't you?"

Clark's jaw clenched. "Harold Miller—he's the one who ruined my career. He used his influence to damage me. He's the reason I'm in this position."

Elias lifted an eyebrow. "And now you want revenge?"

"I need it," Clark snarled. "I have lost everything, Elias. And I will not allow him get away with it.

Elias smiled inhumanely, his eyes shining with an unusual brightness. "Then let's make sure he never sees it coming. We'll expose him, Clark. But you must understand—this will change everything. Once you take this step, there's no coming back."

Clark's heart hammered as he nodded. "I'm ready. Let's pull him down."

As the words left his mouth, he felt the magnitude of his decision sink deep into his chest. He had crossed the boundary and there was no way back. The desire for retaliation had been his sole obsession, and now nothing could stop him.