Chapter 10 - ELENAWhy She Left Her ChildrenI wanted to run to her.
I wanted to hit her.
I wanted to ask why.
Instead, I stood frozen.
“You're alive.”
“Yes.”
“You left me.”
“Yes.”
“You let me believe you were dead.”
“Yes.”
My voice cracked.
“How could you?”
Elena looked at Martin.
“Because I couldn't protect you from him.”
Martin laughed.
“Still telling the same story.”
Elena ignored him.
She walked toward me.
“The day you were born, Harold discovered your biological father was Daniel Cross.”
I looked at the photograph.
“Why did that matter?”
“Daniel controlled the trust your grandfather created.”
“What trust?”
“The one beneath this building.”
She touched the vault door.
“Your grandfather built a private reserve using properties stolen through fraudulent foreclosures.”
My stomach turned.
“Rosehill?”
“One of dozens.”
“Why wasn't it exposed?”
“Because everyone involved was paid.”
“Harold?”
“He inherited the system.”
“Martin?”
“Helped expand it.”
“What about Daniel?”
“He tried to destroy it.”
She looked at Lucas.
“Daniel discovered that Harold planned to eliminate him and legally transfer everything through you.”
“So Lucas…”
“Was Daniel's son.”
I stared at Lucas.
Elena took a breath.
“Lucas was born premature. Harold decided he was a liability.”
“He sold him.”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“An offshore medical charity.”
My fists clenched.
“How did he survive?”
“Someone rescued him.”
Lucas looked away.
“Who?”
Elena didn't answer.
Instead she looked at Lena's image on the monitor.
“Her mother was Daniel's daughter.”
The room fell silent.
I whispered:
“Meaning Lena is…”
“Your niece.”
Lucas stepped forward.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn't you take her?”
“I tried.”
“When?”
“Five years ago.”
“Then what happened?”
Elena's face broke.
“They found me.”
Martin raised his gun.
“You've had your reunion.”
He aimed.
Elena didn't move.
“Martin.”
“What?”
She smiled.
“You should look behind you.”
He turned.
Pilar was standing behind him.
Holding the second gun.
She fired.
Martin dropped.
Cole ran.
Lucas grabbed him.
The monitor went black.
For the first time, the basement was silent.
Elena looked at me.
“You have the keys?”
I held them up.
She nodded.
“Good.”
“What happens now?”
She stepped toward the vault.
“Now you see why they needed you to sign.”
We opened it.
Inside were thousands of documents.
Deeds.
Bank records.
Photographs.
Names.
And one final file.
I picked it up.
The label read:
PROJECT ADRIAN.
My hands went cold.
I opened it.
The first page contained a photograph of me at age five.
Underneath:
SUBJECT: ADRIAN VALE
PURPOSE: SUCCESSOR
Then a second line:
ESTIMATED TRANSFER DATE: AGE 30
I stared.
I was thirty.
Exactly.
Elena whispered:
“They've been waiting for your thirtieth birthday.”
May you like
I looked at the date.
Today.
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