CHAPTER 3 — THE BLOOD TEST
Nathan stood in the middle of the old nursery with the phone still pressed against his ear.
The call had ended.
But the woman's voice remained in his mind.
The girl you call your daughter isn't the only child they buried.
He looked at Grace.
She was staring at him, waiting for an explanation.
“What did she say?”
Nathan lowered the phone.
“She said Lily isn't the only child they buried.”
Grace's face went blank.
Then she shook her head.
“No.”
“You know something.”
“No.”
“Grace.”
“I don't.”
“You recognized what she said.”
Grace looked toward the staircase.
“I recognized the fear.”
Nathan stepped closer.
“What fear?”
“The fear of someone who knows what your family is capable of.”
Nathan's jaw tightened.
“My family?”
Grace looked at him.
“Your father didn't work alone.”
“I know.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“You still don't understand.”
Nathan glanced at the hidden room beneath the nursery.
“Then help me understand.”
Grace stared at the floor.
“Five years ago, when I was pregnant, I thought your father was the worst man I'd ever met.”
Nathan said nothing.
“I was wrong.”
Her voice became barely audible.
“He was only the man who delivered the warning.”
Nathan's eyes narrowed.
“Who gave the order?”
Grace looked at him.
“I never saw her sign anything.”
“Who?”
“Evelyn Harper.”
Nathan's expression hardened.
“She was Victoria's mother.”
“Yes.”
“She died three years ago.”
Grace nodded.
“That's what everyone believes.”
Nathan froze.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean I don't know if she actually died.”
Nathan stared at her.
“Grace, we just found records saying she died in a car accident.”
“I know.”
“Then why are you saying she might be alive?”
“Because the woman on the phone sounded like her.”
Nathan's blood ran cold.
He looked toward the door.
“Did you recognize her voice?”
Grace nodded.
“I heard it once before.”
“When?”
“The night Lily was born.”
Nathan didn't sleep.
Neither did Grace.
At dawn, he moved Lily to a secure bedroom in the east wing and assigned two guards outside the door.
He also gave one instruction.
“No one enters without me.”
The guard nodded.
Nathan walked away.
He found Daniel in the study, surrounded by documents.
The attorney looked exhausted.
“You found something?”
Daniel pushed a folder across the desk.
“The police complaint was created six days ago.”
Nathan opened it.
“Six days?”
“Yes.”
“Before I knew Lily existed.”
“Exactly.”
Nathan read the report.
It claimed Grace had abducted Lily from a private residence five years earlier.
But there was a problem.
Lily's birth certificate listed Grace as the mother.
Nathan's name was absent.
The police report claimed Nathan had never known Grace.
That part was technically true.
But it also claimed Grace had repeatedly attempted to contact Nathan.
Daniel tapped the page.
“That is false.”
Nathan looked up.
“How do you know?”
“Because I checked your archived correspondence.”
“Nothing?”
“Nothing.”
Nathan leaned back.
“Someone fabricated an entire history.”
Daniel nodded.
“And they had access to private information.”
Nathan's expression darkened.
“Inside information.”
“Yes.”
Daniel opened another folder.
“There's more.”
Nathan looked down.
Inside was a copy of Victoria's employment record.
Before she met Nathan, Victoria had worked as an executive assistant in the Cole family's private office.
Nathan stared.
“How did I never know this?”
“Your father removed her file from the corporate system.”
“Why?”
Daniel didn't answer.
Nathan looked at him.
“Tell me.”
Daniel sighed.
“Because Victoria wasn't hired as an assistant.”
Nathan's eyes narrowed.
“What was she?”
“An intermediary.”
“Between who?”
“Your father and Evelyn Harper.”
Nathan stared at the file.
The pieces were beginning to connect.
Victoria hadn't entered his life by accident.
Her mother had worked with his father.
Victoria had worked for his father.
Victoria knew about Lily.
And now someone was using the police to remove Grace.
Nathan closed the folder.
“Where is Victoria?”
“Her attorney arranged temporary release.”
“She was arrested?”
“Not formally. Questioned.”
Nathan stood.
“Bring her here.”
Daniel frowned.
“Are you sure?”
“No.”
Nathan's expression was cold.
“That's why I need her.”
