Chapter 9: The Mother I Never Knew
I couldn't move.
Eleanor stood beside the window, tears running down her cheeks.
Andrew was staring at the floor.
And Renee was still on the phone.
I lowered it slowly.
“Say that again.””
Eleanor took one step toward me.
“Your mother who raised you loved you more than anything. She was the woman who gave you your childhood. But biologically, I am your mother.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
“I understand.””
“No, you don't.””
My voice cracked.
“You don't get to appear in my life and tell me that the woman I buried as my mother wasn't my real mother.””
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“I would never take that away from you.””
“Then why did everyone lie?””
She had no answer.
I turned toward Andrew.
“Did you know?””
He looked devastated.
“I found out after Dad died.””
“And you didn't tell me?””
“I wanted to.””
“But you didn't.””
“I thought it would hurt you.””
I laughed bitterly.
“Apparently, everyone in this family knows what's best for me except me.””
Renee's voice came through the phone.
“Sophia, please. There's something else you need to understand.””
I nearly ended the call.
But something stopped me.
“What?””
“Your father didn't hide Eleanor because he was ashamed of her. He hid her because someone was threatening to take you away.””
I looked at Eleanor.
She nodded slowly.
“When you were born, your father was involved in a financial dispute with a powerful investor. That man discovered I had a daughter and threatened to use her against Richard.””
“Who?””
Eleanor looked at Andrew.
He answered quietly.
“Victor Kane.””
The name meant nothing to me.
“Who is he?””
“An investor who helped finance Bennett Capital in its earliest years,” Andrew explained.
“He wanted control of the company. Dad refused.””
Eleanor sat down.
“Your father believed that if people knew I was your biological mother, they could use your birth records to challenge the inheritance structure.””
I stared at her.
“So he changed my birth certificate?””
“He arranged for your stepmother to adopt you legally.””
My eyes burned.
“She wasn't my stepmother. She was my mother.””
Eleanor nodded.
“You're right. She was your mother in every way that mattered.””
I sat opposite her.
For several seconds, I couldn't speak.
Then I asked the question that had been haunting me since I heard her name.
“Did she know?””
Eleanor nodded.
“She knew from the beginning.””
I covered my mouth.
“She knew you were my biological mother?””
“Yes.””
“Did she ever regret raising me?””
Eleanor's expression softened.
“Never. She loved you fiercely. When she became ill, she made me promise not to interfere with your life unless the truth became necessary.””
I looked down.
For the first time, I understood why my mother had kept certain photographs in a locked drawer.
Why she had become upset whenever I asked about my birth.
Why she had once told me that love wasn't always about where someone came from.
I had thought it was one of her sentimental sayings.
Now I wondered if it had been a confession.
My phone was still connected.
“Renee?””
“Yes?””
“Where is the safe deposit box?””
“First National Bank. Downtown. Box 417.””
“What's inside?””
“Your father's original instructions. And a recording.””
“What recording?””
Renee hesitated.
“A conversation between Richard and Victor Kane.””
Andrew stood abruptly.
“Victor Kane is dead.””
Eleanor looked at him.
“His company is dead. Victor isn't.””
I turned.
“What?””
Andrew walked to the table and opened his laptop.
He typed a name into a search field.
A photograph appeared.
An older man with white hair, a sharp jaw, and cold eyes.
The caption identified him as a retired investor living in London.
“That's Victor Kane,” Andrew said.
I stared at the photograph.
“Why would he be involved now?””
“Because Northbridge belongs to him.””
I felt a chill.
“What?””
Andrew nodded.
“Martin and Daniel are working for Victor. They want the controlling shares because the trust gives Bennett Capital ownership of several assets Victor has been trying to recover for years.””
Eleanor stood.
“Your father took those assets from him legally. Victor believed they belonged to his family.””
“Then why not sue?””
“He tried,” Andrew replied.
“He lost.””
I looked at the photograph.
“So Daniel married me because of Victor?””
“Possibly. The original agreement suggests Daniel was recruited to gain access to the family.””
I remembered the birthday dinner.
The laughter.
The black card.
The way Daniel had looked at me when the transaction failed.
He hadn't simply been spending my money.
He had been waiting for something much bigger.
A transfer of ownership.
My phone vibrated.
A message from Vanessa.
*Sophia, I need to see you. Daniel knows I contacted you.*
Another message arrived.
*He's coming for the baby.*
I immediately called her.
She answered in a whisper.
“Please don't call me back. He's watching my phone.””
“Vanessa, where are you?””
“I'm at the apartment.””
“Are you safe?””
“No.””
I stood.
“Listen to me. Leave now.””
“I can't.””
“Why?””
“Because Daniel has the original documents.””
My stomach tightened.
“What documents?””
“The power of attorney. The insurance policy. Everything.””
“Vanessa, you need to get out.””
She began crying.
“He told me he would marry me after the transfer. He said we would have a new life. But last night I heard him talking to Martin.””
“What did he say?””
“He said the baby was useful.””
I felt sick.
“What does that mean?””
“He said the child would give him another way into the Bennett family.””
I closed my eyes.
“Vanessa, listen carefully. You are not going to meet him. You are not going to sign anything. I'm sending someone to help you.””
There was a sudden noise on her end.
A door slamming.
A man's voice.
“Who are you talking to?””
Vanessa gasped.
Then the phone dropped.
“Vanessa?””
A man's voice came through.
“Hello, Sophia.””
Daniel.
I felt my blood turn cold.
“Where is she?””
He laughed.
“Safe. For now.””
“Don't touch her.””
“You sound worried.””
“She's carrying your child.””
“Exactly.””
I tightened my grip on the phone.
“What do you want?””
“Your signature.””
“On what?””
“The original trust transfer.””
“You're not getting it.””
Daniel sighed.
“You still don't understand.””
“Then explain it to me.””
He paused.
“Your father left something behind. Something worth considerably more than Bennett Capital.””
I looked at Andrew.
Daniel continued.
“And I know exactly where it is.””
“What?””
“The original ownership ledger. The one that proves who really controls Northbridge.””
I felt Andrew's expression change.
He mouthed two words.
The safe.
Daniel laughed softly.
“Your father hid it in the one place you would never think to look.””
“Where?””
“Ask Eleanor about the nursery.””
I turned toward her.
Her face had gone white.
Daniel continued.
“Tomorrow morning. Eight o'clock. Bring the original trust documents to the old family estate.””
“And if I don't?””
A brief silence.
Then he said:
“Then Vanessa will lose her baby, and your brother will finally get the funeral he deserves.””
The call ended.
I looked at Andrew.
He was already reaching for his jacket.
“What's in the nursery?”” I asked Eleanor.
She covered her mouth.
Then she whispered:
“Your father's first wife built a hidden room behind the nursery wall.””
I stared at her.
“What was inside?””
Eleanor looked at me with terror in her eyes.
“Everything your father was afraid to leave in the company vault.””
May you like
She paused.
“Including the document that proves you were never supposed to marry Daniel Carter.””
