Chapter 5 - The Son They Buried
“Open the door.”
Victor stared at the iron door.
Gregory's voice came through the darkness again.
“You've spent twelve years asking the wrong questions, Victor.”
Victor slowly closed the file in his hands.
Marcus raised his weapon.
Elena whispered, “Don't let him inside.”
Victor looked at her.
“Why?”
“Because he knows everything.”
Victor's expression hardened.
“Then it's time he started answering questions.”
He stepped toward the door.
Marcus caught his arm.
“Victor, wait.”
Victor looked at him.
“What?”
“We don't know how many men are with him.”
“I don't care.”
“You should.”
Victor's gaze moved toward the file on the table.
The photograph of the newborn boy remained visible beneath the lamp.
Father: Victor Castellano.
He looked back at the door.
“I've been waiting twelve years.”
Then he shouted,
“Come in.”
The lock turned.
The iron door opened slowly.
Gregory Vance stepped into the underground room.
He wasn't alone.
Two armed men stood behind him.
Gregory's gray hair was wet from the rain.
His coat was perfectly buttoned.
His expression was calm.
Almost disappointed.
Victor stared at him.
“You took Hannah.”
Gregory didn't answer.
“You took my daughter.”
Gregory smiled faintly.
“You finally understand.”
Victor's jaw tightened.
“You knew about Poppy.”
“I knew about her before you did.”
“You knew she was mine.”
“I knew she was Elena's.”
Victor stepped forward.
“Don't play games.”
Gregory's eyes shifted toward Elena.
“She never told you everything.”
Elena's face hardened.
“Neither did you.”
Gregory smiled.
“That was the point.”
Marcus raised his weapon.
Gregory's men immediately did the same.
For a moment, the room became completely still.
Victor lifted one hand.
“Marcus.”
Marcus hesitated.
“Lower it.”
“Victor—”
“Do it.”
Marcus slowly lowered his gun.
Gregory's men followed.
Victor looked directly at Gregory.
“Where is Hannah?”
“Safe.”
“Where?”
Gregory smiled.
“You're asking the wrong question again.”
Victor took another step.
“You've been inside my house.”
“Yes.”
“You watched me.”
“Yes.”
“You watched my family.”
“Yes.”
“You killed Elena.”
Gregory's expression finally changed.
“No.”
Victor stopped.
Gregory looked toward Elena.
“She survived because I saved her.”
Elena's voice trembled.
“You didn't save me.”
“I kept you alive.”
“You imprisoned me.”
“I protected you.”
“You threatened my child.”
Gregory's face hardened.
“I protected the child from your husband.”
Victor stared at him.
“You're going to explain that.”
Gregory looked at the file.
“You weren't supposed to find that.”
Victor followed his gaze.
The photograph of the baby boy.
“What is his name?”
Gregory said nothing.
Victor walked to the table and lifted the photograph.
“This boy was born eighteen months after Elena supposedly died.”
Gregory remained silent.
“Who is he?”
Elena closed her eyes.
Victor turned toward her.
“You know.”
She nodded.
“Tell me.”
Her lips trembled.
“His name was Daniel.”
Victor stared at the photograph.
“Was?”
Elena looked down.
“He died.”
“When?”
“Three days after he was born.”
Victor's eyes hardened.
“Then why is there a file?”
Gregory answered.
“Because Daniel wasn't the only baby born that night.”
Victor looked at him.
Gregory continued.
“There were twins.”
Silence.
Marcus looked at Elena.
Victor felt his pulse pounding.
“Poppy and Daniel.”
Gregory shook his head.
“No.”
He pointed at the photograph.
“Poppy was one.”
He looked at Victor.
“Daniel was the other.”
Victor's mind raced.
“Then why was Poppy hidden?”
“Because one child could disappear.”
Gregory's voice became quiet.
“Two children could expose everything.”
Victor stared at him.
“What everything?”
Gregory looked toward Elena.
“Ask your wife.”
Victor turned.
“Elena.”
She didn't speak.
“Tell me.”
Elena finally whispered,
“Your father wasn't the man you thought he was.”
Victor's expression changed.
Gregory laughed softly.
“Now we're getting somewhere.”
Victor looked at him.
“My father died twelve years before Elena.”
“Yes.”
“He couldn't have anything to do with this.”
“He built it.”
Victor's eyes narrowed.
“Built what?”
“The system that controls your family.”
Victor shook his head.
“You're talking about some conspiracy.”
Gregory stepped closer.
“No.”
He pointed toward the shelves.
“Those aren't conspiracy files.”
Victor looked around.
“Those are birth records.”
“Not all of them.”
Gregory walked toward the shelves.
He pulled out a thick black folder.
He placed it on the table.
Victor opened it.
Inside were photographs.
Children.
Dozens of them.
Some were infants.
Some were teenagers.
Some were adults.
Every photograph had a name.
Every name had a date.
Every date had a code.
Victor turned page after page.
Then he stopped.
A photograph of a little boy.
Age four.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
A small scar beneath his left eyebrow.
Victor stared.
“That's not Daniel.”
Gregory nodded.
“No.”
“Who is he?”
Gregory looked at Elena.
“Elena?”
She whispered,
“Leo.”
Victor's hands went numb.
“No.”
The photograph trembled between his fingers.
“My brother died.”
Gregory said nothing.
Victor looked at Elena.
“You told me Leo died.”
“I believed he did.”
“You buried him.”
“I saw the body.”
