CHAPTER 11 — DAMIAN'S LAST WEAPON
CHAPTER 11 — DAMIAN'S LAST WEAPON
Rosalie's scream cut through the darkness.
“Mom!”
I lunged toward the sound.
A hand caught my wrist.
My twin.
For one second, I forgot everything.
She looked exactly like me.
Not similar.
Not close.
Exactly.
Same eyes.
Same mouth.
Same dark hair.
Even the tiny scar beneath her collarbone was identical.
“Let go of me!”
“You'll get her killed.”
“Where is my daughter?”
Her expression hardened.
“Damian has her.”
I stared at her.
“You said you knew where she was.”
“I do.”
“Then take me to her.”
“I can't.”
“Why?”
“Because Damian has one final weapon.”
The lights suddenly came back.
The screen showed Damian.
He was standing in a dark room.
Rosalie was beside him.
A pistol rested against the table.
Damian looked directly into the camera.
“Hello, Isabella.”
I stepped closer.
“Let her go.”
He smiled.
“You finally know she's yours.”
“Release her.”
“You're still giving orders.”
“Damian.”
His smile disappeared.
“You spent four years looking down on me.”
“I never knew.”
“You knew enough.”
He leaned toward the camera.
“You knew your family had money.”
“You knew Montrose Global protected Cross Industries.”
“You knew I needed you.”
“But you never asked why.”
I stared at him.
“You married me for the trust.”
“Yes.”
“You lied to me.”
“Yes.”
“You humiliated me.”
His jaw tightened.
“You humiliated yourself.”
My twin stepped beside me.
Damian saw her.
His face went completely white.
“No.”
She smiled.
“Hello, Damian.”
He stepped backward.
“You died.”
She laughed.
“No.”
“I watched the car explode.”
“You watched a car explode.”
He stared at her.
“You weren't inside.”
“Correct.”
His eyes moved between us.
“Then who was?”
My twin answered:
“A woman who looked like me.”
Damian's face collapsed.
I looked at her.
“You planned the accident?”
“No.”
“Then who did?”
She looked toward my mother.
“Ask her.”
My mother closed her eyes.
“I was trying to protect you both.”
THE LAST CARD
Damian lifted a folder.
“You want Rosalie?”
“Yes.”
“Then you'll give me the Montrose trust.”
“No.”
His eyes narrowed.
“You haven't understood.”
He opened the folder.
Inside were photographs.
Me.
Rosalie.
My mother.
My father.
Elena.
Damian.
All taken secretly.
Over many years.
He had documented everything.
“This is insurance.”
I stared at the photographs.
“What do you want?”
“Control.”
“You don't have the authority.”
“I don't need authority.”
He pulled out another document.
“Your original marriage agreement.”
I recognized it.
The same contract I had seen before.
But this copy contained an additional page.
A page I had never seen.
My blood ran cold.
“What is that?”
Damian smiled.
“The real agreement.”
Arthur stepped closer.
“That's impossible.”
Damian laughed.
“You should have checked the archive.”
Arthur examined the document.
His face changed.
“Isabella…”
“What?”
“This contains your biometric authorization.”
I stared.
“I never signed that.”
Damian nodded.
“You didn't.”
“Then how?”
He smiled.
“Your mother did.”
I turned toward her.
“Mom?”
She looked devastated.
“I had no choice.”
“You signed away my inheritance?”
“No.”
“Then what did you sign?”
She whispered:
“Permission to use your genetic identity.”
Silence.
Damian smiled.
“That is the weapon.”
THE WOMAN WHO SOLD MY SECRET
I turned toward my twin.
“You said you sold my secret.”
She nodded.
“I did.”
“Why?”
“Because I needed to find you.”
“That makes no sense.”
“It will.”
She took a small drive from her pocket.
“This contains every transaction.”
“Transactions between whom?”
“Damian.”
“Evelyn.”
“Victor.”
“Richard.”
“And me.”
I stared at her.
“You worked with them.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Since I was sixteen.”
My mother started crying.
I looked at her.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew she was alive.”
“Yes.”
“And you let me believe I was an only child.”
“I had to.”
“Why?”
“Because Victor was searching for both of you.”
My twin stepped forward.
“He found me first.”
“And then?”
“He raised me.”
I froze.
“Victor raised you?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To turn me against you.”
“Did it work?”
She looked at me.
“No.”
THE GIRL VICTOR CREATED
She told me everything.
Victor had taken her when she was six.
He had told her that I was responsible.
He told her that my mother had abandoned her.
He told her that Montrose Global belonged to her.
For years, she believed him.
Until she discovered the truth.
She wasn't the heir.
Neither was I.
The trust belonged to both of us.
Together.
Two genetic signatures.
Two daughters.
One inheritance.
Victor had spent decades trying to separate us because together we were impossible to control.
I stared at her.
“So the succession trust requires both of us.”
“Yes.”
“That's why he took you.”
“Yes.”
“And Rosalie?”
“She is the next generation.”
My heart tightened.
“She has the same genetic marker.”
My twin nodded.
“That's why Damian took her.”
“Damian isn't working for Victor anymore.”
“No.”
I looked at the screen.
“Then who is he working for?”
She answered:
“Evelyn.”
THE MOTHER-IN-LAW'S FINAL MOVE
The screen changed.
