CHAPTER 10 — THE BOY WHO REMEMBERED EVERYTHING
Vincent stared at Sofia's name glowing on his phone.
For several seconds, he couldn't speak.
Snow fell silently around him.
His father's blood stained the white ground.
The old mausoleum stood open behind him.
And Daniel was gone.
Bellamy had taken him.
Again.
But Sofia's last words were still echoing inside Vincent's head.
Daniel isn't your son.
Vincent swallowed.
“Say that again.”
Sofia's breathing was uneven.
“Daniel is my son.”
Vincent looked toward the cemetery.
“Then who is his father?”
Silence.
“Sofia.”
“I don't know.”
Vincent's eyes hardened.
“You don't know?”
“I was told he was yours.”
“Who told you?”
“Your father.”
Vincent stared at the blood on his hands.
“My father lied.”
“Yes.”
“About Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“About Emily.”
“Yes.”
“About everything.”
Sofia's voice cracked.
“Not everything.”
Vincent looked up.
“What did he tell the truth about?”
“That Daniel remembers.”
Vincent froze.
“What does he remember?”
“Everything.”
Inside the mausoleum, Vincent's father lay against the stone wall.
Michael was kneeling beside him, pressing a cloth against the wound.
The old woman stood nearby.
Vincent looked at her.
“You're my grandmother?”
She nodded.
“Your name.”
“Margaret Moretti.”
Vincent stared.
He had never heard the name.
Not once.
“How?”
Margaret gave him a tired smile.
“Because your family spent generations pretending I didn't exist.”
Vincent looked toward his father.
“Is he alive?”
Michael nodded.
“For now.”
Vincent crouched beside him.
His father's eyes opened.
For a moment, neither spoke.
Then the old man whispered:
“Vincent.”
Vincent's throat tightened.
“Dad.”
The word felt foreign.
His father looked at him.
“You shouldn't have come.”
“I had to.”
“You don't understand.”
“I understand enough.”
His father shook his head.
“No.”
He coughed.
“You understand what they wanted you to understand.”
Vincent stared at him.
“Then tell me the truth.”
His father looked toward Margaret.
She nodded.
“Tell him.”
The old man closed his eyes.
“Your mother…”
Vincent waited.
“She didn't betray us.”
Vincent's expression changed.
“What?”
“She tried to stop me.”
“From what?”
“From becoming what my father wanted.”
Vincent frowned.
“Grandfather?”
“Yes.”
“What did he want?”
His father looked directly into Vincent's eyes.
“An empire that could survive its owners.”
Vincent didn't understand.
His father continued.
“He believed money was temporary.”
“People were temporary.”
“Governments were temporary.”
“But bloodlines…”
He paused.
“Bloodlines could last forever.”
Vincent looked toward Margaret.
She said nothing.
His father continued.
“The Moretti Trust was created to preserve power through descendants.”
“Not one heir.”
“Many.”
“Hidden heirs.”
“Protected heirs.”
“Children raised outside the family.”
Vincent's eyes narrowed.
“The eleven.”
“Yes.”
“Why eleven?”
His father looked toward the ceiling.
“Because your grandfather had eleven surviving bloodlines.”
Vincent's face went pale.
“And the other children?”
“Some were his.”
“Some were mine.”
“Some belonged to Michael.”
Vincent stared.
“Michael?”
Michael lowered his eyes.
His father continued:
“And one belonged to Sofia.”
Vincent's heart stopped.
“Daniel.”
“Yes.”
Vincent looked at Michael.
“Then why did I believe Daniel was mine?”
“Because we needed you to believe it.”
Vincent stood.
“Why?”
His father whispered:
“Because Daniel was the witness.”
The abandoned warehouse smelled of gasoline and wet concrete.
Daniel sat in a chair.
His hands were tied.
Charles Bellamy stood across from him.
A camera recorded everything.
Bellamy placed a glass of water on the table.
“You must be thirsty.”
Daniel didn't answer.
Bellamy smiled.
“You're not afraid.”
“Yes, I am.”
“Good.”
Daniel looked at him.
“But I'm not afraid of you.”
Bellamy raised an eyebrow.
“Who are you afraid of?”
“My mother.”
Bellamy laughed.
“Why?”
“Because she told me never to trust men who smile when children are scared.”
Bellamy's smile disappeared.
Daniel looked around.
“Where is my sister?”
Bellamy didn't answer.