Victoria arrived at nine in the morning.
She entered the study wearing a cream-colored coat and dark sunglasses.
She looked composed.
Almost elegant.
As though she were attending a business meeting rather than confronting the man whose wedding she had just lost.
Nathan stood by the window.
He didn't turn when she entered.
“Sit.”
Victoria removed her sunglasses.
“Nathan.”
“Sit.”
She did.
Daniel remained near the door.
Nathan placed the photograph of Evelyn on the desk.
Victoria glanced at it.
Her face changed.
Only slightly.
But enough.
Nathan noticed.
“You know her.”
Victoria looked up.
“Of course I know my mother.”
“You told me she died three years ago.”
“She did.”
“Then why were you at the hospital five years ago with her?”
Victoria's eyes hardened.
“My mother was involved with your father.”
“How?”
“I don't know.”
“Don't lie.”
Victoria's expression broke.
“You think I planned all of this?”
Nathan leaned forward.
“You attacked Grace.”
“I lost control.”
“You tried to hurt Lily.”
“I didn't.”
“I saw you.”
Victoria shook her head.
“I was angry.”
“At Grace?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
She looked at him.
“Because she took you away from me.”
Nathan stared.
“She disappeared five years ago.”
Victoria's voice trembled.
“And you think I didn't know?”
Silence.
Nathan slowly asked,
“How long have you known about Lily?”
Victoria looked down.
“I knew there was a child.”
“When?”
“Before I met you.”
Nathan felt something inside him go cold.
“Who told you?”
“My mother.”
“Why?”
“Because she wanted me to marry you.”
Nathan stared.
Victoria continued.
“She said you were weak.”
His jaw tightened.
“She said you were grieving your mother. You were desperate for approval. You wanted someone who understood the Cole family.”
Nathan's expression hardened.
“And you played that role.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Victoria looked at him.
“Because I loved you.”
Nathan shook his head.
“No.”
“I did.”
“No.”
He stepped closer.
“You loved what I represented.”
Victoria's eyes filled.
“My mother promised me the empire.”
There it was.
The truth.
Nathan stared at her.
Victoria wiped a tear from her cheek.
“She said once we were married, everything would belong to us.”
Nathan said nothing.
“She told me the board would support us.”
“And Lily?”
Victoria looked away.
“She said Lily couldn't be allowed to exist.”
Nathan's voice became deadly quiet.
“Why?”
“Because the trust would activate.”
Nathan froze.
Victoria continued.
“Your father spent years trying to find the original Miller trust documents.”
Nathan's eyes narrowed.
“And?”
“He never found them.”
“Where are they?”
“I don't know.”
“Who does?”
Victoria shook her head.
“My mother.”
“She died.”
Victoria looked at him.
“My mother was never afraid of death.”
Nathan stared.
“What does that mean?”
“It means she prepared for it.”
Nathan felt a chill.
Victoria leaned forward.
“She had a second identity.”
“What?”
“She wasn't Evelyn Harper.”
Nathan stared at her.
“What was her real name?”
Victoria's lips parted.
Then she whispered,
“Evelyn Miller.”
Nathan's heart stopped.
“Thomas Miller's sister.”
Daniel's expression changed.
Grace had been right.
The Miller family had been connected to everything.
Nathan turned toward Daniel.
“Find the original Miller family records.”
Daniel nodded.
Victoria stood.
Nathan looked at her.
“You're not leaving.”
She froze.
“What?”
“You're staying here.”
“You can't keep me here.”
“I can if you're involved in a conspiracy.”
“You have no proof.”
Nathan smiled coldly.
“We're going to get it.”
Victoria stared at him.
Then she whispered,
“You still don't understand.”
“Understand what?”
“My mother wasn't afraid of your father.”
Nathan waited.
“She was afraid of Grace.”
Grace was sitting beside Lily when Nathan returned.
Lily was drawing.
A house.
Three people stood outside it.
A woman.
A little girl.
A man.
Nathan sat beside her.
“Who are they?”
Lily pointed.
“Mommy.”
Then herself.
Then Nathan.
Nathan's chest tightened.
“That's me?”
She nodded.
“Daddy.”
Nathan smiled despite himself.
“Yes.”
Grace watched from the other side of the room.
