Chapter 7 - The Truth About CalebCaleb spent the entire night staring at the document.
Subject was never supposed to survive.
He couldn't sleep.
He couldn't eat.
He couldn't stop thinking about the square.
About Olivia.
About the babies.
About his mother.
About the possibility that his entire childhood had been built on a lie.
At sunrise, George finally spoke.
“Your mother believed someone would kill you.”
“Why?”
“Because of what you inherited.”
“I inherited money.”
George shook his head.
“No.”
He looked toward the children.
“You inherited blood.”
Caleb laughed bitterly.
“That sounds insane.”
“It is.”
George explained that Caleb's grandfather had hidden a portion of the family's wealth under a legal trust.
The trust could only be accessed by direct descendants.
Caleb was the last legitimate heir.
But there was another condition.
A second branch of the family had to remain alive.
Lily, Noah and Emma were connected to that branch.
Caleb stared at the babies.
“So if they die…”
“The trust can be manipulated.”
“By Martin.”
“Yes.”
Caleb suddenly understood.
The children weren't simply witnesses.
They were legal keys.
Human beings turned into locks for a fortune.
His stomach turned.
Olivia walked into the room.
“You know now.”
Caleb nodded.
“Why did you stay with me for three years?”
“I was afraid someone would take you.”
“You were protecting me.”
“Yes.”
“And I treated you like…”
He couldn't finish.
Olivia smiled sadly.
“You paid me fairly.”
Caleb looked down.
“No, I didn't.”
“You paid what the contract said.”
“But not what you were worth.”
Olivia didn't answer.
Then Caleb asked,
“Where did you sleep before the square?”
She hesitated.
“In an abandoned storage room.”
His chest tightened.
“You were living there?”
“For eight months.”
“And you still came to clean my apartment?”
“I needed the money.”
“Why didn't you tell me?”
She looked at him.
“Because every time I thought about asking for help, I remembered how quickly people disappear when they become inconvenient.”
Caleb had no answer.
Then the front door slammed.
A lawyer entered.
“Mr. Hart, you need to see this.”
He handed Caleb a legal notice.
Caleb read it.
The Hart Trust had filed an emergency petition declaring him mentally incapacitated.
The document claimed Caleb had become unstable.
It sought immediate control of his assets.
Signed by Martin Hart.
Caleb looked at his father.
George whispered,
“He's moving faster than I thought.”
“How do I stop him?”
The lawyer's face tightened.
“You need proof.”
Caleb looked at the babies.
The lawyer continued.
“And you need it before the hearing tomorrow.”
Olivia suddenly stood.
“I know where to find it.”
Everyone turned.
She reached into her pocket.
“I kept something for three years.”
She placed a tiny memory card on the table.
Caleb stared.
“What is it?”
“A recording.”
“Of what?”
May you like
Olivia looked toward the door.
“The night your mother died.”