“Where is Emily?”
“She is safe.”
“Liar.”
Bellamy walked closer.
“You know something, Daniel.”
“What?”
“You're smarter than your mother realized.”
Daniel stared at him.
“I remember.”
Bellamy stopped.
“What?”
“I remember everything.”
Bellamy's face changed.
“You shouldn't.”
“But I do.”
“Your memories were suppressed.”
“Not all of them.”
Bellamy stared.
Daniel continued:
“I remember the room.”
“The white lights.”
“The woman with the black ring.”
“The doctor.”
“The man with the scar.”
“And you.”
Bellamy's eyes narrowed.
“What do you remember about me?”
“You were crying.”
Bellamy froze.
Daniel smiled faintly.
“You were scared.”
“That was years ago.”
“You were begging someone.”
“Who?”
Daniel looked directly at him.
“Your father.”
Bellamy's face turned white.
Daniel continued.
“You said you didn't want to do it.”
Bellamy grabbed his chair.
“Stop.”
“You said they would kill your sister.”
“Stop.”
“You said you were sorry.”
Bellamy slapped the table.
“Enough!”
Daniel remained calm.
“You weren't the boss.”
Bellamy stared at him.
“You were a child too.”
Silence.
Bellamy stepped back.
For the first time, his carefully controlled expression cracked.
“You don't know anything.”
Daniel shook his head.
“I remember.”
Bellamy turned away.
Daniel added:
“And I remember the woman who gave you the order.”
Bellamy stopped.
“Who?”
Daniel smiled.
“Evelyn.”
At the cemetery, Vincent stood with Margaret.
“Where is Emily?”
Margaret looked toward the trees.
“Safe.”
“Where?”
“I don't know.”
Vincent's eyes hardened.
“Everyone keeps telling me that.”
“Because it is true.”
“You know something.”
Margaret sighed.
“I know where Bellamy is taking Daniel.”
Vincent stepped closer.
“Where?”
“The original Moretti estate.”
Vincent frowned.
“The one in Pennsylvania?”
“No.”
Margaret shook her head.
“The one beneath it.”
Vincent stared.
“There's an underground facility.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Your grandfather built it.”
“For the children?”
“Yes.”
Vincent looked toward his father.
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Because you weren't ready.”
“I was forty-two.”
“You were emotionally compromised.”
“By who?”
Margaret looked at him.
“Your father.”
Vincent stared.
“What did he do?”
“He erased your memories.”
Silence.
Vincent's face went pale.
“What?”
“Not completely.”
“Enough to make you doubt yourself.”
“Enough to make you believe Sofia left.”
“Enough to make you believe Emily died.”
Vincent shook his head.
“My father did that?”
“No.”
Margaret's expression became grim.
“Your father tried to stop it.”
Vincent looked at the wounded man.
“Then who?”
Margaret whispered:
“Your mother.”
Vincent's face hardened.
“You just said she didn't betray us.”
“She didn't.”
“Then explain.”
Margaret looked at the blood in the snow.
“Your mother ordered the memory procedure.”
Vincent froze.
“Why?”
“To protect you.”
“From whom?”
“Yourself.”
Vincent stared.
Margaret continued.
“After the attack, you wanted revenge.”
“You were going to kill everyone.”
“Bellamy.”
“Your father's allies.”
“Your own family.”
“You were becoming uncontrollable.”
Vincent shook his head.
“So they erased me.”
“Partially.”
“Why?”
“Because they needed time.”
“For what?”
“To hide Emily.”
Vincent looked down.
His hands were shaking.
“You're telling me…”
“Yes.”
“My mother erased my memories so I wouldn't find my daughter.”
“Yes.”
“And Sofia agreed?”
“Yes.”
Vincent's voice broke.
“She agreed to let me believe she abandoned me.”
Sofia's voice came from behind him.
“Yes.”
Vincent turned.
She stood at the entrance to the cemetery.
Alive.
Pale.
Exhausted.
But standing.
Vincent stared.
“You came.”
Sofia nodded.
“I couldn't stay away.”
Vincent walked toward her.
“You knew.”
“Yes.”
“You knew they had altered my memories.”
“Yes.”
“You knew Emily was alive.”
“Yes.”
“And you let me suffer for three years.”
Sofia's eyes filled with tears.
“I had no choice.”
“You always had a choice.”
“I chose your life.”
Vincent stopped.