Nathan looked at her.
“I need to ask you something.”
Grace nodded.
“Did your father have a sister?”
“Yes.”
“What was her name?”
Grace hesitated.
“Evelyn.”
Nathan's eyes darkened.
“Evelyn Miller?”
Grace stared at him.
“How do you know that name?”
“Victoria told me.”
Grace's face changed.
“Victoria knows?”
“She says her mother was Evelyn Miller.”
Grace slowly stood.
“No.”
Nathan looked at her.
“What?”
“That's impossible.”
“Why?”
“My father had no sister.”
Grace's voice trembled.
“At least… that's what I was told.”
Nathan's eyes narrowed.
“Then who was Evelyn?”
“I don't know.”
Grace looked toward Lily.
“But my father was terrified of her.”
Nathan frowned.
“Why?”
Grace swallowed.
“She disappeared when I was twelve.”
“When?”
“Two days after my father's company collapsed.”
Nathan went still.
The timeline matched.
Evelyn had disappeared after Miller Consolidated collapsed.
Then she resurfaced under the name Harper.
Then she became involved with Nathan's father.
Then she appeared at Lily's birth.
Nathan looked at Grace.
“Did she ever meet you again?”
“Once.”
“When?”
“The night Lily was born.”
Grace closed her eyes.
“I was exhausted. Lily had just been delivered. Your father came into my room.”
“And Evelyn?”
“She stood behind him.”
Grace's breathing became shallow.
“She looked at Lily.”
“What did she say?”
Grace whispered,
“She said, ‘The bloodline survived.’”
Nathan felt a chill.
“What happened next?”
“Your father ordered everyone out.”
“Everyone?”
“Except Evelyn.”
Grace looked at him.
“Then I heard them arguing.”
“What about?”
“Your father said he wanted Lily gone.”
“And Evelyn?”
“She told him he couldn't.”
Nathan frowned.
“Why?”
Grace's eyes filled.
“Because killing Lily would expose the entire inheritance fraud.”
Nathan went silent.
“What inheritance fraud?”
“I don't know.”
Grace shook her head.
“They stopped talking when they realized I was listening.”
Nathan sat back.
The pieces were becoming more dangerous.
His father had stolen Miller Consolidated.
There was a trust.
Lily was the legal heir.
Evelyn knew about it.
Victoria knew about it.
And someone was still willing to kill to keep it hidden.
Nathan looked at Grace.
“Why did you disappear?”
Grace's eyes lowered.
“Because three days after Lily was born, your father showed me a photograph.”
“What photograph?”
“Your father standing beside Lily's incubator.”
Nathan frowned.
“That doesn't sound like a threat.”
Grace shook her head.
“Look closer.”
Nathan waited.
“He had another photograph.”
“Of what?”
“Of you.”
Nathan's expression changed.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
Grace's voice cracked.
“You were standing outside the hospital.”
Nathan remembered.
He had been there.
Five years ago.
His father had told him Grace had left voluntarily.
He had believed him.
He had never gone inside.
He had never seen Lily.
He had never known she was alive.
Grace continued.
“Your father told me that if I contacted you, the next photograph would be of Lily's grave.”
Nathan's hands clenched.
“He threatened to kill her.”
“Yes.”
“Did he have someone watching you?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Grace looked at him.
“I never knew.”
Nathan stood.
“We're going to find out.”
By noon, Daniel returned.
He looked disturbed.
“I found the Miller trust.”
Nathan turned.
“Where?”
“Not where.”
Daniel placed a document on the table.
“Who.”
Nathan stared at it.
“Who?”
Daniel pointed to the beneficiary section.
“The trust was never transferred to the Cole family.”
Nathan's eyes widened.
“Then who owns it?”
Daniel looked at Grace.
“Lily.”
Silence.
Grace covered her mouth.
Nathan slowly sat down.
Daniel continued.
“Thomas Miller created the trust twenty-seven years ago.”
“For Lily?”
“No.”
Nathan frowned.
“Then why is Lily the beneficiary?”
Daniel turned the document around.
“There is a succession clause.”
Nathan read it.
If Thomas Miller's direct heirs were deceased or unable to inherit, the trust would pass to the first surviving descendant of his bloodline.
