The Billionaire CEO Betrays his Wife: He wants her back-Chapter 86: More Secrets

Mara took a deep breath and pressed her fingertip against the biometric scanner beside the mysterious door. The system processed her identity in seconds, and with a soft click, the lock disengaged. The heavy door swung open, revealing a dimly lit room.

Inside, an entire wall was covered by the largest screen they had ever seen, stretching from one end to the other. Below it sat an array of sleek, high-tech computers, their monitors glowing with complex data streams. The air buzzed with the quiet hum of machines, the atmosphere eerily sterile compared to the vault outside.

Stanford, the tech-savvy one among them, took a sharp breath. "What the hell is this?"

The massive screen displayed a map, one that spanned across continents, oceans, and borders. Small red dots blinked in various locations, scattered across different regions. The longer they stared at it, the more unsettling it became.

Mara furrowed her brows, stepping closer. "Is this tracking something?"

Stefan, his medical instincts kicking in, leaned over to inspect the map. "It’s global. These locations... they don’t seem random."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "Military bases? Political targets?"

Stanford’s fingers twitched at his side, itching to get to work. But he wasn’t there, Steve moved to one of the keyboards, typing rapidly. "Hold on. Let me see if I can get more details."

Lines of code flashed across the smaller monitors, but before he could dig deeper, Mara instinctively reached out to press one of the buttons on the main control panel, hoping to pause the flashing red lights.

Then—

A voice sliced through the room.

"Unauthorized action detected."

Mara’s hand froze mid-air. The voice was calm, but there was something chilling about its tone.

"Welcome back, Stefania Shepherd. Accessing Level One Clearance."

The red dots on the map zoomed in, revealing more details city names, numbers, and encrypted codes that meant nothing to Mara but had Stanford’s eyes widening in recognition.

Stefan stepped forward, his entire body tensed. "What the hell just happened?"

Stanford, his voice unusually grave said over the phone, "This isn’t just a tracking system." Mara swallowed hard. "Then what is it?"

Steve’s fingers hovered over the keyboard as he clicked on one of the red dots. A small window popped up, revealing coordinates, medical supply data, and... something else.

A countdown. Their heart pounded. "This is a global distribution system."

Stefan frowned. "For what?"

"For everything. Medical supplies. Military aid. Weapon movements. Possibly even biological materials."

Mara’s breath caught in her throat. "You’re saying... this system controls all of it?"

Stanley’s voice cut through the call, his usual cool demeanor shaken. "Stef, do not touch anything." Mara’s hand hovered over the button, and her breath caught in her throat. Just as she was about to move she tripped, and a shadow shifted from the back of the room.

A figure stepped forward.

A woman in her forties, dressed in worn sweatpants and an oversized hoodie, her hair pulled into a messy bun. In one hand, she held a bowl of cereal, lazily taking a spoonful as she glanced at them.

The Shepherd brothers reacted instantly. Steve and Stefan tensed, their bodies moving in sync, ready to defend Mara who nearly knocked over one of the keyboards in her rush to move away from her.

Mara’s pulse spiked. "What the—"

The woman didn’t seem fazed by their reactions. She exhaled through her nose, shaking her head as she chewed. Then, she swallowed and casually leaned against the console.

"Any more pressing and you might start a civil war, girl," she muttered, pointing her spoon at Mara before taking another bite of her cereal.

The room fell into stunned silence. The brothers stared at her, trying to process what was happening.

"Did she just—" Stefan started.

"Did she come out of that room?" Stanford finished, eyes wide on the phone

Steve was already shifting into a defensive stance. "Who the hell are you?"

The woman sighed like this was all a mild inconvenience. She set her cereal bowl down on the console, ignoring the tense atmosphere. Then, with practiced ease, she took over, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she typed in something. The flashing red dots on the screen stilled, and the ominous countdown disappeared.

Mara found her voice. "Who are you?"

The woman cracked her neck and finally turned to look at them properly.

"Name’s Valeria," she said, popping another spoonful of cereal into her mouth. "Used to work for your grandfather. And judging by how clueless you all look, I’m guessing he didn’t tell you babies about what this place really is."

Mara’s heart pounded. "What is this place?"

Valeria smirked, setting her bowl aside. "The Shepherds’ Greatest Secret." She pointed at the screen. "And if you’re standing here, that means you just inherited it."

Mara barely had time to process all of this before a machine voice announce her uncle’s name. Valeria sprang into action. With an ease that suggested years of experience, she cracked her fingers and typed rapidly, dismantling Philip’s access. The screen flickered, and his connection was forcefully cut off.

The room was dead silent, except for the sound of Valeria crunching on her cereal. She leaned back with a satisfied smirk. "Well, that was close."

Mara turned to her, eyes still wide with shock. "Who are you? What is all this?" The questions tumbled out in a rush, her voice tight with urgency.

Valeria lifted a brow, chewing leisurely before swallowing. "Easy, Stef."

Mara stiffened. "What?"

