Chapter 9 - His brother's name was Alexander Hayes.He had always seemed harmless.
Quiet.
Polite.
The kind of man who remembered birthdays and sent flowers to funerals.
He had given a speech at my wedding.
I remembered his exact words.
“Family is the one thing money can never buy.”
Now I wondered how many people in that room had been laughing at the joke.
We searched every available record.
Alexander's companies were clean.
Too clean.
No lawsuits.
No debts.
No suspicious transfers.
Nothing.
Claire frowned.
“Someone scrubbed him.”
“Who?”
“Someone with access to government databases.”
Evelyn stared at the screen.
“Moretti.”
I looked at her.
“How many people are involved?”
“Enough to make this dangerous.”
We needed Sofia.
Not just because she was my sister.
Because she was the second bloodline subject required to access Orion.
Richard needed both of us.
He had tried to remove me.
Which meant Sofia was still useful.
I asked Nora where she was.
Nora refused.
“She will come to you when she's ready.”
“Tell her I'm not her enemy.”
Nora laughed bitterly.
“That is exactly what your father said.”
Then the call ended.
Hours later, someone arrived at the property.
No warning.
No phone call.
Just a knock.
Claire reached for her weapon.
Evelyn told her to wait.
I opened the door.
A woman stood outside.
Dark hair.
Gray coat.
Pregnant.
She looked at me.
I looked at her.
Neither of us spoke.
Then she whispered:
“Elena?”
My heart stopped.
I knew that face.
Not because I'd seen it recently.
Because I'd seen it in my mother's photographs.
My twin.
Sofia.
She stepped inside.
For several seconds, I couldn't move.
We were almost identical.
Same eyes.
Same jaw.
Same small scar beside the left eyebrow.
I reached toward her face.
She flinched.
That hurt more than I expected.
“You don't trust me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Dad taught me not to.”
I swallowed.
“Dad is dead.”
“I know.”
She placed a small envelope on the table.
Inside were letters.
Hundreds.
My father's handwriting.
Addressed to Sofia.
Never delivered.
I read the first one.
My daughter,
I am sorry.
The second.
I chose Elena because I believed she was the stronger of you.
The third.
If Orion ever activates, they will come for both of you.
I looked up.
“What happened after we were born?”
Sofia sat down.
“Our mother wanted both of us.”
I stared.
“Then why were we separated?”
“Because our father made a deal.”
“With whom?”
“The Morettis.”
Silence.
Sofia explained.
Our father owed them money.
A lot of money.
He offered control over one child.
He kept the other.
“Why would anyone agree to that?”
“Because Orion required a bloodline split.”
I didn't understand.
She opened another file.
Project Orion had been designed around two genetic signatures.
One from each twin.
Neither twin alone could fully unlock it.
Our father had designed the system after discovering that powerful competitors might force control of the family trust.
The only way to guarantee succession was biological.
The system required both sisters.
And the child of one sister would become the next controlling generation.
I looked at my stomach.
“You.”
Sofia nodded.
“Your baby.”
“Why?”
“Because Dad never trusted us.”
She lowered her voice.
“He trusted the child.”
I felt cold.
Then she said something worse.
“Richard knows about the baby.”
“I know.”
“No.”
She looked directly into my eyes.
“He knows something you don't.”
“What?”
“Your baby isn't just a beneficiary.”
I waited.
“Your baby is the final Orion key.”
The room went silent.
Sofia continued.
“That is why Richard married you.”
“That is why he wanted me dead.”
“Yes.”
“But if I'm dead, how does he access Orion?”
“He thought the trust would transfer through his bloodline.”
“His bloodline?”
Sofia looked at me.
“He is a Hayes.”
“Half-Hayes.”
“Enough.”
She opened one final document.
It was a genetic report.
The names were partially redacted.
Mother:
ELENA HAYES
Father:
RICHARD HAYES
Fetus:
ORION SUBJECT THREE
I stared at the page.
My own baby's name was there.
Subject Three.
I couldn't breathe.
Sofia reached for my hand.
“There's something else.”
“What?”
She whispered:
“You aren't carrying Richard's child.”
The world stopped.
I looked at her.
“What did you say?”
Sofia's eyes filled with fear.
“Your husband isn't the father.”
I couldn't speak.
She pointed to the genetic report.
The father's identity had been deliberately altered.
“Richard isn't the biological father.”
“Then who is?”
Sofia shook her head.
“We need to find him.”
“Why?”
“Because if Richard discovers who the father really is…”
She stopped.
“Then he will stop trying to control Orion.”
“And do what?”
May you like
Sofia looked at me.
“He'll try to erase the entire bloodline.”
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