Chapter 7 - The Message From The Past
The phone screen lit up in my mother's shaking hand as I whispered: "Who sent that message?" When Adrian Vale traced the unknown number, he discovered it came from a hidden server connected to Ethan Sterling. But one file was attached: "Project Fiona." Adrian realized my daughter had been the secret everyone was fighting over.
I stared at the phone.
Four words.
I know where Fiona is.
My eyes moved toward my daughter.
She was sitting on the couch, holding her stuffed bunny, completely unaware that every adult in the room was terrified.
A child should never have to feel like a secret.
But somehow...
My daughter had become one.
"Give me the phone."
Adrian's voice was calm.
Too calm.
That was how I knew he was scared.
My mother handed it to him.
He immediately started checking the number, the location, every possible trace.
Seconds passed.
Nobody spoke.
Finally, Adrian looked up.
"Someone sent this from a secure network."
My mother swallowed.
"What does that mean?"
"It means they didn't want us to find them."
I looked at the screen.
"Can you find them?"
Adrian didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
I walked toward him.
"You promised you would protect us."
"I will."
"Then find out who is threatening my daughter."
His expression changed.
Not because I was angry.
Because I was right.
He nodded.
"I will."
The guards moved around the room.
Security doors locked.
Phones were collected.
Every person inside the building suddenly became a possible danger.
And I hated it.
I hated that my life had become this.
Running.
Hiding.
Questioning everyone.
Even my own mother.
I turned toward Evelyn.
"Start talking."
She looked at me.
"Blaire..."
"No."
My voice cracked.
"You don't get to disappear for six years and then come back with another secret."
Her eyes filled with tears.
"I was trying to save you."
"From what?"
She looked at Fiona.
"From Ethan."
I laughed quietly.
"That was your excuse too?"
Her face changed.
Because she knew exactly who I meant.
Ethan.
The man I married.
The man who smiled in public.
The man everyone respected.
The man who destroyed everything behind closed doors.
My mother sat down slowly.
"I knew Ethan was dangerous before you married him."
I froze.
"What?"
"I tried to warn you."
"No."
I shook my head.
"You never did."
"I did."
"When?"
Her voice became softer.
"Three days before your wedding."
My memory flashed back.
The argument.
The tears.
The night I thought my mother was being unreasonable.
She had told me:
"Something about him isn't right."
I had been angry.
I had accused her of not accepting him.
I had chosen Ethan.
And lost my mother.
"I thought you were judging him."
"I was afraid."
She looked at Fiona.
"Because I knew what he was capable of."
I looked at Adrian.
He was still working on the phone.
Still listening.
Still hiding something.
I noticed.
"Adrian."
He looked up.
"What?"
"You knew too."
The room became silent.
My mother looked at him.
And I knew.
She knew something.
"You knew about Ethan before I did."
Adrian slowly put the phone down.
"Yes."
The honesty hurt.
"How much?"
"Enough to know he was dangerous."
"Then why didn't you tell me?"
His jaw tightened.
"Because I didn't know how close you were to him."
I stared at him.
"That's not an answer."
"No."
He looked at me.
"It's the truth."
I hated that.
Because every person who hurt me had a reason.
A justification.
An explanation.
But my pain didn't care about reasons.
My pain only remembered what they chose not to do.
I turned away.
"I need answers."
Adrian nodded.
"Then we start with Project Fiona."
My heart stopped.
"What is that?"
He turned the phone around.
The message attachment had finally opened.
A folder appeared.
Project Fiona.
Inside were dozens of files.
Medical records.
Financial transfers.
Private emails.
Photos.
My hands went cold.
"No."
Adrian opened the first document.
The title appeared.
"Fiona Sterling Protection Program."
I stared.
"Protection?"
Adrian scrolled.
Then his face changed.
"What?"
He didn't answer immediately.
"Adrian."
He looked at me.
"The program started before Fiona was born."
I felt dizzy.
"What?"
He continued reading.
"The first entry date was eight months before her birth."
My mother's face went pale.
"No."
Adrian looked at her.
"You knew."
She shook her head.
"No."
"Someone used your name to authorize this."
My mother looked at the screen.
"I never signed anything."
I stepped back.
"So someone stole your identity."
Adrian nodded.
"Yes."
"But why?"
Nobody answered.
Because the answer was obvious.
Fiona.
Everyone wanted Fiona.
But why?
What was so important about my daughter?
I looked at her.
She smiled at me.
Completely innocent.
And that hurt more than anything.
Adrian opened another file.
"This is a medical report."
My stomach tightened.
"What kind?"
He hesitated.
"A DNA test."
The room froze.
My voice became small.
"Whose?"
Adrian looked at the screen.
Then at me.
"Fiona's."
"And?"
He didn't answer.
"Adrian."
He turned the screen toward me.
The results were there.
A comparison.
Three names.
Fiona Sterling.
Daniel Cross.
Ethan Sterling.
My eyes moved down.
The result line was hidden.
"Why can't I see it?"
"Because someone deleted the final page."
I looked at him.
"Can you recover it?"
He nodded.
"But it will take time."
A sound interrupted us.
A notification.
The phone received another message.
Everyone turned.
Adrian picked it up.
His face changed.
"What?"
I moved closer.
"What does it say?"
He didn't want to show me.
That terrified me.
"Adrian."
Slowly, he turned the phone around.
A picture appeared.
Not a threat.
Not a document.
A person.
A man standing outside a building.
Older.
Tired.
Alive.
I didn't recognize him.
But Adrian did.
His hand lowered.
His face lost all color.
"Daniel."
My mother covered her mouth.
"No..."
I looked between them.
"That's him?"
Adrian nodded.
"The man who was supposed to be dead."
The message below the picture appeared.
One sentence.
"He wants to meet his daughter."
My heart stopped.
Then another message arrived.
This time, from Daniel himself.
"Come alone, Blaire."
I looked at Adrian.
Then at my daughter.
Because underneath the message was the location.
A place I knew.
A place I had never told anyone about.
A place only one person from my past knew.
The old house where Fiona was born.
May you like
And the last line appeared.
"Bring the truth you stole from me."