"You’re Stefania Shepherd, right? Your mother’s daughter through and through." Valeria gestured toward Steve, who was still glaring at her suspiciously. "You must be Steve, the eldest. And let me guess Stanley, the second eldest, and Stanford, the third?" She waved at the two stunned men on the screen. "And this guy right here..." She pointed to Stefan. "The baby brother."

The Shepherd siblings exchanged uneasy glances.

"How do you know us?" Steve demanded, arms crossed.

Valeria sighed and finally set her cereal aside. "Because I used to be one of you. Sort of." She looked at Mara. "Again I’m Valeria Anderson/ Shepherd. Philip’s ex-wife."

Mara’s breath hitched. Ethan’s sister?

Stanford cursed under his breath, while Stefan tensed beside her.

"Wait," Steve cut in, his expression darkening. "You’re supposed to be dead."

Valeria grinned. "Yep. That’s the official story, anyway." She leaned against the console, crossing her arms. "Philip tried to kill me. Our grandfather, your grandfather helped fake my death and hid me here in the vault for the past ten years."

The weight of her words pressed heavily on Mara’s chest. "You’ve been living here? For a decade?"

Valeria shrugged. "Someone had to make sure Philip never got access to this place." She pointed at the screen, her expression growing serious. "Because what’s in here? It’s not just gold or money. This system gives full access to Shepherd Corporation’s most dangerous assets including a classified nuclear program."

Mara felt her stomach drop. "Nuclear... weapons?"

"With a single click, Philip could bomb anywhere in the world," Valeria confirmed.

A cold shiver ran down Mara’s spine. She had known the place was dangerous, but this? This was far worse than she had imagined.

Her mind raced. Ethan... he had a sister. A sister whom everyone thought was dead. Even his father believed it.

And now, that sister was standing in front of her, very much alive.

"This is insane," Stefan muttered, running a hand through his hair.

Steve’s jaw tightened. "If Philip was trying to access this system, it means he’s finally making his move."

Stanley’s voice came through the screen, sharp and calculating. "We need to figure out what he’s planning and fast."

Mara clenched her fists. "No. We need to stop him."

Valeria studied her for a long moment before a small smirk tugged at her lips. "Yeah," she said. "You really are your mother’s daughter."

Valeria exhaled, a rare softness passing through her expression as she looked at the five siblings her family now, in a way. "It’s good to have people to talk to again," she admitted. "For so long, it was just me and your grandfather. Now, I have you five."

Mara felt a pang of emotion at the sincerity in her voice. Despite everything, Valeria had been alone for ten years hiding, surviving, watching over a secret that could destroy the world if it fell into the wrong hands.

"Well, no one will know I’m alive, of course," Valeria continued, her tone shifting back to business. "And don’t worry about Philip. I’ll handle him."

Steve narrowed his eyes. "You sure about that?"

Valeria smirked, leaning against the console. "I’ve been gathering evidence against him for years. Your grandfather knew Philip was dangerous, but he never had enough to bring him down completely. I do."

Mara’s heart pounded. "You’re saying he—"

"Yes." Valeria’s smirk faded, her expression darkening. "I have no doubt Philip killed your parent. I just couldn’t prove it before. But when I saw the news of their death, I knew. It was him."

Stefan clenched his jaw, his hands curling into fists. Stanley’s voice came through the screen, sharp as a blade. "If you have proof, we can use it."

Valeria nodded. "Leave him to me. I’ll be your eyes from the inside. Philip will get what’s coming to him."

Steve exhaled, nodding in understanding. "And what about this place?" He gestured at the massive vault around them.

"There’s still a lot of good that can come from it," Valeria said. "This facility isn’t just about weapons or secrets. It has the power to help people, medical supplies, humanitarian aid, and even clean energy research. Your grandfather built this to be more than just a failsafe against Philip and the rest’s greed. It’s yours now."

Mara swallowed, the weight of responsibility settling on her shoulders.

Valeria walked over and placed a small, sleek device in Mara’s hand. "Take this. We’ll communicate through it from now on. No digital traces. No way for Philip to track it."

Mara curled her fingers around the device, nodding.

Valeria gave a wistful smile. "I can’t wait to leave this place one day and finally find my daughter."

The room fell silent. Mara and her brothers exchanged a stunned look. Steve’s expression was unreadable. "You mean—"

"Yes," Valeria interrupted, her voice firm. "My child is alive."

Stanford exhaled sharply on the video call, rubbing his face. "We thought... we all thought..."

"You thought both my child and I died," Valeria finished for him. "We wanted him to believe that. But my daughter survived. And I will find her."

No one spoke for a moment. Then, Stanley cleared his throat. "We’ll talk soon, Valeria."

"Be safe, boys." She gave a small wave before Stanley and Stanford ended the call. Mara, Steve, and Stefan lingered for a moment longer. "We will be in touch," Mara said, her voice softer now.

Valeria winked pulling Mara into a tight hug as if she was hugging her own daughter. "Sure,"

With that, the three Shepherd siblings turned and left the vault, stepping back into the hidden corridors of the facility. The heavy doors sealed shut behind them.