Chapter 4: The Brother Who Never Died
The name on the medical file stared back at me.
*Lucas Carter.*
I knew that name.
Everyone in the business world knew that name.
Not because he was famous.
Because he was a ghost.
A story people whispered about.
Ethan Carter’s younger brother who disappeared twelve years ago after a mysterious medical emergency.
The tragedy that changed Ethan forever.
The reason he stopped giving interviews about his family.
The reason he built his empire alone.
But there was one detail everyone knew.
Lucas Carter was dead.
At least, that was what the world believed.
I looked from the file to Ethan.
“Your brother?””
He nodded.
His eyes stayed on the paperwork in front of him.
“He was twenty-two when it happened.””
I didn’t move.
“Ethan…”
“I know what you’re thinking.””
“How is that possible?””
His jaw tightened.
“Because I asked myself the same question for twelve years.””
The office suddenly felt smaller.
The city lights outside blurred behind the glass.
A few hours ago, I thought my biggest fear was Andrew Vaughn.
Now I was sitting across from the man I secretly loved, discovering that the doctor who destroyed my life was connected to a family secret that could change everything.
Ethan opened the file.
Inside were old documents.
Hospital records.
Blood test results.
Handwritten notes.
Photographs.
“I didn’t know what Andrew was capable of when I met him,” Ethan said.
His voice was distant.
Like he was remembering a life he had buried.
“After Lucas disappeared, I spent years trying to find answers.””
I sat down slowly.
“What happened to him?””
Ethan looked at the picture inside the folder.
A young man smiled back at us.
Lucas had Ethan’s eyes.
The same confident expression.
The same sharp features.
But there was something softer about him.
“He was sick.””
I waited.
“What kind of sick?””
Ethan hesitated.
“That was the problem.””
I frowned.
“What do you mean?””
“Doctors couldn’t agree.””
He tapped the medical report.
“One specialist said it was a rare autoimmune condition. Another said it was a neurological disorder. Every test gave a different answer.””
“And Andrew?””
“Andrew was the only one who claimed he could help.””
I felt a cold feeling spread through me.
“What did he do?””
Ethan looked at the file.
“At first, he gave us hope.””
The same words I had used.
The same pattern.
“He told my parents he had access to experimental treatments. He told us Lucas could recover.””
“And did he?””
Ethan was quiet.
“No.””
The answer carried years of pain.
“No, he didn’t.””
I lowered my voice.
“What happened?””
Ethan closed his eyes.
“Lucas vanished from the hospital.””
The room went silent.
“Vanished?””
“One night, he was there.””
Ethan swallowed.
“The next morning, he was gone.””
“Did the hospital investigate?””
“Yes.””
“And?””
“They claimed Lucas left voluntarily.””
I stared at him.
“But you didn’t believe that.””
“No.””
“Why?””
Ethan looked at me.
“Because Lucas was unconscious.””
A chill moved through me.
“Ethan…”
“My brother couldn’t walk. He couldn’t speak clearly. He needed assistance for everything.””
His voice broke slightly.
“And somehow, the hospital said he signed paperwork and left.””
I looked at the file.
“Andrew was involved.””
“Yes.””
The answer was immediate.
“But I couldn’t prove it.””
I thought about Andrew’s confidence.
His calmness.
His certainty that nobody could touch him.
“Because he erased everything.””
Ethan nodded.
“That’s why I kept the file.””
He flipped through the pages.
“Years later, when Andrew became famous, I started looking again.””
“And you hired him?””
The question slipped out.
Ethan looked away.
“I didn’t hire him.””
“What?””
“He found me.””
A strange feeling settled in my chest.
“Why?””
“He knew I was investigating.””
I stared at him.
“And you trusted him?””
“I wanted answers.””
The honesty in his voice hurt.
“I was desperate.””
I understood that.
Because desperation was how people like Andrew gained power.
They didn’t target the weak.
They targeted the people who needed something.
Hope.
Healing.
A second chance.
Ethan continued.
