Chapter 12: Ethan's Brother
Ethan's brother.
Another name.
Another death.
Another lie.
The island suddenly felt like a place built entirely from buried truths.
Ethan sat across from me.
“My brother's name was Daniel.”
“What happened?”
“He discovered what your grandfather was doing.”
“What?”
“He found the original trust documents.”
My father interrupted.
“Daniel discovered the offshore network.”
Ethan nodded.
“He tried to expose it.”
“And?”
“He was killed.”
My stomach tightened.
“By Evelyn?”
Ethan shook his head.
“No.”
“Then who?”
He looked at my father.
My father answered.
“Someone you haven't suspected.”
“Who?”
My father closed his eyes.
“Your father-in-law.”
I stared.
“Victor?”
“Yes.”
I couldn't believe it.
“Victor killed Daniel?”
“He was following orders.”
“Whose?”
My father didn't answer.
I already knew.
“Your grandfather.”
He nodded.
The same name had been hiding beneath every layer.
My grandfather.
The man everyone feared.
The architect behind everything.
But there was one thing I couldn't understand.
“Why am I still alive?”
My father looked at me.
“Because your grandfather needed you.”
“For the trust.”
“Yes.”
“And my mother?”
“To control you.”
“And Brendan?”
“To marry you.”
I looked toward Ethan.
“And you?”
“To protect you.”
I swallowed.
“You loved me.”
“Yes.”
“Then why did you let me marry Brendan?”
Ethan looked away.
“Because I thought you would remember.”
“But I didn't.”
“No.”
“Did I ever love Brendan?”
Ethan's eyes filled with sadness.
“I don't know.”
My father stepped closer.
“You loved him.”
I stared.
“What?”
“Before the procedure.”
“What happened?”
“You believed he was innocent.”
“And he wasn't.”
“He wasn't.”
I looked down.
My child moved again.
Everything was changing.
I had spent years believing my marriage was a mistake.
Now I realized it had been engineered.
But there had been real feelings mixed into the lie.
That was somehow worse.
Ethan reached into his coat.
He handed me a small metal key.
“You gave this to me the night before the procedure.”
I stared.
“What does it open?”
“The trust vault.”
Arthur looked at him.
“There is a physical vault?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
Ethan looked at me.
“Under Aurora's headquarters.”
My heart stopped.
“Our headquarters?”
“The original headquarters.”
The company I supposedly owned.
The building where Brendan worked.
The building renovated with the Persian rug I had personally approved.
A vault had been underneath it all along.
Arthur immediately contacted the legal team.
“We have to secure the building.”
My father shook his head.
“Too late.”
“What do you mean?”
“Your grandfather already knows.”
As if summoned by his words, every phone in the room vibrated.
One message.
COME TO THE HEADQUARTERS.
BRING THE CHILD.
My blood ran cold.
Arthur looked at me.
“This is a trap.”
“I know.”
“You cannot go.”
“I have to.”
“No.”
I looked at him.
“I spent my whole life letting other people decide what I could survive.”
I stood.
“Not anymore.”
We returned to the mainland before sunrise.
Aurora headquarters was surrounded by police when we arrived.
The building had been evacuated.
Inside, every elevator had stopped.
The vault door was open.
Someone had gotten there first.
We entered.
Empty shelves.
Empty cabinets.
One chair in the center.
And on the chair was a photograph.
My photograph.
Taken the day I married Brendan.
Someone had drawn a red circle around my stomach.
Arthur picked it up.
“This was recent.”
Ethan looked toward the wall.
“There's something wrong.”
“What?”
“The vault isn't empty.”
He pointed at the floor.
A hidden panel.
We opened it.
Inside was a second vault.
And inside that vault was a video.
I pressed play.
My grandfather appeared.
“Cassidy.”
He smiled.
“You've finally remembered.”
I stared.
He continued.
“You think this is a battle between families.”
“It isn't.”
“It's a battle between bloodlines.”
He leaned closer.
“Your child carries the last valid claim to the original empire.”
My heart stopped.
“If you want your daughter to live…”
The screen changed.
A live camera feed appeared.
It showed Brendan.
He was tied to a chair.
Jessica stood behind him.
And beside Jessica was Evelyn.
My grandfather's voice continued.
“Come alone.”
I stared.
Then the screen went black.
A second message appeared.
Bring the key.
I turned toward Ethan.
He had gone pale.
“What?”
He whispered:
“The key isn't for the vault.”
“What is it for?”
He stared at me.
“Your grandfather's private weapons room.”
Arthur looked shocked.
“Weapons?”
Ethan nodded.
“He never trusted banks.”
My phone vibrated again.
A final message.
And Cassidy…
May you like
Don't bring your mother.
Because she is already here.
