Chapter 10 - The Room Under St. Jude'sSubtitle: My Father's Last SecretThe storage room was beneath the oldest wing of the hospital.
Dust covered the floor.
Old files lined the walls.
Boxes filled the shelves.
And at the back was a metal cabinet secured with a combination lock.
Mike forced it open.
Inside was one envelope.
My name was written on it.
ELENA.
My hands trembled.
I opened it.
My father's voice filled the room through an old audio recorder.
If you're hearing this, something happened to me.
I sat down.
His voice continued.
Richard Sterling has built an empire on stolen money.
But that isn't the worst of it.
He's been buying people.
Judges.
Doctors.
Police officers.
Politicians.
Anyone who gets close to the truth disappears from the case.
I closed my eyes.
Then came the sentence that shattered me.
The reason he fears my investigation is because I found the original ownership records of Sterling Holdings.
They don't legally own the company.
My eyes widened.
Victoria leaned closer.
"What does he mean?"
The recording continued.
Sterling Holdings was built on a fraudulent transfer.
The original owners are descendants of a family that died in an orchestrated financial collapse.
There is one surviving legal heir.
My father's voice paused.
Then:
Her name is Elena Vance.
I stopped breathing.
"What?"
Mike looked at me.
Victoria looked stunned.
The recording continued.
Richard knows.
He has always known.
He believes Elena's identity must remain hidden because if she discovers the truth, she can legally reclaim the controlling interest in the company.
My knees weakened.
The Sterling family had not just wanted my son.
They wanted me.
Their entire marriage plan had been built around my identity.
I was the legal heir to the company they believed belonged to them.
Daniel knew?
I turned toward him.
He wasn't in the room.
"Where is Daniel?"
Mike's face tightened.
"He was here."
Suddenly, my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice whispered:
"Your husband has been taken."
My heart dropped.
"By whom?"
"His father."
"What do you want?"
"The evidence."
"What evidence?"
"The original records."
I looked at the envelope.
The voice continued:
"Bring them to the old warehouse on Pier 18."
"What happens if I don't?"
A pause.
Then:
"Your husband dies."
The call ended.
Mike immediately reached for his weapon.
Victoria grabbed my arm.
"You're not going."
I looked at her.
"He's my husband."
"He's also the man who helped them."
"I know."
"Then this could be a trap."
"It is."
I held up the recorder.
"But I know something Richard doesn't."
"What?"
I smiled.
"My father was a judge too."
Victoria understood.
"You're going to trap him."
"Exactly."
We prepared the operation.
Every officer was briefed.
The warehouse was surrounded.
I carried the empty envelope.
The original documents stayed with the police.
At midnight, I walked inside.
Daniel was tied to a chair.
Richard stood behind him.
He smiled.
"Hello, Elena."
I froze.
He wasn't afraid.
Not even slightly.
"You finally know who you are."
I said nothing.
He stepped closer.
"You were never supposed to discover the truth."
Then he looked at Daniel.
"And your husband was never supposed to fall in love with you."
Daniel lowered his head.
Richard smiled.
"We made one mistake."
"What?"
He pointed toward my abdomen.
"Your twins."
I stared at him.
"We never expected you to have children."
"Why?"
"Because the moment Leo was born, the entire ownership structure changed."
He smiled.
"And now, unfortunately, your children have made you more valuable than ever."
I felt cold.
"What do you mean?"
Richard's answer destroyed everything.
"The company doesn't belong to you anymore."
He smiled.
"It belongs to your son."
May you like
Then he pulled out a second document.
"And I control your son's trust."
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