CHAPTER 6 — THE DEAD MAN'S DAUGHTER
CHAPTER 6 — THE DEAD MAN'S DAUGHTER
Claire stared at the silver bird pendant lying on the floor.
Her breathing became shallow.
Her fingers trembled.
"No."
Nathan watched her with an almost satisfied expression.
"Yes."
Dominic kept his gun trained on him.
"Put the weapon down."
Nathan ignored him.
He was looking only at Claire.
"You've spent your entire life believing the wrong story."
Claire shook her head.
"I remember Clara."
"You remember what I wanted you to remember."
"I remember my sister."
Nathan's smile disappeared.
"You never had a sister."
Claire's eyes widened.
"What?"
"You had a reflection."
Dominic frowned.
"What does that mean?"
Nathan finally looked at him.
"It means Elena never had twins."
Silence.
Claire stared at him.
"You said—"
"I lied."
Dominic's expression hardened.
"You've been lying for seventeen years."
Nathan shrugged.
"I've had practice."
Claire stepped forward.
"Then who was Clara?"
Nathan's face became cold.
"You."
"No."
"You were born Isabella Vale."
Claire shook her head.
"Then why did Elena call me Clara?"
"Because Clara was the name she wanted to give you."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Nathan smiled.
"Because she knew Isabella was already a dead name."
Claire's expression changed.
"What did you do?"
Nathan didn't answer.
Dominic stepped closer.
"What did you do to Elena?"
Nathan looked at him.
"I killed the woman who knew too much."
"You killed her."
"Yes."
"And the baby?"
Nathan looked at Claire.
"I couldn't kill her."
"Why?"
"Because someone else got to her first."
Claire's face went white.
"Who?"
Nathan smiled.
"Your father."
The word hung in the room.
Father.
Claire barely breathed.
"Vincent?"
Nathan nodded.
"Vincent Marlowe."
Dominic's expression hardened.
"Why would Vincent save her?"
"Because Isabella wasn't just Elena's daughter."
Nathan looked at Dominic.
"She was the key to something far more valuable."
"What's that?"
"The original Vale trust."
Dominic froze.
The trust.
The hidden fortune Adrian Vale had established before his death.
Everyone believed Dominic had inherited control because he was Adrian's only surviving child.
But if another heir existed—
the entire succession could be challenged.
Claire looked confused.
"What does the trust have to do with me?"
Nathan laughed.
"Everything."
Dominic lowered his gun slightly.
"Explain."
Nathan slowly walked toward the window.
"The original Vale trust was created before you were born."
"I know."
"No. You know the version your lawyers gave you."
Nathan turned.
"Your father didn't leave the empire to you."
Dominic stared.
"Then who?"
"His bloodline."
Nathan pointed toward Claire.
"Specifically, the first surviving child of Adrian Vale."
Claire's lips parted.
"But I'm not Adrian's daughter."
Nathan smiled.
"That's what Vincent wanted everyone to believe."
Dominic stepped forward.
"Stop playing games."
"I'm not."
Nathan's voice became quiet.
"Your mother was not Elena Marlowe."
Claire froze.
Dominic looked at her.
Nathan continued.
"Elena raised you."
"Then who gave birth to me?"
Nathan stared at Claire.
"Her name was Sophia Vale."
Claire's face went blank.
"Who is Sophia?"
"Adrian's first wife."
Dominic's eyes widened.
"My father's first wife died before I was born."
Nathan laughed.
"That's what everyone was told."
Claire stepped backward.
"You're saying my mother was alive?"
"She was."
"Where is she?"
Nathan's expression changed.
"Dead."
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"When?"
"Seventeen years ago."
"Who killed her?"
Nathan didn't answer.
Dominic understood.
"You."
Nathan shook his head.
"No."
He looked at Claire.
"Vincent."
The room became unbearably quiet.
Dominic finally understood why Nathan had spent years controlling the story.
He hadn't merely wanted money.
He had wanted control over the identity of the Vale heir.
"Why did Vincent kill Sophia?"
Nathan answered:
"Because Sophia knew the truth about Adrian."
"What truth?"
Nathan smiled.