“What?”
“I chose your life over your happiness.”
Silence.
Sofia stepped closer.
“You were going to die.”
Vincent stared.
“The night you were attacked…”
She swallowed.
“You weren't shot.”
Vincent frowned.
“What?”
“You were poisoned.”
His face changed.
“Poison?”
“Yes.”
“Who poisoned me?”
“Bellamy.”
“Why?”
“Because you had discovered the trust.”
Vincent's eyes narrowed.
“And the bullet?”
“Staged.”
Vincent looked at Sofia.
“You're saying the entire attack was fake?”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“The bullet was real.”
“But it wasn't meant to kill you.”
“What was it meant to do?”
“To erase the evidence.”
Vincent stared.
Sofia whispered:
“They wanted everyone to believe you had suffered a random attack.”
“But the real purpose was to make you forget.”
Vincent looked at Margaret.
She nodded.
Sofia continued:
“You were poisoned with a compound that affected memory.”
“Then the bullet caused the rest.”
Vincent closed his eyes.
“And you?”
“I was there.”
“You saw everything.”
“Yes.”
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because Bellamy had Emily.”
Vincent opened his eyes.
“You keep saying that.”
“Because it's true.”
Sofia stepped closer.
“He told me if I spoke, Emily would disappear forever.”
Vincent's face softened.
“You protected her.”
“Yes.”
He looked at her.
“And Daniel?”
Sofia's expression changed.
“He was born before Emily.”
Vincent stared.
“Before?”
“Yes.”
“Who is his father?”
Sofia hesitated.
Then said:
“Michael.”
Vincent turned toward his uncle.
Michael looked down.
Vincent's voice became cold.
“You're Daniel's father.”
Michael nodded.
“Yes.”
“Why didn't I know?”
“Because Richard used Daniel as leverage.”
Vincent stared.
“Against Sofia?”
“Against me.”
Michael's eyes filled with regret.
“I was supposed to disappear.”
“But Sofia found me.”
“And together we protected Daniel.”
Vincent looked toward the road.
“Where is Bellamy taking him?”
Michael answered:
“The underground estate.”
Vincent nodded.
“Then we're going.”
The old Moretti estate had been abandoned for years.
The mansion above ground was nothing but broken windows and rotting wood.
But beneath it—
was another world.
Steel doors.
Security cameras.
Medical rooms.
Server banks.
Archives.
A massive underground vault.
Bellamy entered with Daniel.
The doors closed behind them.
Daniel looked around.
“I've been here.”
Bellamy stopped.
“You shouldn't remember this.”
“I do.”
“Where?”
Daniel pointed.
“There.”
A small room.
Bellamy stared.
“That room.”
Daniel walked toward it.
“You put me there.”
Bellamy grabbed his shoulder.
Daniel pulled away.
“I remember.”
“You were four.”
“I remember.”
“You were unconscious.”
“I wasn't.”
Bellamy stared.
Daniel continued:
“I pretended.”
Bellamy's face went pale.
“You pretended to be unconscious?”
Daniel nodded.
“Because my mother told me to.”
Bellamy's eyes narrowed.
“When?”
“Before they took me.”
Bellamy stepped closer.
“What else did she tell you?”
Daniel smiled.
“She told me to remember.”
Bellamy whispered:
“Remember what?”
Daniel looked around.
“Everything.”
Then the lights went out.
A single red emergency light came on.
Bellamy looked toward the security monitor.
A camera showed the front entrance.
Vincent was standing outside.
Bellamy smiled.
“He came.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
Bellamy frowned.
“He always comes for family.”
Daniel looked directly at him.
“He came for you.”
Vincent stood outside the underground entrance.
Sofia was beside him.
Michael and Margaret were behind them.
Vincent checked his weapon.
“How many?”
Michael answered:
“Twenty guards.”
“Cameras?”
“Thirty-six.”
“Entrances?”
“Three.”
“Exits?”
“Two.”
Vincent nodded.
Sofia looked at him.
“You're going in.”
“Yes.”
“Alone?”
“No.”
She looked surprised.
Vincent reached for her hand.
“Not anymore.”
Sofia squeezed his fingers.
“I love you.”
Vincent looked at her.
“I know.”
“I never stopped.”
“I know.”
He kissed her forehead.
Then turned toward the steel doors.
Michael stopped him.
“Vincent.”
“What?”
“There is something you need to know.”
