CHAPTER 9 — THE SECOND FAMILY
CHAPTER 9 — THE SECOND FAMILY
Nathan did not speak for several seconds.
He simply stared at Victoria.
“My mother is alive?”
Victoria nodded.
Nathan's face hardened.
“You told me she was dead.”
“I didn't tell you that.”
“You allowed me to believe it.”
“I was trying to survive.”
“You were engaged to me.”
“I know.”
“And you knew my mother was alive.”
Victoria's eyes filled with tears.
“Yes.”
Nathan stepped back as though she had struck him.
For thirty years, he had carried one memory of his mother.
A funeral he barely remembered.
A black dress.
His father's hand gripping his shoulder.
People whispering around him.
Then nothing.
His father had always said she had died after a long illness.
Nathan had never questioned it.
Until now.
“Why?” he whispered.
Victoria looked toward the photograph of the third child.
“Because your mother wasn't the woman your father wanted the world to believe she was.”
Nathan's jaw tightened.
“What does that mean?”
“She tried to expose him.”
“Expose him for what?”
Victoria hesitated.
“The children.”
Nathan stared at her.
“Everything comes back to the children.”
“Yes.”
“Then tell me the truth.”
Victoria took a shaky breath.
“Your mother discovered the second family.”
THE HOUSE BEYOND THE CITY
Three hours later, Nathan stood outside an abandoned estate.
Daniel parked behind a line of trees.
Victoria sat in the back seat, silent.
The mansion ahead looked nothing like the Cole estate.
It was smaller.
Older.
Almost forgotten.
But Nathan recognized the symbol carved into the iron gate.
The Cole family crest.
He turned toward Victoria.
“This is the foundation?”
“No.”
“Then what is it?”
“Your mother's home.”
Nathan stared.
“She lived here?”
“For years.”
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Because your father erased her.”
Nathan stepped out of the vehicle.
The front door was unlocked.
Inside, everything was covered in dust.
But there were signs someone had been living there.
A child's shoes.
A glass of milk.
A school backpack.
Nathan stopped.
“A child.”
Victoria nodded.
“He lives here.”
“Who?”
“I don't know his name.”
Nathan turned sharply.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“I've never spoken to him.”
“You've been here?”
“Once.”
“When?”
“Five years ago.”
Nathan looked at her.
“The night Grace disappeared?”
Victoria nodded.
Nathan's stomach tightened.
“You were here that night.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Victoria looked toward the hallway.
“Your mother brought Grace here.”
Nathan froze.
“Grace knew my mother?”
“Yes.”
“How?”
“They had met before.”
“Where?”
“At the hospital.”
Nathan stared.
“What hospital?”
“The night the twins were born.”
Nathan walked deeper into the house.
A child's drawing was taped to the wall.
Three figures stood beneath a yellow sun.
A woman.
A little boy.
A little girl.
Nathan stared at it.
“Who drew this?”
Victoria's voice was barely audible.
“The boy.”
Nathan pointed.
“Which boy?”
Before she could answer, footsteps sounded upstairs.
Daniel immediately reached for his phone.
Nathan raised a hand.
“Wait.”
Another sound.
A door opening.
Then a child's voice.
“Mom?”
Nathan froze.
Victoria's face went white.
The voice came again.
“Mom, are they here?”
Nathan looked toward the staircase.
A woman appeared at the top.
She was older than he remembered.
Her hair was streaked with gray.
Her face thinner.
But Nathan knew those eyes.
His knees almost gave way.
“Mom?”
The woman stopped.
For several seconds, neither moved.
Then she whispered:
“Nathan.”
He climbed the stairs slowly.
“You're alive.”
His mother began crying.
“I wanted to tell you.”
“You let me mourn you.”
“I had no choice.”
“You always had a choice.”
She flinched.
Nathan stopped several feet away.
“Why?”
His mother looked at Victoria.
Then at Daniel.