"Adrian wasn't the man you thought he was."
Dominic's jaw tightened.
"Don't."
"Your father built the empire, yes."
Nathan paused.
"But he also tried to destroy it."
Dominic stared at him.
"Why?"
"Because he discovered what Vincent and I were doing."
"You were partners."
"At first."
"And then?"
Nathan's eyes darkened.
"Adrian decided to expose us."
Claire whispered:
"And my mother?"
"She helped him."
"Then why was she killed?"
"Because she had the trust documents."
Dominic's eyes moved toward Claire.
"The original trust."
Nathan nodded.
"She hid them before she died."
"Where?"
Nathan smiled.
"That's what everyone has been searching for."
Claire suddenly understood.
"The cellar."
"Partly."
"The hidden room?"
"Partly."
"The documents we found?"
"Decoys."
Dominic's expression hardened.
"You planted them."
"Some."
Nathan laughed.
"Enough to make you believe you were close."
Dominic's phone suddenly vibrated.
Marcus.
He answered.
"Yes?"
"Boss, we have a problem."
"What?"
"The estate cameras are down."
Dominic looked toward Nathan.
Nathan smiled.
"He's here."
"Who?"
"Vincent."
Dominic immediately turned toward the door.
"How many men?"
"At least eight."
Dominic looked at Claire.
"Stay behind me."
Claire shook her head.
"No."
"Claire."
"I know where they'll go."
"Where?"
"The trust."
Dominic stared.
"You know where it is?"
"I think so."
Nathan laughed.
"You finally remembered."
Claire turned toward him.
"Remembered what?"
Nathan said nothing.
A gunshot sounded somewhere upstairs.
Harper screamed.
Dominic's face changed instantly.
He ran.
Harper was standing in the hallway.
Mia was behind her.
Two guards were down.
A masked man stood at the end of the corridor.
Dominic raised his gun.
"Drop it."
The man fired.
Dominic pulled Harper behind the marble column.
Mia screamed.
"Harper!"
Dominic fired back.
The masked man disappeared through the eastern corridor.
Marcus rushed in.
"Boss!"
"Get Mia and Harper out."
"What about you?"
"Go."
Marcus grabbed Harper.
Mia followed.
Dominic turned toward Claire.
She was standing at the end of the hall.
Her face was pale.
"Where are they going?"
"To the cellar."
Dominic nodded.
"Then that's where we go."
The cellar was filled with smoke.
Several wine racks had been overturned.
The hidden passage stood open.
Claire entered first.
Dominic followed.
Nathan came behind them.
"Where are you going?" Dominic asked.
Nathan smiled.
"To watch the end."
They reached the underground chamber.
But the steel door was open.
Inside stood a man in a dark coat.
Older.
Gray-haired.
His face was scarred.
Claire stopped breathing.
"Father."
The man turned.
Vincent Marlowe.
Alive.
He looked at her for several seconds.
Then smiled.
"Isabella."
Claire's eyes filled with tears.
"You knew."
"Of course."
"You let me believe I was Clara."
"I kept you alive."
"You abandoned me."
"I protected you."
Claire's voice broke.
"From what?"
Vincent looked at Dominic.
"From him."
Dominic raised his gun.
"Don't blame me for your crimes."
Vincent laughed.
"You still don't understand."
He reached into his coat.
Dominic aimed his weapon.
But Vincent pulled out a photograph.
He threw it onto the table.
It showed Adrian Vale.
Sophia.
Elena.
And a newborn baby.
On the back was written:
ISABELLA — THE LAST VALE.
Claire stared.
"That's me."
Vincent nodded.
"Yes."
"But you said Elena was my mother."
"Elena was your guardian."
"Why?"
"Because Sophia died."
"Who killed her?"
Vincent looked at Nathan.
"Nathan."
Nathan laughed.
"Finally."
Dominic turned.
"You killed Sophia?"
Nathan shrugged.
"She was going to expose me."
"Why blame Vincent?"
"Because everyone already hated him."
Vincent's eyes darkened.
"You destroyed my family."
"You destroyed yours first."
Dominic stepped between them.
"Enough."
He looked at Vincent.