Vincent waited.
Michael looked toward Margaret.
Then said:
“Daniel isn't just a witness.”
“What is he?”
Michael's face became grim.
“He is the only person who knows the location of the original ledger.”
Vincent frowned.
“What ledger?”
“The one containing every name.”
“Every child.”
“Every payment.”
“Every person involved.”
Vincent's expression hardened.
“If Bellamy gets it…”
“He can erase everything.”
“And if we get it?”
Michael looked at him.
“We can expose everyone.”
Vincent nodded.
“Then let's get it.”
He stepped toward the entrance.
Sofia followed.
The steel door suddenly opened.
A voice came through the speakers.
“Welcome home, Vincent.”
Bellamy.
Vincent stared into the darkness.
“You took my daughter.”
Bellamy laughed.
“No.”
“You took Daniel.”
“No.”
Vincent raised his weapon.
“Then what did you take?”
Bellamy answered:
“Your past.”
The doors slammed shut behind Vincent.
Sofia disappeared on the other side.
Vincent turned.
“Sofia!”
No answer.
The corridor lights turned red.
A screen appeared.
On it was a video.
Vincent watched himself eight years earlier.
He was standing in a hospital room.
Sofia was crying.
Emily was a newborn.
Then Vincent looked at the camera.
And said something that made his blood run cold.
“I know what my father is doing.”
Sofia looked at him.
“What are you going to do?”
Vincent answered:
“I'll destroy the trust.”
The video continued.
Then Vincent turned toward someone standing behind the camera.
A man.
Bellamy.
But Bellamy was younger.
And beside him stood a woman.
Evelyn.
Then Vincent said:
“If I ever forget…”
He looked directly into the camera.
“…make sure my daughter remembers.”
The screen went black.
Vincent stood frozen.
He had forgotten.
He had forgotten that he had known.
He had forgotten that he had planned everything.
He had forgotten that Sofia had never betrayed him.
He had forgotten because someone had taken the memory away.
Then another screen appeared.
A live image of Daniel.
He was standing inside the vault.
Beside him was Bellamy.
Bellamy held a knife against the boy's throat.
“Come alone.”
Vincent stared.
Bellamy smiled.
“And bring the truth.”
Vincent looked down at his weapon.
Then slowly placed it on the floor.
The doors opened.
He walked inside.
But he didn't notice the tiny camera hidden above the doorway.
And he didn't know that someone else was watching.
Someone who had been presumed dead.
Someone who had been waiting for this exact moment.
In a dark room beneath the facility, a monitor displayed Vincent's face.
The man sitting before it leaned closer.
His face was scarred.
His hair was white.
His eyes were cold.
He pressed a button.
“Begin.”
A second monitor came alive.
Eleven children's files appeared.
Seven marked:
ALIVE.
Four marked:
MISSING.
Then a final file appeared.
SUBJECT ZERO — MICHAEL MORETTI.
The man smiled.
“No.”
He corrected the screen.
SUBJECT ZERO — VINCENT MORETTI.
Then he opened another file.
SUBJECT ELEVEN — EMILY CARTER.
And beneath it was one final designation:
PRIMARY HEIR.
The man leaned back.
“Let's see if the family survives the truth.”
Meanwhile, Vincent entered the vault.
Bellamy stood beside Daniel.
Sofia was nowhere to be seen.
And behind Bellamy, a steel door slowly opened.
A woman stepped through.
Evelyn.
But she wasn't holding a gun.
She was holding a newborn photograph.
She looked at Vincent.
“You finally remembered.”
Vincent stared at her.
“What did I remember?”
Evelyn smiled.
“That you were the one who started this.”
Vincent's expression changed.
Bellamy looked at him.
Daniel looked at him.
And somewhere above them, an alarm began to sound.
The vault doors locked.
The lights went out.
Then a voice came through the speakers.
Vincent's own voice.
Recorded eight years earlier.
“If you're hearing this…”
A pause.
“…then Bellamy has failed.”
Vincent's blood ran cold.
The recording continued:
“And if Emily is alive…”
Another pause.
“…you must never let her open the ledger.”
The recording ended.
Daniel looked at Vincent.
“Why not?”
Vincent stared at the darkness.
He didn't have an answer.
But Bellamy did.
He smiled.
“Because once Emily opens it…”
May you like
He leaned closer.
“…everyone will discover who her real father is.”
