CHAPTER 16 — THE WOMAN WHO STARTED EVERYTHING
“Where is Margaret?”
Emily's voice echoed through the vault.
Nobody answered.
Edward looked almost amused.
Victor looked irritated.
Richard looked terrified.
Daniel stared at the empty doorway.
“She was here.”
Thomas shook his head.
“No.”
Emily turned.
“What?”
Thomas looked at Edward.
“She was never loyal to you.”
Edward smiled.
“Margaret has always been loyal to survival.”
Richard suddenly stepped forward.
“She knows where the second vault is.”
Edward's expression changed.
“What did you say?”
Richard realized his mistake.
Emily immediately noticed.
“Second vault?”
Richard looked at Thomas.
Thomas closed his eyes.
“There are two.”
Edward turned toward him.
“You never told me.”
Thomas smiled bitterly.
“That's why you're still searching.”
Victor looked furious.
“You lied to me.”
Edward ignored him.
He looked at Emily.
“Where is it?”
Emily shook her head.
“I don't know.”
Edward walked toward her.
Daniel stepped between them.
Edward stopped.
“You still think you can protect her?”
Daniel's voice was steady.
“Yes.”
Edward smiled.
“That's what your father thought.”
Daniel froze.
“My father?”
Edward leaned closer.
“Jonathan knew what I was capable of.”
“That's why I had to remove him.”
Daniel's fists clenched.
“What did you do to him?”
Edward smiled.
“Nothing.”
Daniel frowned.
“Then where is he?”
Edward looked toward Thomas.
“Ask your father.”
Daniel turned.
Thomas looked devastated.
“Jonathan is alive.”
Daniel's eyes widened.
“What?”
“He's been in hiding.”
“Why didn't anyone tell me?”
“Because Edward would have found him.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Where is he?”
Thomas hesitated.
Then Richard answered.
“Montreal.”
Emily remembered the hotel receipt.
December 24, 2006.
Montreal.
“That was where Anna was.”
Richard nodded.
“And where Jonathan disappeared.”
Emily looked at Thomas.
“You've known all along.”
Thomas shook his head.
“I lost contact with him eight years ago.”
Daniel stared.
“Then how do we find him?”
Thomas looked at the documents.
“The second vault.”
Emily understood.
“Jonathan left the location.”
Edward suddenly pulled a gun.
“Enough.”
Everyone froze.
Edward pointed it at Daniel.
“Give me the red key.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
“Give it to me.”
“No.”
Edward's finger tightened around the trigger.
Emily stepped forward.
“Take it.”
Daniel turned.
“Emily—”
She shook her head.
“It's okay.”
She handed the key to Edward.
He smiled.
But the moment his fingers touched it—
Nothing happened.
The red key remained cold.
Edward frowned.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Emily smiled.
“You forgot something.”
Edward looked at her.
“What?”
“The key isn't activated by possession.”
She looked at Daniel.
“It's activated by choice.”
Edward's face hardened.
Thomas nodded.
“That's what Anna wanted.”
Edward stared at Daniel.
“You think this changes anything?”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Yes.”
Edward raised the gun.
Daniel didn't stop.
“You can control my identity.”
Another step.
“You can control my debt.”
Another.
“You can control my past.”
Daniel's eyes hardened.
“But you don't control my choice.”
Edward fired.
Richard moved.
The bullet struck the metal table.
Victor grabbed Edward's arm.
“What are you doing?”
Edward shoved him away.
“You were supposed to control Daniel!”
Victor shouted—
“He stopped listening!”
Emily pulled Daniel behind the table.
Thomas grabbed the documents.
Victoria raised her weapon.
The room exploded into chaos.
Richard tackled one of Victor's men.
Victoria fired at the ceiling.
“DOWN!”
Everyone dropped.
Daniel reached the vault controls.
Emily shouted—
“Daniel!”
He found the panel.
“What?”
“The key!”
He looked at Edward.
Then at Emily.
Then inserted the red key.
Nothing happened.
Edward laughed.
“You see?”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Emily remembered the note.
THE BLOOD KEY IS NOT BLOOD.
She suddenly understood.
“It isn't the key.”
Daniel looked at her.
“What?”
“You.”
She grabbed his hand.
“And me.”
They placed their hands on the glass table.
A scanner activated.
A red light moved across Emily's palm.
Then Daniel's.
The system beeped.
IDENTITIES CONFIRMED.
The entire wall opened.
Edward stopped breathing.
Inside was the second vault.
A single black case sat in the center.
Thomas whispered—
“Anna.”
Emily walked toward it.
She opened the case.
Inside was a video recorder.
Three letters.
A.
C.
E.
