Chapter 9 - The BetrayalWe had twenty-seven minutes.

Mom wanted us to escape.

I wanted to save Dad.

Ryan wanted to kill Victor.

None of those plans could coexist.

Then Mom revealed something worse.

"There is a mole."

I stared at her.

"Inside this facility?"

"Yes."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

Ryan looked at the security cameras.

"Someone disabled half the system before we arrived."

Mom nodded.

"Someone helped them find us."

I looked at the people around us.

There were six security officers.

Two technicians.

One doctor.

Claire.

And Ryan.

My heart sank.

"One of them is working for Victor."

Nobody spoke.

Then the doctor stepped forward.

"We should leave."

Ryan raised his gun.

"No."

Everyone froze.

"Why are you defending him?"

"I'm not."

"Then why are you nervous?"

The doctor looked at me.

"I know where Victor is."

Silence.

Mom stepped forward.

"Where?"

"An underground medical facility outside Geneva."

Ryan lowered his gun.

"How do you know?"

The doctor smiled.

"Because I work for him."

Chaos.

Ryan fired.

The doctor ducked.

Glass shattered.

Security returned fire.

The doctor escaped through a side door.

Ryan chased him.

Mom grabbed my arm.

"Emma, we have to leave."

I refused.

"We're not leaving Dad."

"We cannot rescue your father by walking into a trap."

"Then what do we do?"

Mom looked at me.

"We use the thing they fear most."

"What?"

"The truth."

She handed me a small drive.

"This contains the complete network archive."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Then release it."

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"Because Victor isn't the head."

I stared at her.

"Who is?"

She hesitated.

Then she whispered:

"Your father's lawyer."

I froze.

"Mr. Bennett?"

Mom nodded.

"He has been controlling the trust."

"For years."

"But Dad trusted him."

"Exactly."

I remembered something.

The prenup.

The hidden clause.

The acquisition.

The trust.

Everything passed through the same legal office.

Ryan suddenly returned.

"The doctor escaped."

Mom asked:

"Where?"

"Through the western tunnel."

"Then we move now."

We entered an armored vehicle.

The facility doors opened.

But before we could leave, my phone rang.

Ryan looked at the screen.

It was Dad's number.

I answered.

"Dad?"

Silence.

Then a woman's voice.

"You have one hour."

I froze.

"What do you want?"

"Bring the archive."

"How do I know my father is alive?"

The woman laughed.

"Because he is standing beside me."

I heard Dad's voice.

"Emma, don't!"

The woman interrupted.

"You should be more worried about the baby."

I pressed the phone tighter to my ear.

"What do you mean?"

She replied:

"We know when you're due."

My blood ran cold.

"We know your doctor's name."

She paused.

"We know which hospital you planned to use."

Then she said the words that shattered me.

"And we know your baby is not Ryan's."

The call ended.

Everyone stared at me.

Ryan looked stunned.

Mom looked horrified.

I couldn't speak.

My hand went to my stomach.

The baby kicked.

Once.

Twice.

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