“You told me you identified him.”
“I was wrong.”
Victor's breathing became shallow.
“Where is he?”
Gregory's expression changed.
“That's the question you've been asking for twelve years.”
Victor grabbed his coat.
“Where is my brother?”
Gregory didn't move.
“Not here.”
Victor shoved the table aside.
Marcus caught his shoulder.
“Victor!”
Victor spun.
“Let go.”
“Listen.”
“I said let go.”
Marcus didn't.
“There's something wrong.”
Victor stopped.
Marcus pointed toward the photograph.
“Look at the date.”
Victor looked.
The photograph had been taken two years after Leo's supposed death.
Victor stared.
“That means…”
Gregory nodded.
“Your brother was alive.”
Victor turned toward him.
“Where is he now?”
Gregory's expression became unreadable.
“I don't know.”
Victor laughed bitterly.
“You expect me to believe that?”
“No.”
Gregory reached inside his coat.
Marcus immediately raised his weapon.
Gregory slowly pulled out a small black phone.
He placed it on the table.
“It rang twenty minutes ago.”
Victor stared at it.
“Whose phone?”
“Yours.”
Victor frowned.
“My phone is in my pocket.”
Gregory shook his head.
“Not that phone.”
The black device vibrated.
Once.
Twice.
Three times.
Nobody moved.
The screen lit up.
UNKNOWN CALLER.
Victor stared.
Gregory stepped back.
“Answer it.”
Victor looked at Elena.
She was crying.
“Don't.”
Victor reached for the phone.
Elena grabbed his wrist.
“Victor, please.”
“Why?”
“Because if you answer, he'll know you're alive.”
Victor stared at her.
“Who?”
She whispered,
“Leo.”
The phone stopped ringing.
Silence.
Victor looked at the screen.
Then it rang again.
This time, a name appeared.
LEO.
Victor's entire body went rigid.
Marcus whispered,
“Victor…”
Victor touched the screen.
He answered.
For several seconds, there was nothing.
Then breathing.
Slow.
Close.
Alive.
Victor couldn't speak.
A man's voice finally came through.
Older than he remembered.
But unmistakable.
“Victor.”
Victor closed his eyes.
“Leo?”
The line went silent.
Then the voice whispered,
“Don't trust Elena.”
The call ended.
Victor slowly lowered the phone.
Elena's face had gone white.
“That's not him.”
Victor stared at her.
“How would you know?”
“Because Leo is dead.”
Victor took one step backward.
“You just told me you were wrong.”
“I was.”
“Then how do you know?”
Elena couldn't answer.
Gregory looked at her.
“You should have told him.”
Elena turned on him.
“You don't get to say that.”
“You've had twelve years.”
“I was protecting him.”
Gregory shook his head.
“You were protecting yourself.”
Victor looked between them.
“What are you hiding?”
Neither answered.
Victor raised his voice.
“What are you hiding?”
Elena finally broke.
“I didn't know which one of them survived.”
Victor stared.
“What does that mean?”
“Leo and Daniel were part of the same experiment.”
Marcus frowned.
“Experiment?”
Elena nodded.
“Your father wanted to create an heir who could inherit everything without being controlled by the family.”
Victor stared at her.
“That makes no sense.”
“He believed blood could be engineered.”
Victor shook his head.
“My father was insane.”
Gregory interrupted.
“He was brilliant.”
Victor turned toward him.
“Don't praise him.”
“I didn't.”
Gregory's voice became cold.
“I warned him.”
Victor stared.
“You worked for my father.”
“I worked for your family.”
“And now?”
Gregory looked toward the closed door.
“Now I work for whoever is still alive.”
Victor felt a chill.
“What does that mean?”
Gregory didn't answer.
The phone on the table vibrated again.
Everyone looked at it.
A message appeared.
Victor picked it up.
One photograph.
Poppy.
She was sitting in a dark room.
Her rabbit was in her lap.
Her eyes were red from crying.
Victor's blood turned cold.
Underneath the photograph was a message.
YOU HAVE ONE HOUR.
Then another message appeared.
BRING ELENA.
Victor stared at the screen.
A third message arrived.
COME ALONE.
Marcus stepped closer.
“We're not doing that.”
Victor didn't respond.
Elena looked at the photograph.
“They have her.”
Victor nodded.
“Where?”
The phone vibrated again.
A location appeared.
Victor recognized it immediately.
The old Castellano cemetery.
The place where Elena had supposedly been buried.
The place where Leo's grave stood.
Victor looked at Gregory.
“Who sent this?”
Gregory stared at the screen.
For the first time that night, genuine fear crossed his face.
“I don't know.”
Victor looked at him.
“You're lying.”
Gregory shook his head.
“No.”
He pointed at the photograph.
“Look at the background.”
Victor zoomed in.
Behind Poppy was a stone wall.
An old wooden chair.
A faded red curtain.
Victor recognized the room.
His father's private office.
The room had been demolished twelve years ago.
Victor stared at the photograph.
“That room doesn't exist.”
Gregory's face had gone pale.
“It shouldn't.”
Then Victor noticed something on the wall behind Poppy.
A framed photograph.
He zoomed closer.
It showed two newborn babies.
And beneath them was a handwritten date.
Victor's eyes widened.
Because the photograph wasn't of Poppy and Daniel.
It was of Poppy and another baby.
A baby Victor had never seen before.
May you like
And written underneath the second child was one name—
VICTOR.
