Chapter 159

**Philip**

I carefully examined the woman's appearance, noting her powerful and elegant presence, from her perfectly styled silver hair to her tailored charcoal suit. But it was her eyes that truly captivated me. Her eyes were unmistakably Sarah's; no, Sarah must have inherited them from her.

"Clever boy," the woman remarked, her scarlet lips curled into a small smile. I didn't expect you to make the connection so quickly, linking me to the person who helped you attain your current position."

The pieces of the puzzle started to fit together in an unexpected way. "Orlie introduced me to Mariano during my first marriage to Sarah," I said slowly, realizing the truth. "It was to keep an eye on me, wasn't it?"

"You're overthinking it, Cornell," she chided, settling back onto the plush leather sofa.

Her assistant, seemingly understanding this as a cue, quietly excused herself. "We'll wait outside."

Without waiting for my reply, she walked directly to the door, followed by Josh in silence. I gestured for Trey to leave me alone with the woman, who I was now sure was Chairman Benner's wife and Sarah's mother.

Once we were alone, I muttered, more to myself, "I never imagined Mariano was actually a woman. All this time..."

"But you understood my connection to Sarah?" she asked.

"Yes, before the Viper Turf War battle," I admitted. "I questioned your decision to let Josh leave my team abruptly. It means you assigned him to my team to keep an eye on Sarah," I paused, frowning. "What I don't understand is how you orchestrated our meeting again so Josh could approach her?"

She didn't disappoint, her answer swift and decisively: "I sent you the invitation to Henderson for the gala. If you and my daughter hadn't crossed paths there, I would have ensured you attended Amir and Jessica Woods' wedding. One way or another, you two would have crossed paths again."

"You chose illegal gambling and other shady transactions to stay close to the Benners," I accused.

The woman sighed heavily. With practiced ease, she retrieved a slim, elegant cigarette case from her jacket pocket, lit it with a silver lighter, and took a puff as if the stress of the conversation had weighed heavily on her-the sweet scent of strawberries wafted from the smoke.

"I had no choice, Cornell For the past eleven years, I've loathed what I've been doing, but I had to engage in illegal activities because I took on the challenge to save your wife," she said, her voice trembling, taking another drag of her cigarette.

"It's no secret that I have extensive business connections. I made millions just by watching the stock market. The original Mariano is my childhood friend, but I married Xavier Benner," she paused, her eyes distant as if recalling painful memories.

"When Marcus kidnapped me, Mariano came to my rescue without Xavier's knowledge. He proposed a deal: He would do everything he could to protect me and Sarah if I agreed to leave the Benners and become his wife."

"So, it means there is a real Mariano?" I asked.

The lady nodded. "Eleven years ago, I had no choice but to accept Mariano's offer to be his wife in exchange for Sarah's safety. I staged my death in Palm Beach to ensure Marcus would be imprisoned and to sever my ties with my old life."

"And Grandpa Mitchell is aware of all this?" I inquired.

"Yes, and so does Xavier," she confirmed, referring to Sarah's father. "Marcus doesn't know about my father or the mansion in Dubai. Mariano was meticulous in concealing any information that could lead me back to Sarah's grandfather. His organization moved swiftly to cut Sarah's ties to the Benners... It was like she vanished from our family after her 17th birthday."

I couldn't hide my confusion, my brow furrowing as I tried to process this information. Mariano's manipulative strategy seemed capable of achieving the impossible.

"So, you made a deal with Mariano, your second husband, to safeguard Sarah from Marcus And Chairman Benner's role was to disown Sarah?" I clarified.

She took another long drag from her cigarette, the sweet scent of strawberry mingling with the heavy atmosphere. "Precisely!" she confirmed. "Even though we knew it would hurt my daughter."

"What about my relationship with Sarah? Was that part of the plan, too?"

Her gaze met mine, unwavering. "Yes. Sarah has harbored feelings for you since she was fifteen."

I was stunned by her revelation.

"Mariano meticulously profiled you, Cornell. Let's just say I know my daughter well. I anticipated she would find a way to hide from Marcus by any means. She couldn't be Bronn's wife-Marcus would have easily found her among the Martins. We had to lure Megan out of your life to make it happen."

My lips parted in shock as the revelations continued to unfold.

"I'm giving Megan money to keep her with Josh, away from you" Sarah's mother explained. "But the original Mariano, my second husband, passed away. I had no choice but to take on Mariano's identity to continue protecting Sarah."

She paused, her eyes meeting mine. "I also maintained a connection with you, watching you closely, but you broke my daughter's heart, Cornell! Three years was more than enough. Didn't you notice how your life became increasingly hectic when Sarah returned to Dubai? That was my doing as well."

My mind spun, trying to make sense of all this new information. The deceit and manipulation were more complex than I ever imagined.

I struggled to find my voice and retorted, "But in the end, you didn't protect my wife either. Sarah is now in the ICU, fighting for her life!" I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself. "Why does Marcus want to kill Sarah so badly?"

Without a word, she pulled out a photograph from her pouch. It was an old, sepia-toned picture. Sarah's face stared back at me, but it was different-fiercer and devoid of the kindness I knew. She appeared to be from another era entirely, perhaps the 19th or even 18th century.

"Who... who is this woman?" I asked, certain it couldn't be Sarah despite the uncanny resemblance.

"Marcus' mother. Like Marcus, she was unwell. She abused him horribly as a child-starving him, beating him, and doing every awful thing you can imagine." Her voice grew heavy.

"The constant abuse left Marcus with severe mental problems. When he eventually joined the syndicate, his condition only worsened. He killed his mother. I can't even begin to describe the horror of how he did it"

I swallowed hard.

"Marcus will never forget the face of his mother, who tormented him since childhood, even during his imprisonment in Alcatraz. Do you know what Marcus called his mother? 'Cunt, witch!'" She spat the words out, disgust evident in her tone.

"Unfortunately, Sarah has become quite famous over the past four years. I won't stop Sarah from being known or let her live in fear just because Marcus existed. I tried that before, and it didn't end well when your mother hurt my daughter! She suffered greatly because of my decisions!"

Her eyes reddened, and a hint of tears appeared, but she fought them back. Her face hardened again-a typical Mariano trait.

Dizziness began to overtake me, and the pain in my shoulder, which I had been ignoring, suddenly flared to life with renewed intensity.

The woman said her goodbyes, and just moments later, the twins arrived.

"Daddy" Iris cried, pressing her face into my chest as she shook with sobs.

"Daddy, why are you in the hospital? Where's Mommy?" Rowan asked.

The sight of my children, so vulnerable and scared, broke something inside me. I couldn't hold back my own tears as I wrapped my arms around them, their questions piercing my heart.

Despite the overwhelming pain, I had no choice but to stay strong and keep going because two amazing children were waiting for me-even if it hurt so much