"What do you want?"
Vincent pointed at Claire.
"Her."
Dominic's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
"Because she controls the trust."
Claire froze.
"I don't control anything."
Vincent smiled.
"You do."
He pulled out a small key.
"The trust responds to your blood."
Dominic looked at Claire.
"How?"
Vincent said:
"Adrian designed it that way."
Claire stared at the key.
"And if I refuse?"
Vincent smiled.
"Then everyone you love dies."
The lights suddenly went out.
Darkness swallowed the room.
Gunfire erupted.
Dominic grabbed Claire.
They dropped behind a stone table.
Nathan disappeared.
Vincent shouted orders.
Men moved through the darkness.
Dominic whispered:
"Can you see?"
"No."
"Stay close."
Claire reached for his hand.
"I remember something."
"What?"
"The trust."
"What about it?"
"It isn't here."
Dominic stared.
"Then where?"
Claire closed her eyes.
A memory returned.
A child's bedroom.
A wooden music box.
A woman kneeling beside her.
Sophia.
Her mother.
And a sentence:
"When the house becomes dangerous, find the song."
Claire opened her eyes.
"The music box."
Dominic frowned.
"What music box?"
"The one in my childhood room."
"Where?"
"Vermont."
Dominic understood.
The old house.
The two beds.
The hidden compartment.
The letter.
The photograph.
They had missed something.
Dominic pulled Claire through the darkness.
They escaped through a service tunnel.
Behind them, gunfire continued.
When they emerged outside, Marcus was waiting.
"Boss!"
"Get the car."
Marcus looked at Claire.
"What happened?"
Dominic answered:
"Everything we knew was a lie."
Two hours later, they reached the Vermont house.
The moon hung over the ruined property.
Claire entered the old bedroom.
She walked toward the wall.
Then stopped.
"I remember."
Dominic stood behind her.
"What?"
She pointed at the floor.
"There."
They moved the bed.
Underneath was an old wooden music box.
Claire picked it up.
Her hands shook.
She opened the lid.
A melody began playing.
Three notes.
Then four.
A hidden compartment opened beneath the mechanism.
Inside was a small black key.
And a folded piece of paper.
Claire opened it.
Her mother's handwriting.
My daughter,
If you are reading this, Nathan has failed to erase you.
But there is something you must know.
Your father Adrian did not die because Nathan betrayed him.
Claire stopped.
Dominic leaned closer.
The next sentence was underlined.
Adrian died because he asked me to betray him.
Dominic stared.
"What does that mean?"
Claire continued reading.
He wanted the empire destroyed.
He wanted the Vale name to disappear.
And he chose you to finish what he began.
Claire looked up.
"Me?"
Dominic's expression hardened.
The final line was written in darker ink.
You are not the heir to the Vale empire.
You are its executioner.
Claire dropped the letter.
Neither spoke.
Then Dominic heard footsteps outside.
Marcus appeared in the doorway.
"Boss."
"What?"
"We have company."
"Vincent?"
Marcus shook his head.
"Nathan."
Dominic reached for his weapon.
"How many?"
Marcus looked through the window.
"One."
Dominic frowned.
"Only one?"
Marcus nodded.
"He's standing in the road."
Dominic looked outside.
Nathan stood beneath the moonlight.
He wasn't holding a weapon.
He was holding a photograph.
And he was smiling.
Claire stepped beside Dominic.
Nathan lifted the photograph so they could see it.
It showed a young Adrian Vale holding a newborn baby.
But there was another person in the photograph.
A woman standing behind him.
Dominic recognized her immediately.
His mother.
Alive.
And beneath the photograph was a date.
Three days before Adrian's death.
Nathan mouthed four words through the glass:
"She knows everything."
Then he turned and disappeared into the darkness.
Dominic looked at Claire.
The woman she believed was dead was alive.
The father she believed had abandoned her had left a final mission.
And the man she believed was her enemy might still be the only person who knew the whole truth.
Claire whispered:
"Who is my mother really?"
Dominic looked at the photograph.
For the first time, he had no answer.
May you like
But somewhere in the darkness, another secret was waiting.
And this one would change everything.