Finally, she whispered:
“Because your father threatened to kill you.”
Silence.
Nathan's anger faltered.
“What?”
“He told me that if I ever contacted you, you would disappear.”
Nathan shook his head.
“My father wouldn't—”
“He would.”
His mother's voice broke.
“You don't know what he was capable of.”
Nathan looked away.
Then he noticed someone standing behind her.
A boy.
About ten years old.
Dark hair.
Pale face.
A scar near his eyebrow.
Nathan's breath caught.
The photograph.
The hidden teenager.
Daniel.
But the boy was much younger.
Nathan looked at Victoria.
“This is him?”
She nodded.
Nathan turned back.
The boy stared at him.
“You're Nathan.”
“Yes.”
“Dad told me about you.”
Nathan's heart stopped.
“Who?”
The boy pointed toward the woman.
“My grandmother.”
Nathan looked at his mother.
“That's not what I asked.”
She closed her eyes.
“Your father.”
Nathan's expression changed.
“My father knew about him.”
“He knew everything.”
“Then why hide him?”
His mother whispered:
“Because Daniel wasn't your father's son.”
Nathan stared.
“Then whose son was he?”
She looked toward the boy.
“My first husband's.”
Nathan's eyes widened.
“You were married before Dad?”
“Yes.”
“And Daniel?”
“He was born before I met Edward.”
Nathan stared at the boy.
“But Edward adopted him.”
“He pretended to.”
“What do you mean?”
“He didn't adopt Daniel.”
Nathan frowned.
“He stole him.”
THE SECOND FAMILY
Nathan's mother sat at the dining table.
Her hands trembled around a cup of tea.
“Before Edward, I was married to a man named Michael Reed.”
Nathan listened.
“He was brilliant. Kind. Nothing like Edward.”
“What happened?”
“He died.”
“How?”
She looked down.
“An accident.”
Nathan immediately understood.
“You don't believe it was an accident.”
“No.”
“Edward?”
She didn't answer.
That was enough.
“Daniel was six months old when Michael died.”
Nathan's mother continued.
“Edward came into our lives soon afterward.”
“Why?”
“I don't know.”
“He wanted you.”
“He wanted something else.”
“What?”
She looked toward Daniel.
“He wanted Michael's research.”
Nathan frowned.
“What research?”
“Genetics.”
Nathan's mind returned to Project A-2.
“The genetic program.”
“Yes.”
“Michael created it?”
“Yes.”
Nathan leaned forward.
“What was he researching?”
His mother lowered her voice.
“A hereditary mutation.”
Nathan felt a chill.
“The same mutation Adrian has?”
“Yes.”
Nathan stared.
“Then Adrian's biological father—”
“Was Michael.”
Nathan stopped breathing.
The room became silent.
Daniel looked at his grandmother.
Then at Nathan.
“Does that mean I'm related to Adrian?”
Nathan looked at the boy.
His mother nodded.
“Daniel and Adrian share the same biological father.”
Nathan's mind raced.
Michael Reed.
Dead before Adrian's birth.
His genetic material somehow used to conceive Adrian.
Daniel.
Adrian.
The same bloodline.
And suddenly, the strange DNA result made sense.
Nathan wasn't Adrian's father.
But Adrian belonged to the family.
Not through Nathan.
Through the man Edward had erased.
Nathan whispered:
“Why would my father use Michael's genetic material?”
His mother looked terrified.
“Because Michael had discovered something.”
“What?”
“He discovered that the mutation wasn't a disease.”
Nathan frowned.
“Then what was it?”
“An advantage.”
THE SECRET OF THE BLOODLINE
Michael had discovered that certain members of the family possessed a rare genetic variation.
It made them unusually resistant to several hereditary conditions.
But there was something else.
The mutation appeared only when two specific genetic lines combined.
Michael had one.
Nathan's family had the other.
Together—
they produced something unique.
Nathan stared at his mother.
