Chapter 7: The Brother I Never Knew
"You're telling me Sebastian is my brother?""
My voice sounded unfamiliar.
Arthur stood beside the conference table, his hands resting on its polished surface.
"Yes.""
I shook my head.
"No. That's impossible. He's your nephew.""
"He's both.""
I looked at Rebecca.
She had stopped typing.
Even she seemed unsure how to respond.
"How?"" I demanded.
"How can he be your nephew and my brother?""
Arthur pulled out a chair.
"Your mother and Daniel had a son before you were born. His name was Sebastian. Daniel's family took him when he was still a baby.""
"Why?""
"Your grandfather believed Daniel was irresponsible. He thought your mother was unsuitable for the family. When their relationship collapsed, he arranged for Sebastian to be raised by his brother, Richard.""
"Richard Bennett?""
Arthur nodded.
"Richard had no children. He raised Sebastian as his own.""
I stared at the floor.
"And my mother just let them take her child?""
"She fought. For years. But your grandfather had influence, money, and lawyers. Eventually, she was forced to leave.""
I felt tears gathering.
"Then she had me.""
"Yes.""
"Did Sebastian know?""
Arthur hesitated.
"I believe he discovered the truth when he was sixteen.""
I remembered Sebastian's expression when he had looked at me.
The amusement.
The hostility.
The strange familiarity.
"He knew who I was.""
Arthur nodded.
"Almost certainly.""
"Then why didn't he tell me?""
"Because he may believe you took something that belonged to him.""
I laughed bitterly.
"Like what? My own life?""
Arthur didn't answer.
Rebecca interrupted.
"We need to focus on Daniel. The photograph's location matches storage unit 214, but the facility was already searched.""
I looked at my phone.
The message was still there.
*COME ALONE. BRING THE ORIGINAL LAND DEED.*
"They want the land deed.""
Rebecca nodded.
"And we don't have it.""
I suddenly remembered the letter from my grandmother.
The sealed envelope.
The old handwriting.
The property documents Alejandro had persuaded me to transfer.
"Actually," I whispered, "I might know where it is.""
Arthur looked at me.
"Where?""
"My mother's house.""
My mother had died four years earlier.
Her little house stood in a quiet neighborhood outside the city. It was the only place from my childhood that still felt familiar.
I hadn't visited in months.
When we arrived, the streetlights were flickering, and rainwater collected along the sidewalks.
Arthur stayed outside with Rebecca while I unlocked the front door.
The smell of lavender greeted me.
My mother had always kept dried lavender in small cloth bags around the house.
I walked into the kitchen.
The old wooden table was still there.
So was the chipped blue teapot she refused to replace.
I touched its handle.
Suddenly, I remembered her sitting across from me when I was seventeen.
"Valeria, never sign anything you haven't read.""
I had laughed.
"Mom, nobody reads every document.""
She had looked at me seriously.
"Then perhaps nobody should be trusted with your signature.""
I closed my eyes.
I wished I had listened.
I went into her bedroom.
Her wardrobe was almost empty, but the small wooden cabinet beside the bed remained locked.
I tried three keys before the third one turned.
Inside were old photographs, a jewelry box, and a thick brown envelope.
My name was written on it.
I opened it.
There were two birth certificates.
One belonged to me.
The other belonged to Sebastian Daniel Bennett.
I sat on the edge of the bed.
Beneath the certificates was a handwritten letter.
My dearest Valeria,
If you have found this, then the truth has finally caught up with our family.
Your brother was never the enemy. He was a child taken from me by people who believed money gave them the right to decide who deserved a family.
I never stopped looking for him.
Your father promised to bring him home. Instead, he disappeared.
But there is something you must understand. Sebastian was not the only child your father left behind.
I stopped.
I read the sentence again.
There was more.
Before you trust anyone carrying the Bennett name, remember that your grandmother's land was purchased with money belonging to someone else.
The original deed is hidden where your father first promised me forever.
Find the blue room.
And forgive me for the things I couldn't tell you.
I lowered the letter.
"The blue room?""
I looked around.
My mother's bedroom had pale yellow walls.
The kitchen was white.
The living room was cream.
Then I remembered the old house where my parents had lived before I was born.
My mother used to call it the blue house.
It had been demolished years ago.
But I remembered something else.
There had been a small chapel behind it.
The only place my mother had ever said she felt truly happy.
I folded the letter and returned to the others.
Arthur studied the birth certificates.
His face tightened when he saw Sebastian's name.
"She kept these all these years.""
"She never stopped loving him.""
Arthur lowered his eyes.
"Neither did Daniel.""
I looked at him.
"Then why did he abandon us?""
Arthur didn't answer.
Rebecca's phone suddenly rang.
She listened for several seconds.
Then her expression changed.
"Valeria, we have a problem.""
"What?""
"The police received another photograph of Daniel.""
She showed me the screen.
My father was still tied to the chair.
But this time, someone stood behind him.
A man wearing a dark jacket.
His face was partially visible.
I recognized the watch.
Sebastian's watch.
I looked at Arthur.
"He has my father.""
Arthur shook his head.
"No. That's not possible.""
I pointed at the photograph.
"Look.""
Arthur studied it.
Then he whispered something that made my blood run cold.
"Sebastian isn't working with Alejandro.""
He looked directly at me.
"He's working with Daniel.""
And just then, my phone received another message.
May you like
*YOUR MOTHER LEFT YOU TWO THINGS. THE LAND AND THE TRUTH.*
*YOU ONLY HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT TO CHOOSE WHICH ONE YOU WANT.*