Grace.
Then Lily.
Nathan looked at Grace.
“So Lily inherited your father's trust.”
“Yes.”
“How much?”
Daniel hesitated.
Nathan stared at him.
“How much?”
Daniel finally answered.
“Current estimated value?”
“Yes.”
“Approximately four hundred and eighty million dollars.”
Grace went pale.
Nathan stared.
“That doesn't include the company.”
Daniel nodded.
“What company?”
Daniel opened another document.
“The original Miller Consolidated assets were never completely absorbed into Cole Holdings.”
Nathan leaned forward.
“Where are they?”
Daniel pointed to the page.
“Thirty-eight percent of Cole Holdings is held through an anonymous trust.”
Nathan's eyes widened.
“Who controls it?”
Daniel looked at Lily.
“Her.”
Nathan's heart pounded.
Lily wasn't simply his daughter.
She was the person who could legally dismantle the empire he had inherited.
Suddenly, his father's words made sense.
Lily was never yours.
The company.
The fortune.
The inheritance.
None of it had truly belonged to Nathan.
It had only been held in his name.
Until Lily came of age.
Nathan looked at Grace.
“Why didn't you know?”
“Because I never saw these documents.”
“Your father hid them?”
“I think so.”
Daniel shook his head.
“Not your father.”
Nathan looked at him.
“Then who?”
Daniel slowly pointed toward the original signature.
“Evelyn Miller.”
Grace froze.
“What?”
Daniel tapped the document.
“She was the trustee.”
Nathan stared.
“Evelyn controlled Lily's inheritance.”
“Yes.”
“Until when?”
Daniel turned the page.
“Until Lily's fifth birthday.”
Nathan's blood ran cold.
“That's in three months.”
Daniel nodded.
“And if Lily's biological father formally acknowledges her before then…”
Nathan stared at the clause.
“…the trust becomes fully active.”
Grace whispered,
“And Victoria loses everything.”
Nathan looked toward the window.
Suddenly, he understood why the wedding had been scheduled for two weeks from now.
It wasn't romantic.
It was a deadline.
Victoria had to marry him before Lily's legal status changed.
Nathan's phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
One photograph.
Lily sleeping upstairs.
Taken from inside the house.
Nathan's blood froze.
A second message appeared.
YOU HAVE UNTIL MIDNIGHT.
Then another.
SEND GRACE AWAY, OR LILY DISAPPEARS.
Nathan's eyes lifted slowly.
Someone was inside his security perimeter.
Someone had entered the east wing.
Someone had photographed his daughter while she slept.
Grace saw his expression.
“What happened?”
Nathan didn't answer.
He showed her the phone.
Her face collapsed.
“No.”
Nathan immediately called security.
“Lock down the mansion.”
A voice answered.
“Already done, sir.”
Nathan froze.
“Then how was this photograph taken?”
Silence.
The guard finally said,
“Sir…”
“What?”
“We've just found one of our men unconscious in the east corridor.”
Nathan stood.
“Get Lily.”
He ran upstairs.
Grace followed.
They reached the bedroom.
The door was open.
The bed was empty.
Lily was gone.
Grace screamed.
Nathan rushed into the room.
The window was open.
A white rose lay on the pillow.
Beside it was a note.
Nathan picked it up.
Only one sentence.
THE COLE FAMILY ALWAYS GETS WHAT IT WANTS.
Nathan crushed the paper in his fist.
Grace collapsed against the wall.
“Lily…”
Nathan looked outside.
Snow had begun falling.
There were no footprints beneath the window.
No broken glass.
No sign of forced entry.
Which meant the person who took Lily hadn't climbed in.
They had used the door.
They had walked through the mansion.
Past the guards.
Past the cameras.
And someone had let them in.
Nathan turned toward the hallway.
His eyes became cold.
“There is a traitor in this house.”
Then his phone rang.
The unknown caller.
Nathan answered.
A woman's voice whispered:
“Now you finally understand.”
Nathan's heart pounded.
“Where is my daughter?”
A soft laugh.
“Ask your fiancée.”
Nathan's face went white.
The call ended.
He turned toward the stairs.
May you like
Victoria was standing there.
And in her hand was Lily's pink hair ribbon.
