Chapter 8 - THE SISTER WHO NEVER DIED
The search for Elena lasted forty-eight hours.
Baldric barely slept.
Arianne remained in the hospital.
Gideon stayed with a trusted family friend.
And every hour, another secret surfaced.
Elena had changed her name three times.
Owned fourteen shell corporations.
Controlled several pharmaceutical distributors.
And had direct financial ties to Derek.
Baldric stared at the files.
“She supplied the drugs.”
Marcus nodded.
“She also created the fake medical records.”
“And Roger?”
“Her partner.”
Baldric closed the folder.
“What about my mother?”
“She disappeared.”
“Of course.”
Then Arianne called.
“Dad?”
“Yes?”
“I remembered something else.”
Baldric sat down.
“What?”
“The night I was attacked.”
“Tell me.”
“Derek wasn't alone.”
“I know.”
“No.”
Her voice trembled.
“It wasn't Roger.”
Baldric's heart stopped.
“Who was it?”
“I heard someone call her Elena.”
Baldric closed his eyes.
They had finally found her.
That night, Elena contacted Baldric.
A video call appeared on his phone.
A woman sat in darkness.
She looked almost exactly like his mother.
But younger.
Sharper.
Colder.
“You look just like Dad,” she said.
Baldric stared.
“You're my sister.”
“Yes.”
“You were never dead.”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Because Mother needed a ghost.”
“What does that mean?”
“She needed someone nobody would search for.”
Elena smiled.
“I became invisible.”
“You almost killed my daughter.”
“I never wanted her dead.”
“You injected her with drugs.”
“I wanted her obedient.”
Baldric's voice hardened.
“She almost died.”
“That was Derek's mistake.”
“You ordered him.”
“I ordered him to frighten her.”
“You destroyed my family.”
“No.”
Elena's expression became cold.
“Your family destroyed itself.”
Baldric looked at her.
“What do you want?”
“The trust.”
“You'll never get it.”
“I don't need the money.”
“Then what?”
“The company.”
Baldric frowned.
“Why?”
“Because your grandfather built something bigger than a logistics empire.”
Elena leaned toward the camera.
“He built a private intelligence network.”
Baldric went silent.
“Every major company in this state is connected to it.”
“What?”
“Politicians. Judges. Banks.”
She smiled.
“Your family doesn't control money.”
“They control information.”
Baldric realized why everyone had been afraid.
His grandfather hadn't built a company.
He had built a machine.
And Elena wanted to inherit it.
“What happens if I refuse?”
“You lose Arianne.”
Baldric froze.
“She's in the hospital.”
Elena smiled.
“Exactly.”
The call ended.
Baldric immediately called hospital security.
“Lock down Arianne's floor.”
But before he could finish, his phone rang.
The hospital director.
“Mr. Vance…”
“What?”
“There has been a breach.”
Baldric's blood turned cold.
“Where?”
“Your daughter's room.”
He ran.
Arianne's room was empty.
Her bed was overturned.
The window was open.
A security guard lay unconscious on the floor.
Baldric stopped breathing.
Then he saw something on the pillow.
A small stuffed dinosaur.
Gideon's favorite toy.
Attached was a note.
COME ALONE.
Baldric's phone rang.
Elena whispered:
“Bring the original trust.”
Baldric closed his eyes.
“You have my daughter.”
“Yes.”
“What about Gideon?”
A pause.
“He's next.”
May you like
Baldric's face hardened.
“You've made your final mistake.”
