CHAPTER 8 — THE BROTHER THEY HID FROM HER
For eight years, I carried the same question.
Why?
Why did my father choose an empire over his own daughter?
Why did my brother help destroy my name?
Why did my family erase me as if I had never existed?
I thought the answer was simple.
Money.
Power.
Greed.
But I was wrong.
The truth was far more painful.
Because the biggest secret the Sterling family buried…
Was not about a company.
It was about a child.
A child they stole from me before I even knew he existed.
My brother.
Lucas Sterling.
After leaving my father’s office, I went straight to my mother.
I didn't knock.
I didn't wait.
For the first time in my life, I entered her room without asking permission.
She looked up.
And the moment she saw my face…
She knew.
"You know."
Her voice was barely a whisper.
I closed the door.
"Tell me everything."
My mother looked away.
The silence between us carried eight years of pain.
"I wanted to protect you."
I shook my head.
"Everyone says that."
My voice became colder.
"Everyone says they protected me while they were destroying me."
Tears formed in her eyes.
"You don't understand."
"Then help me understand."
She looked at me.
And finally…
She stopped hiding.
"When you were born, you weren't alone."
The words echoed.
I had heard them before.
But hearing them from my mother's mouth made them real.
"I had twins."
My breath caught.
"Twins?"
She nodded.
"A boy and a girl."
She looked at me.
"You and Lucas."
The room became silent.
I sat down slowly.
Lucas.
My brother.
A person who shared my first heartbeat.
A person who should have grown up beside me.
A person whose existence had been stolen.
"Why didn't I know?"
My mother closed her eyes.
"Because your father decided you were safer not knowing."
I looked at her.
"Safer from what?"
She didn't answer immediately.
And I already knew the answer would hurt.
"From the people who wanted Lucas."
She walked toward the closet.
From a hidden drawer, she removed a small wooden box.
The same kind of box my grandfather used to store important documents.
She placed it in front of me.
"I kept these because I couldn't let them disappear."
Inside were old photographs.
The first one showed my mother holding two newborn babies.
Me.
And Lucas.
My fingers trembled as I touched the picture.
A stranger.
But somehow familiar.
The second photograph showed my grandfather.
Edward Sterling.
Holding Lucas.
Smiling.
I had never seen my grandfather smile like that.
Not in the family portraits.
Not at business events.
Only there.
With Lucas.
"He loved him," I whispered.
My mother nodded.
"Your grandfather knew something was wrong."
"What?"
"He knew Lucas's condition wasn't natural."
I looked at her.
"What condition?"
She hesitated.
"Lucas was born with a rare neurological disorder."
I frowned.
"Was?"
My mother looked down.
"Because your father refused to accept it."
The anger inside me rose.
"He had the money."
"Yes."
"He had the resources."
"Yes."
"Then why?"
My mother whispered:
"Because the doctors treating Lucas were connected to Project Orion."
The same words.
Again.
Project Orion.
It followed us everywhere.
"What did they do to him?"
My mother’s hands shook.
"They said they could cure him."
"But?"
"They wanted something in return."
My eyes narrowed.
"What?"
"Access."
"To what?"
She looked at me.
"To Sterling's private research."
I understood.
Project Orion wasn't just about military technology.
It involved human research.
Experimentation.
Information.
Control.
"And my father agreed?"
My mother didn't answer.
She didn't have to.
I stood up.
"Where is Lucas now?"
My mother looked terrified.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"Your father made sure nobody knew."
"How?"
"He changed the records."
Again.
Records.
Names.
Lives.
My father had become an expert at making people disappear.
"What did he tell you?"
My mother's voice broke.
"He told me Lucas died."
I stared at her.
"But he didn't."
"No."
She looked at the photograph.
"Your grandfather found him."
My heart stopped.
"Grandfather?"
"He discovered Lucas was alive."
"When?"
"Years later."
"Before he died?"
She nodded.
"He was trying to bring Lucas back."
I looked at the photograph.
"And Father stopped him."
My mother remained silent.
Another answer.
Another betrayal.
That night, I met Admiral Reed.
I placed the photographs on the table.
He studied them carefully.
"Lucas Sterling."
"You knew."
It wasn't an accusation.
It was exhaustion.
The kind that comes from realizing everyone had been carrying a secret except you.
"I knew there were rumors."
"Rumors?"
He looked at me.
"Celeste, your family has spent years burying evidence. Finding facts has not been easy."
I looked away.
"But you found some."
"Yes."
"Then find him."
The Admiral studied me.
"You understand what that means?"
"Yes."
"If Lucas is alive, he may be connected to the people behind Project Orion."
"I don't care."
My voice was firm.
"He is my brother."
A pause.
"He was stolen from us."
The Admiral nodded.
"I'll find him."
Three days later…
Admiral Reed contacted me.
His message contained only one sentence.
I FOUND HIM.
I arrived at the secure location within thirty minutes.
The Admiral was standing beside a screen.
On it was a photograph.
A man.
Early thirties.
Dark hair.
Sharp eyes.
Standing outside a small bookstore.
My heart stopped.
Because I recognized something.
The eyes.
My grandfather's eyes.
My mother's eyes.
My eyes.
"Lucas."
Admiral Reed nodded.
"He changed his name."
"Why?"
"To survive."
I looked at the information.
CURRENT IDENTITY: LEON VALE
"Why didn't he contact us?"
The Admiral's expression became serious.
"Because he believes the Sterling family killed your grandfather."
I froze.
"He knows?"
"He knows enough."
A new file appeared.
Inside were records of Lucas's investigation.
He had been searching for the same thing I was.
Project Orion.
The Sterling empire.
The truth.
My brother hadn't disappeared.
He had been fighting his own war.
Alone.
I looked at the final note.
Written by Lucas.
THEY TOOK MY NAME. THEY TOOK MY FAMILY. BUT I WILL FIND THE TRUTH.
My eyes filled with emotion.
For years, I thought I was the only person who had been erased.
I wasn't.
There were two of us.
Two children sacrificed for an empire.
Two survivors.
Two people who had every reason to hate the Sterling name.
But instead…
We were going to reclaim it.
That evening, I received a message from an unknown number.
One sentence.
STOP LOOKING FOR YOUR BROTHER.
My blood ran cold.
Another message followed.
HE DOESN'T KNOW THE TRUTH ABOUT WHY HE WAS TAKEN.
Then the final message.
BUT YOU WILL SOON.
I stared at the screen.
Because whoever sent that message knew something.
Something about Lucas.
Something about my birth.
Something even my mother didn't know.
I looked at Admiral Reed.
"Who sent this?"
He examined the number.
Then his expression changed.
"Celeste..."
"What?"
He looked at me.
"This message came from inside Sterling Industries."
My heart sank.
Inside.
Someone close.
Someone watching.
Someone who knew everything.
And suddenly, I understood.
Finding Lucas was only the beginning.
Because before we could reunite…
We had to discover the truth.
Why were we separated?
Why were we erased?
And what did our own father do to make sure his children would never find each other?
The answer was waiting.
Hidden somewhere inside the Sterling empire.
May you like
And soon…
The world would learn the secret of the children they tried to erase.
