CHAPTER 8 The Name They Stole
The words struck William harder than any punch.
"Your real name isn't William Sterling."
He stared at Detective Brooks.
"No."
His voice was flat.
Almost emotionless.
"No... that's impossible."
Brooks silently handed him the letter.
William's fingers trembled as he unfolded it.
The paper contained only a few handwritten lines.
If you're reading this...
...then they finally decided to erase you too.
The name "William Sterling" belongs to a dead boy.
You were given his life.
You were never supposed to remember.
Ask yourself one question.
Why are there no photographs of your mother holding you as a baby?
Because you weren't the baby she gave birth to.
...Lucas
William's breathing became shallow.
He had seen thousands of family photographs over the years.
Birthday parties.
Vacations.
Christmas mornings.
Business galas.
But...
There wasn't a single picture from before his second birthday.
Not one.
He had never noticed.
Until now.
The Birth Certificate
"Detective."
A forensic officer hurried into the underground office carrying another evidence folder.
"We found additional records hidden behind the filing cabinet."
Brooks opened it immediately.
Inside were three birth certificates.
The first:
William Sterling
Born: March 18
Status: Deceased
William's hands froze.
"...Deceased?"
The second certificate:
Lucas Sterling
Status: Missing.
The third:
The name had been blacked out.
Every line was covered with thick black ink.
Except one.
Male infant transferred.
Transferred?
Transferred where?
By whom?
Brooks looked at the date.
His expression darkened.
"The same day William died."
A Father's Recording
The technicians finally recovered data from the damaged black box that had exploded.
Most files were destroyed.
Except one.
An audio recording.
The timestamp read:
12 years ago.
The voice that emerged from the speakers was unmistakable.
Jonathan Sterling.
William's father.
His voice sounded exhausted.
As though he had not slept for days.
"If anyone hears this..."
"I've run out of time."
William closed his eyes.
For the first time in twelve years...
he heard his father's voice.
Jonathan continued.
"The Council has already taken Lucas."
"They'll come for Lily next."
"And William..."
A long pause.
Then...
"William is already gone."
William's eyes flew open.
"No..."
Jonathan's voice cracked.
"My son died three days ago."
The room went completely silent.
"I buried him myself."
A police officer quietly removed his cap.
No one interrupted the recording.
Jonathan continued speaking through tears.
"I couldn't tell my wife."
"She would never survive it."
"Mercer gave me another child."
William stopped breathing.
Another child.
Jonathan whispered,
"He said the boy had no family."
"He said nobody would know."
"I believed him."
Brooks slowly looked toward William.
The implication was horrifying.
Jonathan hadn't replaced William because he wanted to.
He had believed he was saving an orphan.
Dr. Adrian Mercer
The recording continued.
"Then I learned the truth."
"The child wasn't an orphan."
"He had been stolen."
William felt the floor disappear beneath him.
Jonathan's voice grew weaker.
"If you're hearing this..."
"...forgive me."
"I loved you as my son."
"Even after I learned your name wasn't William."
Tears rolled down William's face.
The recording ended with a single sentence.
"Find your mother."
Static.
Silence.
A New Clue
Brooks looked around the room.
"We now have one confirmed suspect."
He pointed to the hospital records.
"Dr. Adrian Mercer."
One technician quickly searched the database.
"No death certificate."
"No retirement records."
"No tax filings."
"No passport activity."
"It's as if..."
"...he vanished."
Lucas's voice echoed from the speaker again.
"He didn't vanish."
"You'll never find him in public records."
"Why?"
"Because he changed his name."
Brooks immediately asked,
"To what?"
Lucas hesitated.
"You already know him."
Every head turned.
"What?"
William whispered.
Lucas answered quietly.
"He's been living inside this estate..."
"...for more than twenty years."
A cold silence swept through the underground office.
Someone inside the mansion.
Someone they all knew.
Someone who had watched William grow up.
Hawthorne Speaks
Until now, Hawthorne had remained silent under police guard.
At Lucas's words...
the old butler slowly raised his head.
"I warned Jonathan."
William turned.
"You knew?"
Hawthorne nodded sadly.
"I knew the doctor never left."
"Then who is he?"
The old man looked toward the ceiling.
As though ashamed.
"I never learned his new name."
"But..."
"I knew his face."
William stepped closer.
"Tell me."
Hawthorne closed his eyes.
"He wore glasses then."
"He shaved his beard."
"He changed his hair."
"But..."
"I'd know those eyes anywhere."
Brooks immediately ordered,
"Prepare every employee photograph."
Within minutes, the underground office wall filled with digital personnel files.
Thirty-eight staff members.
Gardeners.
Chefs.
Drivers.
Housekeepers.
Security.
Executives.
Advisors.
Hawthorne slowly walked past every face.
"No."
"No."
"No."
Then...
He stopped.
His breathing caught.
With a trembling finger, he pointed to one photograph.
The Sterling family's personal physician.
A man who had treated William...
treated Ethan...
and attended every family gathering for nearly fifteen years.
Dr. Benjamin Carter.
William frowned.
"No."
"He delivered Ethan."
"He treated Isabella."
"He..."
The words died in his throat.
Brooks opened Carter's personnel file.
Medical license.
Employment history.
Awards.
Everything looked perfect.
Too perfect.
The detective narrowed his eyes.
"Run facial recognition."
The technician uploaded Carter's photograph...
then compared it against the old hospital image of Dr. Adrian Mercer.
The software processed.
10%.
35%.
62%.
87%.
Then...
MATCH FOUND: 99.4%
The room fell silent.
Dr. Benjamin Carter...
had never existed.
He was Dr. Adrian Mercer.
The man who had stolen a child.
The man who had erased William's past.
The man who had replaced a dead heir.
At that exact moment...
One of the security monitors flashed red.
ALERT
PANIC BUTTON ACTIVATED
Location:
STERLING FAMILY HOSPITAL
Brooks frowned.
"Who activated it?"
The technician zoomed in on the live camera feed.
A hospital corridor appeared.
Nurses were running.
Doctors were shouting.
At the end of the hallway...
Dr. Benjamin Carter stood calmly beside an operating room.
He looked directly into the camera.
Smiled.
Then slowly removed his glasses.
Behind him...
Two masked men wheeled out a hospital bed.
Strapped to it...
Struggling against leather restraints...
May you like
Was Lucas.
END OF CHAPTER 8