“So Edward wanted children with that genetic combination.”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Because he believed the person who inherited it could survive a disease that had killed generations of the Cole family.”
Nathan remembered his father's obsession with longevity.
His father's endless medical examinations.
His private doctors.
His fear of illness.
Everything suddenly made sense.
“He wanted a cure.”
His mother nodded.
“He wanted immortality.”
Nathan laughed bitterly.
“My father destroyed people's lives for a medical experiment.”
“He believed the family empire was worth any sacrifice.”
Nathan looked toward Daniel.
“And Adrian?”
“Adrian was the result.”
Nathan's face hardened.
“Grace didn't know.”
“No.”
“Did Edward?”
“Yes.”
“And Lily?”
“Lily was conceived naturally.”
Nathan closed his eyes.
That explained everything.
Adrian had been conceived using genetic material from Michael.
Lily was Nathan's biological daughter.
Grace had given birth to both.
One child belonged to Nathan.
The other carried Michael's blood.
And Edward had separated them because Adrian was genetically valuable.
But there was still one question.
“Where was Adrian taken?”
His mother looked away.
“Richard.”
Nathan's expression hardened.
“Richard took him?”
“Yes.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
“You do.”
“I know where he was supposed to go.”
“Where?”
“The Cole Foundation.”
Nathan stood.
“Then that's where we're going.”
His mother grabbed his hand.
“Wait.”
Nathan looked at her.
“There is something you don't understand.”
“What?”
“Richard isn't the one running the foundation.”
Nathan froze.
Victoria had said the same thing.
“Then who?”
His mother whispered:
“Your father.”
Nathan stared.
“Edward is dead.”
“Yes.”
“But his accounts are active.”
“Yes.”
“His identity is being used.”
“Yes.”
Nathan's expression changed.
“By whom?”
His mother looked toward Daniel.
The boy's face had gone pale.
She whispered:
“Daniel.”
Nathan stared.
“What?”
“Edward trained him.”
“For what?”
“To become the next Edward Cole.”
Nathan looked at the boy.
Daniel stood silently.
Then he spoke.
“I know.”
Nathan's heart dropped.
“You know what?”
The boy's voice was calm.
“My grandfather is alive.”
Everyone froze.
Nathan stared at him.
“Your grandfather?”
Daniel nodded.
“Edward.”
Nathan shook his head.
“He died five years ago.”
Daniel looked at him.
“No.”
“I was at his funeral.”
“It wasn't him.”
Nathan's blood ran cold.
Daniel continued:
“The man they buried wasn't my grandfather.”
THE EMPTY GRAVE
Nathan returned to the cemetery that night.
He stood before Edward's grave.
Daniel's words echoed in his mind.
It wasn't him.
Nathan called Daniel.
“Get the burial records.”
“I already did.”
“And?”
“The body was identified through dental records.”
“Whose?”
“Edward Cole's.”
Nathan frowned.
“Then it's him.”
“Not necessarily.”
“What do you mean?”
“The dental records were altered.”
Nathan's heart sank.
“Can you prove it?”
“Yes.”
Daniel sent him a photograph.
A medical chart.
The dental record showed a procedure Edward had supposedly undergone two years before his death.
But Nathan remembered something.
His father had never had that procedure.
Nathan stared.
“Someone created a false body.”
“Yes.”
Nathan looked at the grave.
“Then who died?”
“We don't know.”
Nathan clenched his fist.
“If Edward is alive…”
Daniel's voice became quiet.
“Then he's probably the one controlling the foundation.”
Nathan looked toward the darkness.
“And the missing seventy-three million.”
“Yes.”
“And the third child.”
Daniel hesitated.
“Probably.”
Nathan's eyes hardened.
“Then we find him.”
THE FOUNDATION
The Cole Foundation stood in downtown Mexico City.
Officially, it funded children's hospitals and educational programs.
Privately, it controlled millions in medical research.
