CHAPTER 14 — THE TRUTH BEHIND MY BLOOD
For several seconds, nobody breathed.
My father's words hung in the underground chamber.
Your biological father was neither of them.
I looked at Jonathan.
Then Alexander.
Then Edward.
Three men.
Three versions of my life.
And none of them made sense.
"What do you mean?"
My father looked devastated.
"Clare, I—"
"No."
I stepped back.
"You don't get to stop now."
Alexander watched silently.
Jonathan's face had gone completely white.
"Edward," he said slowly, "what did Elena tell you?"
My father looked at him.
"She told me the truth."
"What truth?"
"That you weren't her husband when Clare was conceived."
Jonathan stared at him.
"I was her husband."
"Not then."
Silence.
Jonathan's expression collapsed.
"Who?"
My father didn't answer.
Alexander suddenly laughed.
Not loudly.
Almost sadly.
"Now you understand."
Jonathan turned toward him.
"What do you know?"
Alexander's eyes moved to me.
"Everything."
8:44 P.M.
Alexander stepped into the center of the room.
My father raised his weapon.
"One more step."
Alexander stopped.
"Edward, after twenty-six years, you still think a gun can solve this."
"Try me."
Alexander smiled.
Then looked at me.
"Clare, your mother loved three men."
I felt sick.
"Don't."
"Jonathan was the man she married."
He looked at Jonathan.
"Edward was the man who protected her."
Then his eyes returned to me.
"And there was another."
My heart hammered.
"Who?"
Alexander's expression became unreadable.
"Someone neither of them knew about."
Jonathan shook his head.
"You're lying."
"I wish I were."
My father lowered his weapon slightly.
"Who was he?"
Alexander looked at him.
"Gabriel Cross."
Daniel suddenly stepped forward.
"That's impossible."
Everyone turned.
My father looked at him.
"You know that name?"
Daniel's face had gone pale.
"Yes."
Jonathan stared at him.
"Who is Gabriel Cross?"
Daniel swallowed.
"My father."
Silence.
I stared at him.
"Your father?"
Daniel nodded.
"Gabriel Cross was one of Alexander's most trusted advisers."
My father's eyes narrowed.
"He died in 2001."
"Officially."
Alexander smiled.
"Apparently, everyone in this family is very good at dying."
8:51 P.M.
I couldn't process it.
"So Daniel's father..."
"Was your biological father," Alexander said.
I looked at Daniel.
He looked as shocked as I was.
"I didn't know."
My voice trembled.
"How could you not know?"
"My father never told me."
"Did my mother?"
"No."
I looked at Alexander.
"How do you know?"
"Because I saw the records."
"What records?"
"The original genetic report."
My father stepped forward.
"Where is it?"
Alexander smiled.
"Destroyed."
"Then how do you know?"
"Because I memorized it."
Jonathan's fists clenched.
"What did it say?"
Alexander looked at me.
"Gabriel Cross was your father."
My legs weakened.
Daniel caught my arm before I fell.
I pulled away immediately.
"No."
Daniel looked at me.
"I'm sorry."
"Don't."
I backed away.
"I don't want anyone touching me."
Nobody moved.
I looked at my father.
"Why did Mom give me to you?"
He answered quietly.
"Because Gabriel was dead."
"When?"
"Three months before you were born."
"And Jonathan?"
"Was imprisoned."
I looked at Jonathan.
His eyes were full of pain.
"And Alexander?"
My father looked toward him.
"Was hunting everyone connected to Gabriel."
Alexander said nothing.
I understood.
My mother had been alone.
Pregnant.
Terrified.
And surrounded by men she could no longer trust.
So she gave me to Edward.
She changed my identity.
She disappeared.
And everyone assumed she had died.
Except she hadn't.
9:07 P.M.
A sound echoed from the tunnel.
Daniel immediately turned.
"Someone's coming."
My father raised his weapon.
Alexander remained calm.
Jonathan whispered:
"More men."
Footsteps approached.
Then a voice.
"Mr. Vale."
Alexander smiled.
"Right on time."
A group of armed men entered.
My father stepped in front of me.
"Who are they?"
Daniel looked at them.
"Alexander's security."
Alexander shook his head.
"No."
He pointed toward the leader.
"They work for someone else."
The man removed his mask.
My heart stopped.
I knew him.
He had been Matthew's chief financial officer.
The man who had signed NexusCore's earliest investment documents.
I stared at him.
"Richard?"
He smiled.
"Hello, Clare."
My father raised his weapon.
"You're working for Alexander."
