Chapter 3 - THE ORIGINAL HEIR
The handle stopped.
For several seconds, nobody moved.
Daniel stood in front of the door.
Sophia held my hand.
The baby moved beneath my palm.
Then Victoria spoke.
“Daniel.”
He closed his eyes.
“Go away.”
“You need to listen.”
“You lied to me.”
“I protected you.”
“You destroyed my marriage.”
“I protected the family.”
“You threw my wife into the rain.”
Victoria's voice became cold.
“She was never supposed to have that child.”
Daniel stared at the door.
“Why?”
“Because the child will take everything.”
Sophia stepped closer.
“That is exactly what you wanted.”
Victoria went silent.
Daniel looked at me.
“What does she mean?”
Sophia shook her head.
“She wants control of the trust.”
Victoria laughed outside.
“You think Sophia is innocent?”
Sophia's face tightened.
Victoria continued.
“She knows exactly what happened to Robert.”
Daniel looked at Sophia.
“Did you?”
Sophia didn't answer.
“Did you know who killed him?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Sophia whispered:
“Your father.”
Daniel's face went white.
“Arthur?”
“Yes.”
“But he died twenty years ago.”
“He did.”
“Then how?”
Sophia looked at me.
“Because Arthur wasn't the man who killed Robert.”
Daniel frowned.
“Who was?”
“His brother.”
“Robert?”
“No.”
Sophia looked toward the door.
“Your grandfather.”
Silence.
Daniel stepped backward.
“My grandfather died twenty years ago.”
“Yes.”
“Then how could he have killed Robert?”
“He didn't.”
Sophia's voice trembled.
“He ordered it.”
Daniel stared.
“Then who carried it out?”
Sophia looked at me.
“Victoria.”
The room went silent.
Daniel couldn't speak.
Victoria suddenly shouted:
“Open the door!”
Security officers rushed toward the hallway.
Someone tried to force the door.
Daniel locked it.
“Emily, we need to move.”
We went through the emergency exit.
The corridor was dark.
Sophia guided me toward the stairwell.
“Where are we going?”
“To the parking garage.”
Daniel followed.
“What about the police?”
“They're already on their way.”
We reached the garage.
A black SUV waited.
My father stepped out.
I froze.
“Dad?”
He ran toward me.
“Emily.”
He pulled me into his arms.
“Are you okay?”
I began crying.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
He looked at Sophia.
Then at Daniel.
“I wanted to.”
“But you didn't.”
“I was afraid.”
“Of what?”
“The Carter family.”
My father opened the SUV door.
“Get inside.”
We drove away.
At a safe house, my father finally told us everything.
Robert Carter had discovered that Arthur had been stealing from the family trust.
He planned to expose him.
Before he could, Robert disappeared.
Sophia was pregnant.
She gave birth to twins.
Me and another child.
I stared.
“Twins?”
Sophia nodded.
“The other baby was your brother.”
“Where is he?”
“We don't know.”
My father looked down.
“Your grandfather ordered the babies separated.”
“One became Emily.”
“The other disappeared.”
I felt sick.
“Who raised me?”
“Elizabeth.”
“My mother.”
“She was your aunt.”
I stared.
“She wasn't my biological mother?”
“No.”
Sophia reached for my hand.
“I was.”
I began crying.
“All these years…”
“I know.”
Then Daniel spoke.
“Where is the other twin?”
Sophia looked at him.
“We thought he died.”
My father shook his head.
“No.”
Everyone turned.
“What?”
“I found a record.”
“Where?”
“In the old Carter archives.”
He opened a folder.
A birth certificate.
Two children.
One name was mine.
The other had been blacked out.
But beneath the black ink was a partial name.
L… Carter.
Daniel stared.
“Lucas?”
My father nodded.
“Maybe.”
“Who is Lucas?”
Nobody answered.
Then my father's phone rang.
He answered.
His expression changed.
“Who?”
He listened.
Then looked at me.
“They found him.”
My heart stopped.
“Who?”
“The missing heir.”
Sophia stood.
“Where?”
My father whispered:
“At the Carter estate.”
Daniel looked terrified.
“That's impossible.”
“Why?”
“Because the person living there…”
He stopped.
I waited.
“Who?”
May you like
Daniel looked at me.
“My mother.”
