Chapter 12 - Two Daughters
Sophie looked like me.
Not exactly.
Enough.
The same eyes.
Same chin.
Same way of holding anger behind complete stillness.
My father whispered her name.
“Sophie.”
She barely looked at him.
“Victor.”
Not Dad.
Not Uncle.
Victor.
She crossed the room and handed the black case directly to me.
“Do not open it.”
“What’s inside?”
“Part of Orion.”
Mara stepped forward.
“Where is Isabella?”
Sophie’s expression changed.
“Alive.”
“Where?”
“I can’t tell you yet.”
My patience disappeared.
“You walk out of a tunnel after fifteen years and expect me to accept that?”
“No.”
She looked at me.
“I expect you to hate me.”
“I don’t know you well enough.”
Pain crossed her face.
Good.
At least one of us could still be hurt.
“You knew about me,” I said.
“Yes.”
“For fifteen years?”
“Yes.”
“You knew Mom was alive?”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Almost all of it.”
I stepped closer.
“You let me bury her.”
“Elena—”
“You let me stand beside an empty coffin.”
Sophie’s eyes filled.
“I was thirteen.”
“You are not thirteen now.”
“No.”
“Then where were you?”
“Keeping her alive.”
That stopped me.
Sophie pointed toward the case.
“Everyone thinks Orion gives power to the person who controls it.”
“It doesn’t?”
“It gives power to the person willing to destroy it.”
Mara asked, “Explain.”
“Thousands of people believe Crosswell has evidence that can ruin them.”
“Does it?”
“Yes.”
“Then how is destruction useful?”
“Because some files are evidence of crimes.”
She looked at Claire.
“And some are fabricated.”
Claire frowned.
“What?”
“Augustus did not merely document corruption.”
Sophie’s voice hardened.
“He manufactured it.”
Fake photographs.
Edited recordings.
Forged bank trails.
Real crimes mixed with false ones so completely that no target could prove which evidence was authentic.
Orion was not just a blackmail archive.
It was a machine for manufacturing guilt.
“And Evelyn?” I asked.
Sophie looked toward the tunnel.
“She wants to release everything.”
Mara said, “Publicly?”
“Yes.”
“That could expose legitimate crimes.”
“And destroy innocent people.”
Sophie nodded.
“Exactly.”
I looked at the black case.
“What does Celeste want?”
“To keep Orion private.”
“For control.”
“Yes.”
“And Mom?”
“To destroy it.”
I turned toward Dad.
“And you?”
Victor stared at the case.
“I want Isabella back.”
Sophie finally looked at him fully.
“That is why Mom never trusted you with this.”
He flinched.
“You think loving her was weakness?”
“I think you would burn the world to save one person.”
“And you wouldn’t?”
Sophie said nothing.
That answer frightened me.
My phone vibrated.
One video file.
No sender.
I opened it.
Mom.
Older.
Thin.
Gray streaks in her hair.
Alive.
She was sitting in a chair.
A newspaper lay beside her.
Today’s date.
My legs almost failed.
“Mom.”
She looked directly into the camera.
“Elena.”
My father grabbed the table.
Sophie whispered, “No.”
Mom continued.
“If you are seeing this, Celeste has me.”
Claire closed her eyes.
My mother looked tired.
But strong.
“Do not trade Orion for me.”
I moved closer to the screen.
“Elena, listen carefully.”
A sound came from off camera.
Mom glanced toward it.
“Your father will tell you family comes first.”
Victor looked shattered.
“Evelyn will tell you truth comes first.”
Sophie stared at the screen.
“Celeste will tell you survival comes first.”
Mom leaned toward the camera.
“They are all wrong.”
A pause.
“What matters is choice.”
Then someone entered the frame.
Celeste Cross.
She placed one hand on my mother’s shoulder.
“Beautiful, isn’t she?”
My father stepped toward the screen as if he could reach through it.
Celeste smiled.
“Midnight tomorrow.”
An address appeared.
Crosswell Tower.
Top floor.
“Bring Orion.”
The screen went black.
Mara looked at Sophie.
“We set a trap.”
Sophie shook her head.
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Celeste is not the one you should be afraid of tomorrow.”
“Evelyn?”
Sophie stared at me.
“No.”
She looked toward Marcus.
“Someone else has been feeding Evelyn every move you make.”
Marcus’s face hardened.
“Who?”
Sophie’s answer was quiet.
“Victor.”
May you like
Everyone turned toward my father.
And this time he did not deny it.