Richard laughed.
"No."
He looked at Alexander.
"He's working for us."
Alexander's expression changed.
For the first time that night—
he looked surprised.
Richard raised his weapon.
"Mr. Vale, I'm afraid your usefulness has ended."
Alexander stared at him.
"Who sent you?"
Richard smiled.
"You really don't know?"
He looked at me.
"She does."
I froze.
"Who?"
Richard pointed directly at me.
"Your mother."
9:12 P.M.
My father's face went white.
"That's impossible."
Richard shook his head.
"No."
He reached into his coat.
Pulled out a photograph.
He threw it onto the table.
My mother.
Alive.
Older.
Standing beside a woman I didn't recognize.
I picked it up.
On the back was a handwritten message.
Clare, if you ever see this, trust nobody who tells you I am dead.
My hands trembled.
"When was this taken?"
Richard answered:
"Six months ago."
My heart stopped.
"She's alive."
Nobody spoke.
I looked at Alexander.
He wasn't smiling anymore.
"Where is she?"
Richard smiled.
"Safe."
"Where?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you cooperate."
My father stepped forward.
"You don't threaten my daughter."
Richard looked at him.
"She's not your daughter."
The words cut through the room.
My father didn't move.
Richard continued.
"She's the last surviving heir to Gabriel Cross."
Daniel stared at him.
"What?"
Richard looked at Daniel.
"Your father left everything to Clare."
Daniel's face changed.
"That's impossible."
"Read the documents."
He threw another folder onto the table.
Daniel opened it.
His hands began shaking.
I watched him read.
Then he looked at me.
"Clare..."
"What?"
"My father left you the Cross Foundation."
"What is that?"
"Assets."
"How much?"
Daniel looked at the documents.
"Billions."
The room went silent.
I almost laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because the number had become meaningless.
Sterling.
Vale.
Cross.
Three bloodlines.
Three fortunes.
And somehow—
all of them led back to me.
9:28 P.M.
Richard stepped closer.
"You have twenty minutes."
"For what?"
"To choose."
"Choose what?"
"Which family survives."
I stared at him.
He pointed toward my father.
"Sterling."
Then Jonathan.
"Vale."
Then Daniel.
"Cross."
My stomach turned.
"What do you want?"
"Your signature."
"On what?"
"Control of the Cross Foundation."
"And if I refuse?"
Richard smiled.
"Your mother dies."
I froze.
My father stepped forward.
"Where is Elena?"
Richard didn't answer.
I looked at him.
"You said she was safe."
"She is."
"For now."
He smiled.
"Twenty minutes."
Then he turned.
His men followed.
The steel door slammed shut behind them.
9:31 P.M.
Nobody spoke.
Then Jonathan said:
"We need to get out."
My father shook his head.
"No."
"Edward."
"We can't."
"Why?"
My father looked at the door.
"Because this entire thing was designed to bring Clare here."
I stared at him.
"What?"
He turned toward me.
"The archive."
"What about it?"
"They knew we'd come."
Daniel suddenly looked at the ceiling.
"The cameras."
"What?"
"They're watching us."
My father looked around.
Then he saw it.
A tiny red light above the doorway.
He raised his weapon.
The camera exploded.
But it was too late.
My phone vibrated.
Unknown number.
A message appeared.
YOU HAVE NINETEEN MINUTES.
Then another.
A photograph.
My mother.
Alive.
Tied to a chair.
Her face was bruised.
My breath disappeared.
Underneath the photograph were seven words:
COME ALONE, CLARE, OR SHE DIES.
My father grabbed my phone.
"No."
I took it back.
"I'm going."
"Absolutely not."
"She's my mother."
"That's exactly why it's a trap."
I looked at him.
"Everything has been a trap."
I swallowed.
"But I'm done running."
Jonathan stepped forward.
"I'll go with you."
"No."
Daniel looked at me.
"I'll go."
"No."
I looked at all three men.
"My whole life, men have been making decisions for me."
My voice hardened.
"Tonight, I make my own."
I walked toward the exit.
My father caught my arm.
"Clare."
I turned.
His eyes were filled with fear.
Not for himself.
For me.
"Please."
I had never heard him say that word.
I touched his hand.
"I love you."
His eyes filled with tears.
"But I'm going."
I opened the door.
And stepped into the darkness.
I didn't know where my mother was.
I didn't know who I could trust.
I didn't know which of the three empires truly belonged to me.
But I knew one thing.
Someone had spent twenty-six years hiding my identity.
May you like
And tonight—
I was going to make them regret it.