Nathan entered through the front doors with Daniel and Victoria behind him.
The receptionist immediately stood.
“Mr. Cole.”
“Where is the director?”
“He isn't available.”
“Call him.”
“I can't.”
Nathan placed his hand on the desk.
“Then tell him Nathan Cole is here.”
The receptionist's face changed.
She picked up the phone.
After several seconds, she hung up.
“He says you're not authorized to enter the private archives.”
Nathan smiled coldly.
“I own this foundation.”
“Not according to the documents.”
Nathan froze.
“What documents?”
The receptionist slid a folder across the desk.
Nathan opened it.
The foundation's controlling authority had been transferred.
The new owner was listed as:
EDWARD MICHAEL COLE.
Nathan stared.
His father.
Alive.
Or someone using his identity.
Then a voice came through the speakers.
“Hello, Nathan.”
Nathan looked up.
The entire lobby fell silent.
He knew that voice.
He had heard it throughout his childhood.
His father's voice.
Calm.
Controlled.
Cold.
“Dad?”
The speakers crackled.
“You've caused quite a disturbance.”
Nathan stepped toward the security desk.
“Where are you?”
A pause.
“Somewhere you've never looked.”
“Show yourself.”
“Not yet.”
Nathan's fists tightened.
“Where are my children?”
Another pause.
“Lily is safe.”
“And Adrian?”
“He is where he belongs.”
Nathan's voice shook with anger.
“You stole him.”
“I protected him.”
“You destroyed Grace's life.”
“I protected the family.”
“You stole seventy-three million dollars.”
“I invested it.”
“You murdered my mother.”
Silence.
Then the voice changed.
“You should be careful what you accuse me of.”
Nathan's eyes narrowed.
“So you admit you're alive.”
A faint laugh came through the speakers.
“No, Nathan.”
The screen behind the reception desk suddenly turned on.
A live video appeared.
An elderly man sat in a dark room.
Nathan's breath caught.
It was Edward.
Older.
Thinner.
But unmistakable.
His father looked directly into the camera.
“I'm not alive.”
Nathan stared.
“Then what are you?”
Edward smiled.
“The man you buried was.”
The screen went black.
Nathan stood frozen.
Then Victoria screamed.
“Look!”
A second screen turned on.
A live image of Grace appeared.
She was inside a room.
Lily was beside her.
And behind them—
Adrian.
The twins were together for the first time in years.
Grace looked directly at the camera.
Her lips moved.
Nathan could barely hear her.
“Don't trust anyone.”
Then the image changed.
A third child appeared.
A little boy.
Standing beside an older man.
Nathan stared.
His mother's words echoed:
The third child survived.
The boy looked directly into the camera.
And Nathan recognized him.
The same birthmark.
The same eyes.
The same face from the photograph.
The third child wasn't a stranger.
He was family.
And the older man beside him slowly stepped into the light.
Nathan's blood turned to ice.
Because the man standing beside the boy was not Edward.
It was Richard.
And Richard was holding a gun.
The screen went black.
Victoria whispered:
“Oh God.”
Nathan looked at Daniel.
“Call the police.”
Daniel reached for his phone.
Nathan stopped him.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because if Richard is willing to show us the children…”
Nathan stared at the dark screen.
“…then he wants us to come.”
He turned toward the exit.
“We're going.”
Victoria grabbed his arm.
“Nathan, it's a trap.”
“I know.”
“Then why walk into it?”
Nathan looked at her.
“Because for five years, they decided where my family would live.”
His voice became cold.
“Tonight, I decide where this ends.”
And somewhere in the darkness, Richard watched the security monitors.
Beside him stood the third child.
Richard smiled.
“Your brother is coming.”
The boy looked up.
“Will he save us?”
Richard looked toward the screen.
“No.”
A pause.
“He'll have to choose which one of you survives.”
The boy's innocent face went pale.
May you like
And Richard smiled.
Because the final game had begun.