“He told me Lucas wasn’t dead.””
I stopped breathing.
“What?””
“He told me Lucas was alive.””
The words hung between us.
“Alive?””
Ethan nodded.
“For years, I searched hospitals, private facilities, records. Nothing.””
His hand tightened around the file.
“Then Andrew showed me proof.””
My eyes narrowed.
“What kind of proof?””
“A medical record.””
“From Lucas?””
“Yes.””
“Where?””
“That’s what I never found out.””
I stood.
“Because Andrew hid it.””
“Yes.””
My mind raced.
The pieces were connecting.
The medical records.
The private files.
The foundation.
Andrew’s obsession with controlling information.
“He wasn’t just protecting his reputation,” I whispered.
Ethan looked at me.
“What?””
“He was protecting evidence.””
A long silence.
Then Ethan nodded.
“That’s what I realized tonight.””
I looked at him.
“When?””
“When you told me about the patient records.””
His expression hardened.
“Andrew didn’t become dangerous because you exposed him.””
“He became dangerous because I got close.””
“Yes.””
I walked toward the desk.
The file was open.
There were pages missing.
I noticed immediately.
“Ethan.””
“What?””
“Look.””
I pointed.
The edges of several pages were torn.
Someone had removed them.
His expression changed.
“That wasn’t like this before.””
“You’re sure?””
“Yes.””
“Who had access?””
His face darkened.
“Only three people.””
I looked at him.
“Who?””
“Myself.””
A pause.
“Andrew.””
Another pause.
“And…”
He stopped.
I waited.
“And who?””
Ethan didn’t answer.
That scared me.
“Ethan.””
He looked at the floor.
“My father.””
I blinked.
“Your father?””
“He was alive when Lucas disappeared.””
“You never mentioned him.””
“Because he’s been gone for years.””
“Gone?””
“Dead.””
The word landed heavily.
I didn’t know what to say.
Another Carter family secret.
Another piece missing.
Then Ethan’s phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed instantly.
“What is it?””
He didn’t answer.
He picked up.
“Hello?””
A few seconds passed.
Then his face went completely pale.
“Where?””
I stood frozen.
“Ethan?””
He ended the call.
“What happened?””
He grabbed his jacket.
“Security found something.””
“What?””
He looked at me.
And I saw something I had never seen before.
Fear.
“Andrew wasn’t removed from the building.””
My stomach dropped.
“What?””
“He left before security arrived.””
“How?””
Ethan’s eyes moved to the folder.
“To get what he wanted.””
A terrible feeling filled the room.
“The missing pages.””
Ethan nodded.
Then his phone buzzed again.
This time, it was a message.
He opened it.
Read it.
And handed the phone to me.
The message contained only one sentence.
*You wanted the truth about Lucas Carter? Ask Ava what she found before she came to work for you.*
I looked up slowly.
“What does this mean?””
Ethan’s eyes locked onto mine.
And suddenly I realized something.
Andrew wasn’t only hiding Ethan’s past.
He was trying to expose mine.
“Ava,” Ethan said quietly.
“Why would Andrew know something about you?””
I opened my mouth.
But no words came out.
Because there was one thing I had never told Ethan.
One thing I had buried long before I ever worked for him.
The reason I accepted the job at Carter Industries.
The reason I chose Ethan’s company.
The reason I knew Andrew Vaughn before he ever touched me.
And now, after twelve months of silence…
The truth was finally catching up.
“I didn’t tell you because I was afraid,” I whispered.
Ethan stared at me.
“Afraid of what?””
I looked at the message again.
Then at the medical file.
Then back at him.
“Afraid you would find out why I was really hired.””
The color drained from Ethan’s face.
“Ava…”
“I wasn’t supposed to be your assistant.””
A heavy silence filled the room.
“I was supposed to find something.””
Ethan’s voice lowered.
“Find what?””
I looked at the file about Lucas Carter.
May you like
And finally said the words I had spent a year trying to forget.
“Proof that your brother never died.””
