CHAPTER 7 The Choice No Father Should Ever Make
The room remained silent long after Victor's image vanished.
Rain tapped against the library windows like impatient fingers counting down the seconds.
Ethan looked at his phone.
14:52
Fourteen minutes.
That was all Victor had left him.
One path led to Amelia.
The other led to six terrified children.
There wasn't enough time for both.
Or at least...
That was what Victor wanted him to believe.
Daniel broke the silence.
"Forget the children."
Every head turned toward him.
His expression was grim.
"This is exactly how hostage situations work."
"The kidnapper forces you to split your attention."
"You rescue Amelia."
"We come back for the children."
Lily immediately shook her head.
"No."
Her voice was barely above a whisper.
"They'll kill them."
Daniel looked at her gently.
"We don't know that."
Lily did.
"I've seen it before."
The room went cold.
Samuel knelt beside her.
"What happened?"
Lily stared at the floor.
"When they finished asking questions..."
"They took the children away."
"Did they come back?"
She slowly shook her head.
"No."
"Victor always said..."
"...they had finished their purpose."
Ethan closed his eyes.
His chest felt impossibly heavy.
Amelia.
Or innocent children.
How was any human being supposed to make that decision?
Arthur suddenly spoke.
"You're asking the wrong question."
Daniel frowned.
"What?"
Arthur looked directly at Ethan.
"Victor wants you to choose."
"So..."
"...don't."
Everyone looked at him.
Arthur spread the holographic blueprint across the table.
"The one Victor showed us wasn't complete."
Eleanor nodded.
"He's right."
She took a pen and began sketching from memory.
"There are two central corridors."
"Not one."
Samuel immediately understood.
"A service passage."
"Exactly."
"The laboratories were designed with emergency medical routes."
Daniel leaned closer.
"So the hospital wing..."
"...and the children's dormitory..."
"...connect underground?"
Eleanor nodded once.
"They meet here."
She circled a small section of the map.
OBSERVATION HUB
Arthur smiled.
"Now you're thinking."
Daniel checked the distance calculations.
"If we enter through the wine cellar..."
"...we can reach the Observation Hub."
"Then split."
Samuel pointed to the map.
"Ethan and I go for Amelia."
"Daniel takes a rescue team to the children."
Daniel looked unconvinced.
"The timing has to be perfect."
"It will be."
Arthur's voice was calm.
"I know Victor."
"He always watches from above."
"If we control the Observation Hub..."
"...we control the cameras."
Lily quietly walked toward the map.
She pointed to a tiny square room beside the hub.
"There."
Eleanor looked surprised.
"How do you know about that room?"
"There are cookies."
Everyone blinked.
"Cookies?"
Lily nodded.
"They always gave us cookies after the tests."
Arthur's expression darkened.
"Recovery room."
Samuel whispered.
"Blood sugar stabilization..."
Eleanor nodded sadly.
"They rewarded cooperation."
Daniel suddenly looked at Lily.
"What kind of tests?"
She hesitated.
Then rolled up the sleeve of her pajamas.
Tiny white scars covered the inside of her left arm.
Not random.
Perfectly spaced.
Samuel's face changed instantly.
"Repeated blood collection."
He gently turned her wrist.
More scars.
Then her neck.
Another tiny mark.
Eleanor closed her eyes.
"They implanted a monitoring chip."
The room froze.
Daniel stared.
"A tracker?"
"No."
Eleanor's voice trembled.
"Much worse."
Samuel carefully examined the scar behind Lily's ear.
He felt something hard beneath the skin.
Very small.
Metal.
"It's still there."
Lily looked frightened.
"Will it hurt?"
Samuel forced a reassuring smile.
"I won't let anyone hurt you again."
But inside...
He already understood.
If Victor could monitor Lily...
Then Victor probably knew exactly where she was right now.
As if answering the thought...
Every television in the mansion suddenly turned on.
Victor appeared again.
He was sitting comfortably in a leather chair.
Holding a teacup.
The very image of calm.
"I wondered how long it would take."
He smiled at Lily.
"Hello, Number Seven."
Ethan stepped in front of her.
"Don't call her that."
Victor shrugged.
"As you wish."
"Lily, then."
He took a sip of tea.
"I see you've met Eleanor."
"My sister has always had a talent for ruining years of planning."
Eleanor stepped toward the screen.
"You've gone too far."
Victor laughed softly.
"No."
"I went exactly far enough."
He reached into his pocket.
Holding up a tiny silver object.
Samuel's blood ran cold.
It was identical to the chip implanted behind Lily's ear.
Victor twirled it between his fingers.
"You've already discovered the tracker."
"Congratulations."
Daniel cursed under his breath.
Victor smiled wider.
"But here's the part you haven't figured out."
He pressed a button.
Lily suddenly cried out.
She grabbed her head.
Pain exploded behind her left ear.
She collapsed to her knees.
"Daddy..."
Ethan caught her before she hit the floor.
Samuel immediately examined the implant.
"It's overheating!"
Victor watched calmly.
"Remarkable technology."
"Isn't it?"
"You monster!"
Samuel shouted.
Victor ignored him.
"The implant isn't just for tracking."
"It's also a biometric key."
Eleanor's face drained of color.
"No..."
Victor nodded.
"Yes."
He looked directly at Ethan.
"Without Lily..."
"...certain laboratory doors can never be opened."
Silence.
Arthur whispered,
"So that's why..."
Victor heard him through the microphone.
"Exactly."
"You finally understand."
"The empire."
"The inheritance."
"The company."
"They were never the objective."
Victor slowly leaned toward the camera.
"Lily is."
Ethan held the trembling little girl close.
Her breathing slowly steadied.
Samuel injected a fast-acting anti-inflammatory medication near the implant.
The pain eased.
But the damage was done.
Victor had proven he could reach her anywhere.
Daniel checked the countdown.
09:08
Nine minutes.
"We move now."
Arthur agreed.
"No more talking."
Eleanor looked at Ethan.
"Once we enter the tunnel..."
"...there's no turning back."
Ethan nodded.
"There never was."
The group hurried through the rain toward the abandoned wine cellar.
Hidden beneath a row of ancient oak barrels...
Arthur inserted the brass key.
A heavy steel lock clicked open.
The stone floor slowly slid aside.
Cold air rushed upward.
A staircase disappeared into darkness.
Daniel switched on his tactical flashlight.
The beam revealed footprints in the dust.
Fresh ones.
Someone had used the passage recently.
Very recently.
Arthur frowned.
"That shouldn't be possible."
"Why not?"
"Because..."
His voice faltered.
"...only three people ever had keys."
Ethan.
Arthur.
And...
Amelia.
Everyone looked at each other.
Slowly.
Silently.
Then they all noticed the same thing.
The footprints were small.
Barefoot.
Not an adult's.
Not a soldier's.
A child's.
Lily stared into the darkness below.
Her face turned pale.
She whispered the words that made everyone's heartbeat stop.
"Those are mine..."
"I walked here..."
May you like
"...last night."
END OF CHAPTER 7
