Chapter 12 — Everyone Turns on Everyone

By sunrise, nobody trusted anybody.

Not me.

Not Daniel.

Not Victoria.

Not my mother.

Not even the people who had spent the night protecting us.

The only person I trusted completely was the little girl sleeping against my chest.

And even that trust had become complicated by the message my mother had sent.

DON'T TRUST YOUR BABY'S BLOOD.

I read it again.

Then again.

Daniel stood beside me.

"What does it mean?"

"I don't know."

"Maybe she's warning us."

"Or maybe she's trying to frighten me."

Marcus entered the room.

"We have a problem."

I looked up.

"What now?"

He placed a folder on the table.

"Three problems."

He opened it.

"The police have lost contact with your father."

My heart tightened.

"Again?"

"Yes."

"Where was he?"

"Private medical facility."

"How did they lose him?"

"The security system was remotely disabled."

"By Alexander?"

Marcus shook his head.

"We don't know."

He opened the second file.

"Victoria disappeared."

Daniel frowned.

"When?"

"An hour ago."

"And the third?"

Marcus looked at me.

"The trust has started transferring assets."

I froze.

"To whom?"

He turned the laptop around.

My name appeared.

Then Daniel's.

Then another name.

I stared.

ISABELLA ROSSI.

"She's alive."

Marcus nodded.

"Apparently."

"How much was transferred?"

"Two hundred million."

My stomach dropped.

"To Isabella?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"We don't know."

Daniel looked at the screen.

"Maybe she took it."

"Or maybe someone wants us to believe she did."

I looked at Marcus.

"Who?"

He didn't answer.

That was the problem.

Everyone had a motive.

Everyone had secrets.

And every new piece of evidence could be another lie.

My mother arrived two hours later.

She walked into the room alone.

No security.

No lawyer.

No explanation.

I stood immediately.

"Where were you?"

She looked exhausted.

"Trying to find your father."

"Did you?"

"No."

"Did you send me that message?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

She looked at my daughter.

"Because I finally learned what they did."

"What?"

"Your baby's blood isn't natural."

Daniel stepped forward.

"What does that mean?"

My mother looked at him.

"Her genetic sequence was activated before she was born."

I frowned.

"How?"

"Through you."

"Me?"

She nodded.

"During your pregnancy, someone altered your medication."

I felt sick.

"What medication?"

"Prenatal supplements."

Daniel's face hardened.

"Who had access?"

My mother answered:

"Victoria."

I stared.

"Victoria?"

"She replaced your supplements."

"Why?"

"To activate the sequence."

I looked at my daughter.

"Then the baby..."

"Wasn't born with it."

My mother lowered her voice.

"It was triggered."

Silence.

Marcus looked at her.

"Do you have proof?"

She reached into her bag.

"Yes."

She placed a laboratory report on the table.

The document showed a chemical compound.

I recognized the name.

It was the same compound found in the medical facility beneath St. Agnes.

I looked at Daniel.

"So they experimented on me."

"Yes."

"While I was pregnant."

"Yes."

I felt my hands tremble.

"Why didn't you stop them?"

My mother began crying.

"I tried."

"Not hard enough."

She looked down.

"You're right."

Then the door opened.

Victoria walked in.

Everyone turned.

She looked different.

No emerald dress.

No makeup.

No confidence.

Her face was bruised.

There was blood on her sleeve.

Daniel immediately moved between her and me.

"Where have you been?"

She looked at him.

"Running."

"From whom?"

"Everyone."

Marcus raised his weapon.

"Hands where I can see them."

Victoria obeyed.

"I didn't hurt anyone."

"Where is Isabella?"

Victoria's eyes filled with tears.

"I don't know."

"You were with her."

"Yes."

"When?"

"After the explosion."

"What happened?"

Victoria swallowed.

"She saved me."

I stared.

"She saved you?"

"She went back inside."

"Why?"

"To find Alexander."

"And?"

"They fought."

"Who won?"

Victoria looked at me.

"Neither."

"What does that mean?"

"Alexander escaped."

"And Isabella?"

"She disappeared."

My mother whispered:

"She didn't disappear."

Everyone looked at her.

"What?"

My mother stepped forward.

"Isabella has been preparing for this moment her entire life."

Victoria stared.

"You knew."

"Yes."

"Then why didn't you stop her?"

"Because I couldn't."

"Why?"

My mother looked at me.

"Because Isabella isn't working for Alexander."

I froze.

"Then who is she working for?"

My mother whispered:

"Herself."

Marcus suddenly received an alert.

He checked his phone.

"Someone accessed the trust."

"Who?"

"Isabella."

The laptop updated.

Another transfer appeared.

$500 MILLION — RECIPIENT: EMILY HALE.

I stared.

"Why would she transfer money to me?"

A message appeared beneath it.

FOR WHAT THEY STOLE FROM YOU.

Then another:

THE NEXT TRANSFER WILL BE FOR YOUR FATHER.

Daniel frowned.

"She's trying to help."

Victoria shook her head.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Isabella doesn't give anything away."

"What does she want?"

Victoria looked at me.

"Your cooperation."

"For what?"

Victoria hesitated.

"To destroy the trust."

I stared.

"The trust is worth billions."

"Exactly."

My mother spoke quietly.

"Isabella believes the trust is the source of every tragedy."

"And she wants to destroy it."

"Yes."

I thought about Eleanor.

The family.

The murders.

The abductions.

The genetic experiments.

Maybe Isabella was right.

Maybe the money itself was the poison.

But then Marcus interrupted.

"There's another problem."

"What?"

He showed me a list.

Names.

One after another.

People who had received money from the trust over the previous twenty years.

Politicians.

Doctors.

Lawyers.

Business owners.

Police officials.

And one name I recognized.

My mother's.