Anna Carter.
Emily pressed PLAY.
Her mother's face appeared on the screen.
Older than in the previous recording.
But alive.
Emily immediately began crying.
Anna looked directly into the camera.
“If you're watching this, then Edward failed.”
Thomas covered his mouth.
Anna continued.
“Emily, you were never meant to inherit Carter Holdings alone.”
She looked toward another camera.
“Daniel.”
Daniel froze.
“I am sorry.”
“You were taken from your father because Edward believed you could be turned into a weapon.”
“But I knew you would have a choice.”
Daniel's eyes filled with tears.
Anna continued.
“If you are standing beside my daughter now, then you made the right choice.”
Emily held Daniel's hand.
Anna smiled.
“Your marriage was manipulated.”
“But your love was not.”
Daniel closed his eyes.
Anna continued.
“That is why I hid the final document.”
She held up a folder.
“The original Carter Trust does not belong to Edward.”
“It does not belong to Thomas.”
“It does not belong to Victor.”
“It belongs to the two people who choose to protect each other.”
Emily whispered—
“Mom…”
Anna looked directly into the camera.
“And there is one more truth.”
She took a breath.
“Victor Hale did not create Project 36.”
Emily looked at Victor.
Victor's face had gone pale.
Anna continued.
“He was recruited after the project began.”
“Edward created it.”
“But someone else funded it.”
Emily's blood ran cold.
“Who?”
Anna looked away from the camera.
Then whispered—
“Margaret.”
The room went silent.
Emily turned toward the doorway.
Margaret stood there.
She was crying.
Richard stared at her.
“No.”
Margaret slowly stepped into the room.
“I didn't want this.”
Emily's voice shook.
“You funded Project 36?”
Margaret nodded.
“I did.”
Daniel stared at her.
“Why?”
Margaret looked at him.
“Because Edward promised me something.”
“What?”
Margaret's face crumpled.
“To give Victoria her father back.”
Thomas stepped forward.
“You knew I was alive?”
Margaret nodded.
“For twenty years.”
Thomas stared at her.
“And you never told Emily?”
“I was afraid.”
“Of Edward?”
Margaret shook her head.
“Of Victor.”
Emily looked at her.
“And the slap?”
Margaret began crying.
“I had to get the ring.”
Emily stared.
“You could have asked.”
“No.”
Margaret wiped her tears.
“If I asked, Edward would know you had found the truth.”
She looked at Emily.
“So I made you hate me.”
Emily whispered—
“You slapped me so I would leave.”
Margaret nodded.
“To make Daniel separate from you.”
“But why?”
Margaret looked toward the video of Anna.
“Because Anna left one final warning.”
She pointed at the screen.
“She knew Edward would eventually come for you.”
Thomas stepped forward.
“What warning?”
Margaret looked at Emily.
“She said the only way to save you…”
She paused.
“…was to make everyone believe you had lost everything.”
Emily stared at her.
The mansion.
The trust.
The company.
The marriage.
The Christmas humiliation.
Maybe none of it had happened the way she thought.
Then Margaret said something that changed everything.
“Edward doesn't know where Jonathan is.”
Daniel looked at her.
“Where is my father?”
Margaret whispered—
“Under the old Carter cemetery.”
Daniel froze.
Richard stepped forward.
“That's impossible.”
Margaret shook her head.
“No.”
She looked toward Thomas.
“He's been there for eight years.”
Thomas's face went pale.
“Jonathan was hiding beneath Anna's grave.”
Emily looked at Daniel.
Then at the video.
Anna's final words appeared on the screen.
FIND JONATHAN BEFORE EDWARD DOES.
The video ended.
Outside, sirens began approaching.
Edward looked toward the entrance.
Victor slowly lowered his weapon.
Richard whispered—
“Who called the police?”
Emily looked at Daniel.
He shook his head.
“I didn't.”
Thomas stared at the screen.
Then at Emily.
“You did.”
Emily frowned.
“What?”
Thomas pointed toward the laptop.
“The files.”
Emily suddenly remembered.
She had copied everything.
And earlier, Daniel had connected the microchip.
The data had been uploaded automatically.
Not to a private server.
To law enforcement.
Emily looked at Edward.
For the first time, he looked afraid.
But then he smiled.
“You think this is over?”
Emily stepped toward him.
“No.”
She looked at the approaching lights.
“It's just the beginning.”
Edward smiled.
“You still don't know who funded the original trust.”
Emily's expression changed.
Edward leaned closer.
“And when you find out…”
He whispered—
“…you'll realize your mother lied about one more thing.”
May you like
Then the vault doors slammed shut.
And Edward disappeared behind them.