Evelyn appeared.
She sat in an elegant chair.
Calm.
Perfectly dressed.
As if she were attending afternoon tea.
“Isabella.”
I stared.
“You took my daughter.”
Evelyn smiled.
“Your daughter?”
“Yes.”
“Rosalie is a legal dependent of Elena.”
“You know that's a lie.”
“Prove it.”
My hands clenched.
“Where is she?”
Evelyn smiled.
“Safe.”
“You're lying.”
“Perhaps.”
She leaned toward the camera.
“But I have something more valuable than Rosalie.”
“What?”
“Your father.”
The screen shifted.
My father was tied to a chair.
Blood covered his face.
I stepped backward.
“No.”
Evelyn smiled.
“Choose.”
“What?”
“Your father.”
“Or your daughter.”
My mother whispered:
“No.”
Evelyn continued.
“Bring me the Montrose succession key.”
“You'll release both.”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“I'll give you one.”
My voice trembled.
“Which one?”
“That's for you to decide.”
DAMIAN'S CONFESSION
Damian suddenly stepped into view.
He looked exhausted.
“You think I'm the villain.”
“You are.”
“I know.”
He looked at Rosalie.
“She isn't my daughter.”
I stared at him.
“I know.”
“No.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“You don't understand.”
He looked at Rosalie.
“I thought she was.”
“What?”
“Evelyn told me Rosalie was mine.”
My blood froze.
“She lied.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because she wanted me to protect her.”
“From whom?”
“From Victor.”
Damian looked down.
“I was supposed to deliver Rosalie.”
“To Victor?”
“Yes.”
“But you didn't.”
“No.”
“Why?”
He looked at the child.
“Because she called me Dad.”
Silence.
Damian's voice broke.
“I couldn't do it.”
I stared at him.
For the first time, he looked human.
Not the arrogant husband.
Not the heir.
Not the man who had manipulated me.
Just a terrified man who had realized too late what he had become.
“I hid her.”
“Where?”
“I moved her.”
“To where?”
“Somewhere Evelyn doesn't know.”
My heart stopped.
“Where?”
Damian looked at me.
“I'll tell you.”
“What do you want?”
“One thing.”
“What?”
“Protection.”
I stared at him.
“From Evelyn.”
He nodded.
“She'll kill me.”
“She already tried.”
“I know.”
THE ROOM UNDER THE CHURCH
Damian gave us an address.
An abandoned church outside the city.
My twin drove.
Arthur followed with security.
My mother remained behind with my father.
We reached the church at 2:13 a.m.
The building had been abandoned for decades.
The doors creaked open.
Inside, there was nothing.
No people.
No Rosalie.
Then my twin noticed something.
A small drawing on the wall.
A house.
A tree.
A woman holding a little girl.
She touched it.
“Rosalie.”
“How do you know?”
“She drew this for me.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
We searched the church.
Nothing.
Then Arthur found a hidden door beneath the altar.
A staircase descended.
We went down.
At the bottom was a small room.
A bed.
Food.
Blankets.
Toys.
But no child.
My heart broke.
“She was here.”
Arthur examined the room.
“Recently.”
Then we found another drawing.
This time, three women.
Me.
My twin.
And Rosalie.
Underneath was a single word.
HOME.
I touched the paper.
A voice came from behind us.
“Mom?”
I turned.
Rosalie stood in the doorway.
Alive.
Safe.
I ran toward her.
She threw her arms around me.
I held her so tightly she laughed.
“I knew you'd come.”
I buried my face in her hair.
“I'll never leave you again.”
My twin stood nearby crying.
Rosalie looked at her.
“Are you my aunt?”
My twin smiled.
“Something like that.”
Rosalie frowned.
“You look like Mom.”
My twin laughed through her tears.
“That's because we're twins.”
Rosalie's eyes widened.
“I have two moms?”
I looked at her.
“No.”
I kissed her forehead.
“You have one mother.”
Then a voice came from the doorway.
“No.”
We turned.
Damian stood there.
He was holding a gun.
Everyone froze.
His eyes were empty.
He looked at Rosalie.
Then at me.
“I lied.”
My heart dropped.
“What?”
“I didn't bring you here to save her.”
He raised the gun.
“I brought you here because Evelyn ordered me to.”
My twin stepped in front of Rosalie.
Damian's hand trembled.
“Move.”
“No.”
“I don't want to do this.”
“Then don't.”
He closed his eyes.
“I can't.”
A gunshot exploded.
Damian dropped to his knees.
Blood spread across his shirt.
Behind him stood Evelyn.
She lowered the weapon.
“You always were weak.”
I pulled Rosalie behind me.
Evelyn smiled.
“Now.”
She pointed the gun at me.
“Give me the key.”
I stared at her.
“You'll never get it.”
She laughed.
“You still don't understand.”
She raised her weapon.
“The key isn't a document.”
She looked at my twin.
“It isn't your DNA.”
Then she smiled.
“The key is the choice.”
My twin stepped forward.
“What choice?”
Evelyn answered:
“Which daughter survives.”
The church doors slammed shut.
And from somewhere beneath the floor—
we heard a second child crying.
My blood froze.
Rosalie looked at me.
“Mom…”
“That isn't me.”
Evelyn smiled.
“No.”
May you like
She whispered:
“That is the child you forgot.”