I stared.

"She received money."

My mother closed her eyes.

"Yes."

"How much?"

"Enough."

"How much?"

She whispered:

"Four million."

I felt betrayed.

"You took their money."

"I had no choice."

"Everyone says that."

She looked at me.

"I used it to protect you."

"How?"

"I paid people to hide your records."

I stared.

"So you were working with them."

"No."

"You took their money."

"Yes."

"That's working with them."

She began crying.

"I did what I had to do."

I turned away.

"I don't know who you are anymore."

Daniel suddenly stood.

"Enough."

Everyone looked at him.

He placed his phone on the table.

"I found something."

"What?"

"The original trust ledger."

Marcus stepped closer.

"Where?"

"Inside my father's old safe."

"How did you get it?"

"My brother."

I froze.

"Your brother?"

Daniel nodded.

"He contacted me."

"He's alive?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Last night."

"Where is he?"

"I don't know."

He opened the ledger.

The pages were filled with names.

Dates.

Payments.

Genetic records.

Then one page stopped me.

PROJECT DAUGHTER — SUBJECT E.H.

My name.

Underneath:

SUBJECT STATUS: SUCCESSFUL.

Then another line.

SECOND SUBJECT: I.R.

Isabella Rossi.

STATUS: FAILED.

I looked at my mother.

"She was an experiment."

My mother nodded.

"And I was too."

"Yes."

"And my daughter?"

She hesitated.

"She's the first successful result."

My stomach turned.

"Successful for what?"

Nobody answered.

Then Daniel turned another page.

There was a diagram.

Three generations.

Eleanor.

Me.

My daughter.

At the bottom:

FINAL SUBJECT: UNKNOWN.

I stared.

"What does that mean?"

Daniel whispered:

"They don't know what your daughter will become."

A gunshot came from outside.

Everyone ducked.

The window shattered.

Marcus pulled me behind the wall.

Victoria grabbed my daughter.

I screamed.

"Give her to me!"

Victoria immediately handed her back.

"I was protecting her."

Another shot.

Then silence.

Marcus looked outside.

"No shooter."

"Then where did it come from?"

He found a bullet on the floor.

There was a tiny message wrapped around it.

He opened it.

His face changed.

"What?"

He handed it to me.

ONE OF YOU IS WORKING FOR ALEXANDER.

I looked around the room.

My mother.

Victoria.

Marcus.

Daniel.

Everyone stared at everyone else.

Nobody moved.

Then Daniel slowly stepped away from me.

"Emily..."

"What?"

"I need to tell you something."

My heart tightened.

"What?"

"I met Alexander before the wedding."

Silence.

I stared at him.

"You knew him?"

"Yes."

"When?"

"Six months before we met."

"Why?"

"He approached me."

"What did he want?"

"To make a deal."

"What deal?"

Daniel swallowed.

"He offered me money."

"For what?"

"To marry you."

I felt as though someone had struck me.

"How much?"

"Ten million."

"And you accepted?"

"No."

"Did you?"

"No."

"Then why didn't you tell me?"

"Because I was ashamed."

I stepped backward.

"How long have you been hiding this?"

"Years."

"You let me believe our marriage was real from the beginning."

"It became real."

"When?"

"The moment I fell in love with you."

I looked at him.

"I don't know if I believe you."

He nodded.

"I understand."

Then he took something from his pocket.

A small recording device.

"I kept this."

He pressed play.

Alexander's voice filled the room.

"You marry Emily."

Daniel's younger voice answered:

"And if I refuse?"

"Then your father dies."

I froze.

Alexander continued:

"Once the child is born, you bring her to us."

Daniel's voice:

"What if I love her?"

Alexander laughed.

"Then you'll learn that love is another word for weakness."

The recording stopped.

I stared at Daniel.

"You were threatened."

"Yes."

"And you still married me."

"Yes."

"Why?"

He looked directly at me.

"Because I knew I could protect you better from inside the family than from outside."

My eyes filled with tears.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because every person I told became a target."

I looked at Marcus.

He was silent.

Victoria lowered her eyes.

My mother began crying.

For a moment, everything became painfully clear.

Everyone had lied.

But not every lie had come from the same place.

Some were built from greed.

Some from fear.

Some from love.

And some from the desperate belief that deception could save someone.

Then the front door opened.

A young man walked inside.

Daniel turned white.

"David."

The man smiled.

His brother.

Alive.

He looked at me.

"Hello, Emily."

I stared.

"Where have you been?"

"Watching."

"Watching what?"

"All of you."

He stepped closer.

"Watching Alexander manipulate you."

"Are you working for him?"

"No."

"Then who?"

David looked at my daughter.

"Her."

I frowned.

"What?"

He smiled.

"Your daughter."

My mother shook her head.

"That's impossible."

David laughed.

"Not if you know what she is."

Daniel stepped between us.

"Stay away from my wife and daughter."

David looked at him.

"You still don't understand."

"Understand what?"

David pointed at my daughter.

"She's not the final subject."

He looked at me.

"She's the beginning."

Silence.

Then he handed me a sealed envelope.

"This came from Eleanor."

My hands trembled.

"Eleanor is dead."

"I know."

"Then how?"

"She prepared it before she died."

I opened the envelope.

Inside was a letter.

Only one paragraph.

Emily,

If you are reading this, then my bloodline has survived long enough for the final child to be born. Do not trust anyone who tells you the child belongs to the trust. She belongs to herself. The trust was never created to control her. It was created to protect her from the people who would.

I looked up.

There was one final sentence.

And the greatest danger is not the man hunting your child.

I turned the page.

The final words were written in red.

It is the woman who has been protecting her.

I looked at my mother.

She stopped breathing.

Then my daughter began crying.

My mother whispered:

"No."

The lights went out.