CHAPTER 15 — THE SON THEY ERASED
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
The only sound was the distant echo of gunfire outside.
Emily stared at Richard.
“Say that again.”
Richard's eyes remained fixed on Daniel.
“Jonathan Reed is his father.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
Richard swallowed.
“Your birth name was Daniel Reed.”
Daniel took a step backward.
“No.”
“You were registered under another identity.”
“No.”
“Edward arranged it.”
Daniel's breathing became uneven.
“Why?”
Richard looked at Thomas.
“Tell him.”
Thomas closed his eyes.
“Because Jonathan was going to expose Edward.”
Daniel stared at him.
“What did my father discover?”
Thomas's voice was quiet.
“The original Carter Trust.”
Emily looked at the red key in her hand.
“The trust beneath the trust.”
Thomas nodded.
“Jonathan discovered that Edward had been diverting company assets for years.”
Richard added—
“Billions.”
Emily froze.
“Billions?”
Richard nodded.
“Not millions.”
“Billions.”
Daniel looked at the old photograph.
“So my father knew.”
“Yes.”
“And Edward took me?”
Thomas nodded.
“He took you from Jonathan when you were very young.”
Daniel's face hardened.
“He kidnapped me?”
Richard hesitated.
“Not exactly.”
Daniel turned sharply.
“Then what?”
“Jonathan believed you were dead.”
Silence.
Daniel stared at him.
“How?”
Richard's voice broke.
“Edward staged your death.”
Emily felt a chill.
“He told Jonathan that his son had died.”
Thomas nodded.
“And then Edward created a new identity for you.”
Daniel whispered—
“Daniel Carter.”
“Yes.”
“Why Carter?”
“Because Edward needed you inside the family.”
Emily looked at the photograph again.
The little boy beside Edward.
The face was different.
But the eyes were unmistakable.
Daniel's eyes.
“You were supposed to be his weapon,” Thomas said.
Daniel looked at Emily.
“And instead?”
Thomas answered—
“You fell in love with her.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Emily stepped toward him.
“Why didn't you tell me about Jonathan?”
“I didn't know.”
“You never remembered?”
“I had fragments.”
“What fragments?”
Daniel rubbed his forehead.
“A house.”
“A woman.”
“A red door.”
“And a man shouting.”
Emily whispered—
“Edward?”
Daniel nodded.
“I thought they were nightmares.”
Thomas looked toward the door.
“They weren't.”
Another gunshot cracked through the house.
Richard moved toward the window.
“They're getting closer.”
Victoria checked her weapon.
“How many exits?”
“Two,” Thomas said.
“One is blocked.”
Richard looked at him.
“And the other?”
Thomas pointed toward the basement.
Emily looked at the red key.
“That's where the trust is.”
Thomas nodded.
“Probably.”
“Probably?”
“I haven't been inside since the night Anna died.”
Emily stared at him.
“Then we're going.”
They moved toward the basement.
Daniel stopped Emily.
“Wait.”
She turned.
“What?”
He looked at the wedding ring in her hand.
“That's why Margaret took it.”
Emily nodded.
“She knew what was inside.”
Daniel looked at the ring.
“Maybe.”
Thomas suddenly shook his head.
“No.”
Everyone looked at him.
“Margaret didn't know.”
Emily frowned.
“What?”
Thomas took the ring.
He examined the inside.
“There are no markings.”
Emily stared.
“Then why did Edward say—”
Thomas stopped.
He turned the ring upside down.
A tiny seam appeared.
He pressed it.
Click.
The gold band opened.
Inside was a microscopic strip of paper.
Emily's breath caught.
Thomas unfolded it carefully.
Only one sentence was written.
THE BLOOD KEY IS NOT BLOOD.
Victoria frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Daniel looked at the red key.
“Maybe it's symbolic.”
Thomas shook his head.
“No.”
He looked toward Daniel.
“It's about identity.”
Emily understood.
“Daniel.”
He looked at her.
“You're the key.”
Daniel stared.
“Me?”
Thomas nodded.
“Edward couldn't access the original trust because it wasn't tied only to Anna's descendants.”
He looked at both of them.
“It required two bloodlines.”
“Anna's.”
“And Jonathan's.”
Daniel's face went pale.
“Why Jonathan?”
“Because Jonathan was the only man outside the Carter family who knew the original trust existed.”
Emily looked at the key.
“So it requires both of us.”
Thomas nodded.
“Emily Carter.”
“Daniel Reed.”
Daniel whispered—
“Then Carter Holdings was never meant to belong to one person.”
“No.”
Thomas looked at Emily.
“It was designed to protect two families.”
A loud crash came from upstairs.
Victor shouted—
“Thomas!”
Thomas looked toward the ceiling.
“They're inside.”
Emily tightened her grip around the key.
“Basement.”
They descended.
At the bottom was a stone wall.
No door.
No handle.
No lock.
Emily looked at Thomas.
“Where is it?”
Thomas pointed to the wall.
“Behind there.”
Daniel examined the stones.
“There's nothing.”
Emily remembered the ring.
She looked at the red key.
Then at Daniel.
“Try it.”
Daniel touched the key to the wall.
Nothing happened.
He pressed harder.
Still nothing.
Emily placed her hand over his.
The wall clicked.
A hidden mechanism activated.
The stones separated.
A narrow passage appeared.
Emily stared.
“Together.”
Thomas nodded.
“Exactly.”
They entered.
The room beyond was enormous.
Shelves filled with documents.
Metal boxes.
Hard drives.
Photographs.
Bank records.
Contracts.
At the center was a glass table.
On it sat a single folder.
Emily walked toward it.
Her name was written across the cover.
Underneath:
THE FINAL BENEFICIARY.
She opened it.
The first page contained a photograph.
Emily as a child.
Standing beside Edward.
She turned the page.
Another photograph.
Daniel as a child.
Standing beside Jonathan.
Then a third.
Emily and Daniel.
Adults.
Before they had met.
Before they had ever spoken.
The photograph had been taken twelve years earlier.
Emily's stomach dropped.
“They were watching us.”
Thomas nodded.
“For years.”
Daniel turned another page.
A document appeared.
PROJECT 36 — PHASE THREE.
Under it:
“Marriage completed.”
“Trust activation approaching.”
“Subject Emily remains unaware.”
“Subject Daniel developing emotional attachment.”
Then one final line:
If Daniel chooses Emily over Edward, terminate Daniel.
Daniel stared at the page.
Emily reached for his hand.
He didn't move.
“Daniel…”
He looked at her.
For the first time since they had entered the room, his eyes were completely clear.
“I know what I have to do.”
“What?”
He picked up the document.
“End this.”
A slow clap echoed from the passage.
Everyone turned.
Edward stepped into the room.
Victor stood behind him.
And Margaret was beside them.
Emily's face went white.
Margaret looked at the ring in Emily's hand.
Then at Daniel.
Then at Edward.
Edward smiled.
“You finally found the room.”
Emily stepped forward.
“You've been watching us for twelve years.”
“Yes.”
“You created Project 36.”
“Yes.”
“You stole Daniel.”
“Yes.”
“You killed Anna.”
Edward's smile disappeared.
“I corrected a problem.”
Emily's hands trembled.
“You destroyed our lives.”
Edward looked at her.
“No.”
He smiled.
“I built them.”
Then he pointed at Daniel.
“And now I want my son back.”
Daniel's expression hardened.
“You're not my father.”
Edward's face changed.
“No.”
He looked at Emily.
“But I am the reason he exists.”
May you like
The lights suddenly went out.
And when they came back—
