Chapter 10: The Child Nobody Knew About
“Lily isn't the only child Clara had.””
Gregory Shaw delivered the sentence as casually as if he were discussing the weather.
I stared at him.
“What did you just say?””
He smiled and held up the document.
“Your late wife had another child. A daughter, actually. Born several years before Lily.””
Daniel stepped forward.
“Don't listen to him.””
Gregory glanced at Daniel.
“Still playing the protective brother? How touching.””
I tightened my grip on Lily's hand.
“Where is this child?””
Gregory looked at me.
“That's the interesting part. Nobody knows.””
“Then why are you telling me she exists?””
“Because Clara's inheritance arrangements were never as simple as you believed.””
He handed me the document.
It was a birth registration from a private maternity clinic in Boston.
The mother's name was Clara Bennett.
The father's name was blank.
The child's name was listed as Elizabeth Carter.
I looked at the date.
The girl had been born eight years before Lily.
I turned toward Daniel.
“Did you know?””
He shook his head.
“No. Clara never mentioned another child.””
Gregory laughed.
“Of course she didn't. Clara was very good at keeping secrets.””
I examined the document more carefully.
There was a handwritten note in the margin.
*Transferred to guardian: E. Carter.*
Evelyn.
Vanessa's mother.
I looked up.
“Why did Evelyn take Clara's children?””
Gregory shrugged.
“Perhaps Clara wasn't capable of raising them.””
Daniel moved toward him.
“Watch your mouth.””
The two security men immediately stepped between them.
Gregory didn't seem concerned.
“Clara was desperate. She had debts, personal problems, and a complicated relationship with the Bennett family. Your father helped her more than once.””
“My father was dead when Lily was born,” I said.
“Your father had an estate. He had lawyers. He had arrangements.””
I stepped closer.
“Did he know about Elizabeth?””
Gregory smiled.
“He knew everything.””
I felt something twist in my chest.
My father had known about Daniel.
He had known about Clara's first daughter.
And he had allowed me to believe I was the only person in the family who mattered.
“Where is Elizabeth now?”” I demanded.
Gregory folded his hands.
“She's closer than you think.””
Before I could question him, Daniel grabbed the document.
“That's enough.””
Gregory's smile disappeared.
“Careful, Daniel. You're officially dead. You don't have many rights left.””
Daniel stared at him.
“Not for long.””
He pulled out his phone.
“I sent copies of the original records to three different investigators before coming here.””
Gregory's face tightened.
“You're bluffing.””
“Am I?””
Daniel pressed a button.
A notification sounded from Gregory's phone.
He looked down.
For the first time, the chairman of Bennett Hospitality Group appeared genuinely frightened.
I took advantage of the distraction.
“Thomas, get Lily inside the hotel.””
Thomas nodded.
But before we could move, a black car pulled up beside the loading dock.
The rear door opened.
Vanessa stepped out.
She was no longer wearing the red dress from the afternoon. She had changed into a cream-colored suit and carried a leather folder.
Her eyes went immediately to Lily.
“Sweetheart.””
Lily moved behind me.
“Don't come near her,” I said.
Vanessa ignored me.
“Lily, I've been looking for you.””
“I want my daddy.””
Vanessa's expression tightened.
“Your father is confused right now.””
I stepped forward.
“Stay away from my daughter.””
She opened her folder.
“Richard, we don't have to make this ugly.””
“You filed a false custody order.””
“I filed for protection.””
“From what?””
She looked at Lily.
“From an unstable environment.””
I almost laughed.
“You forged documents, stole access to private records, and tried to take money from a seven-year-old child. And you're accusing me of being unstable?””
Vanessa's cheeks flushed.
Gregory interrupted.
“Enough. We have a schedule to keep.””
She looked at him.
“Did you bring it?””
He nodded.
Vanessa removed a document from her folder.
“Richard, this is a temporary guardianship agreement. If you sign it, Lily can remain with me until the court resolves the inheritance dispute.””
I stared at the paper.
“You want me to surrender my daughter?””
“I want to protect her.””
“You've spent five years trying to erase her mother's memory.””
Vanessa's face hardened.
“Clara made everything difficult.””
Lily stepped out from behind me.
“My mommy wasn't difficult.””
Vanessa looked down at her.
“Lily, you don't understand.””
“My mommy made the pretty room. And she left me a butterfly.””
Vanessa's expression changed.
“What butterfly?””
Lily held up the little drawing she had made.
“I made one for her.””
Vanessa stared at the paper.
Then she looked at Gregory.
Something passed between them.
A silent warning.
I noticed it.
“What is it?”” I asked.
“Nothing,” Vanessa replied.
But Daniel had already moved closer.
He examined the drawing.
Then he looked at Vanessa.
“Where did you see that symbol before?””
Vanessa said nothing.
Daniel turned toward me.
“Richard, the butterfly isn't just a drawing. Clara used it as a symbol on every document connected to Elizabeth.””
Gregory immediately stepped forward.
“Give me that paper.””
I pulled Lily closer.
“Why?””
Gregory's expression became cold.
“Because that drawing could identify someone who has spent years trying to remain hidden.””
I looked at Daniel.
“Who?””
He stared at Vanessa.
“Your wife's daughter.””
Vanessa's face turned white.
Then, from somewhere behind us, a woman's voice spoke.
“That's enough, Vanessa.””
Everyone turned.
A young woman stood near the service entrance.
She looked to be in her early twenties. She wore a dark coat, carried a canvas bag, and had the same blue eyes as Clara.
She looked at Lily.
Then at me.
May you like
“My name is Elizabeth Carter,” she said.
“And I think it's time someone told you what happened to our mother.””
