Chapter 14: The Last Bargain
We reached St. Catherine's Hospital at eleven forty-five.
I didn't go alone.
Victoria had contacted a lawyer, who alerted the police without revealing Hope's location. Claire stayed with Hope at a secure apartment while Victoria and I met the officers outside the hospital's abandoned east wing.
I carried copies of the original birth certificates.
The originals were locked in a safe with our lawyer.
Richard wanted documents.
He wasn't getting the only copies.
Marcus arrived five minutes later.
He stepped out of a black sedan, his face drawn and his hands shaking.
Victoria approached him first.
“You knew Richard was going to take Hope.””
“No,” Marcus said.
“I knew he was threatening to.””
“You knew he was dangerous, and you still signed that contract.””
Marcus looked at me.
“I deserve whatever you say.””
“Then stop asking us to believe you and start telling the truth.””
He nodded.
“The research ledger contains the names of every doctor, administrator, and official involved in the transfers. Richard kept it because he believed it gave him control over everyone.””
“And you wanted it because you wanted the company.””
“Yes.””
The admission came without hesitation.
Victoria stared at him.
“You were willing to trade three children's identities for a business empire?””
Marcus looked down.
“I convinced myself I could take control of the company and expose Richard later.””
“You convinced yourself you were the hero,” I said.
“You weren't.””
He closed his eyes.
“No.””
We entered the abandoned wing through a side door. Dust covered the reception desk, and the corridor smelled of damp plaster and disinfectant.
At the far end, a light flickered beneath a door.
Richard's voice came from inside.
“Come in, Nia.””
I pushed open the door.
He stood beside an examination table, wearing the same dark overcoat he'd worn at the storage facility. A leather case rested on a chair.
He looked almost amused.
“You brought Marcus.””
“I brought someone who knows how you operate.””
Richard glanced at my fiancé.
“Have you finally decided to be useful?””
Marcus said nothing.
I placed the copies of the birth certificates on the table.
“Where is Hope?””
“Safe.””
“Prove it.””
Richard opened his case and removed a phone. He showed me a live video of Hope sleeping in a room with pale blue curtains.
My chest tightened.
“Where is she?””
“Somewhere you won't find her unless we reach an agreement.””
I stared at him.
“You're using a child as leverage.””
“I'm protecting an investment.””
Victoria lunged toward him, but Marcus caught her arm.
“Don't,” he whispered.
Richard smiled.
“Still emotional, Victoria. That's why you were never suited to run the company.””
She turned toward him.
“I never wanted your company.””
“No. You wanted answers. I gave you enough to keep you quiet.””
“You stole my mother's identity.””
“I preserved her legacy.””
“You made everyone believe she was dead!””
Richard's expression hardened.
“Your mother made choices that put the family at risk.””
I stepped between them.
“Enough. You want the documents? Here they are. Now tell me why you declared me dead.””
Richard studied me.
“Because you were the most valuable of the three children.””
I felt cold.
“You've said that before. Explain it.””
“Your genetic profile was unusual. Daniel's mutation combined with Eleanor's inherited traits to produce a result my research had never documented. Claire and Victoria provided comparison data, but you were the key.””
“And you decided my life belonged to you?””
“I decided your survival depended on my work.””
“You falsified my death.””
“To protect the research.””
“You stole Claire.””
“To protect the research.””
“You lied to Victoria.””
“To protect the research.””
I stared at him.
“You don't even hear yourself, do you?””
For the first time, Richard looked angry.
“You think the world runs on honesty? Your father signed those documents. Margaret accepted the money.
Samuel approved the tests. Eleanor disappeared. Everyone made choices.””
“And you made the worst ones.””
He reached into his coat and pulled out a pen.
“Sign this agreement. You and your sisters will relinquish any claims to the company, and all existing copies of the research records will be surrendered. In return, Hope will be returned to her mother.””
I looked at the document.
It was a confession disguised as a settlement. If I signed it, Richard would gain control of every remaining record.
“And if I refuse?””
He put the phone away.
“Then Hope remains where she is.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“You said you wanted the ledger. I have it.””
Richard turned.
“What?””
Marcus removed a small flash drive from his pocket.
“The original ledger is on this drive. Every payment. Every transfer. Every falsified record.””
Richard's expression changed.
“Give it to me.””
“No.””
“You have no idea what you're doing.””
“For once, I do.””
Marcus placed the drive on the table.
“But before you take it, you need to know something.””
Richard's eyes narrowed.
“What?””
“The ledger was copied and sent to the authorities this morning.””
For the first time, Richard looked genuinely frightened.
“You stupid boy.””
He lunged for the drive.
Marcus knocked it off the table, and it skidded beneath the examination cabinet.
Richard grabbed Marcus by the collar.
I shouted as they crashed against the wall.
Victoria rushed forward, but a loud voice rang through the corridor.
“Police! Put your hands where we can see them!””
Officers flooded the room.
Richard released Marcus and raised his hands.
Two officers forced him against the wall and cuffed him.
He twisted toward me.
“You think this ends anything? You think those documents will save you?””
I stood perfectly still.
“No,” I said.
“I think the truth will finally give us a chance.””
An officer retrieved the flash drive.
Another confirmed that Hope had been located at a private residence linked to one of Richard's shell companies. She was safe, and Claire was on her way to collect her.
I finally exhaled.
Then I looked at Marcus.
He was sitting against the wall, blood trickling from a cut above his eyebrow.
“Are you hurt?”” I asked.
He gave a humorless laugh.
“Nothing that matters.””
I crouched in front of him.
“Why did you really propose to me?””
He looked at me for a long time.
“At first, I thought marrying you would help me access Robert's files. Then I fell in love with you. I kept telling myself I'd confess after I found the truth.””
“And Victoria?””
“I loved her, too. But I was afraid of losing the life I'd built with her.””
“So you tried to keep both lives.””
“Yes.””
I nodded slowly.
“That's the first honest answer you've given me.””
His eyes filled with tears.
“Can you ever forgive me?””
I stood.
“Maybe someday. But forgiveness isn't a promise that I'll return to you.””
He lowered his head.
I walked toward the door.
Behind me, Richard was being led away in handcuffs. For thirty years, he'd used fear, money, and falsified records to control everyone around him.
Now his empire was beginning to collapse.
Outside, Claire was waiting beside a police car, holding Hope in her arms.
Hope reached toward me.
“Nia!””
I took her tiny hand.
“Hey, sweetheart.””
“Mommy says we're going home.””
I looked at Claire.
She was crying, but this time her tears were different.
“Yes,” I said.
“We're going home.””
Then Victoria approached us with a final document.
“The police found this in Richard's office,” she said.
It was a sealed letter addressed to Eleanor.
The handwriting belonged to my father.
I opened it.
Eleanor,
If Richard has been arrested, then the truth is finally out. But there is one thing I never told you.
I discovered the identity of the person who ordered the original transfer. It wasn't Richard. It wasn't Margaret. And it wasn't Samuel.
It was someone we all trusted.
The letter ended with a name.
I stared at it, my breath catching.
May you like
Because the person who had ordered the transfer had been dead for six years.
My father.
