Chapter 5 - THE MAN WHO CALLED HIMSELF MY FATHER
Adrian Vance had been missing for more than a decade.
But someone was using his identity to receive money stolen from Toby's medical fund.
Dante's attorney spent the next day tracing the account history.
The more she discovered, the stranger the situation became.
The account had been opened three years earlier.
Its registered address belonged to an abandoned office building in Brooklyn.
And the identification photograph showed a man I had never seen before.
I stared at the screen.
"That's not my father."
Rebecca looked up.
"How can you be sure?"
I reached for my phone.
Mom had left me only three photographs of Adrian.
In every one, he had dark curly hair and a small scar beside his left eyebrow.
The man in the bank photograph had straight blond hair.
And no scar.
Dante examined both images.
"Someone stole his identity."
Rebecca nodded.
"That's one possibility. We'll need independent verification."
My phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
I ignored it.
Then another message appeared.
Stop asking about Adrian Vance.
My stomach tightened.
Dante noticed my expression.
"What happened?"
I showed him.
Before he could respond, another message arrived.
Your brother's surgery is only six days away. Think carefully.
My blood turned cold.
"They know about Toby."
Dante's jaw tightened.
He called Rebecca over.
"Document the messages."
Then he looked at me.
"Elena, we should inform the police."
I nodded.
This had gone beyond stolen money.
Someone was threatening my brother.
That evening, Detective Laura Mitchell met us at the hospital.
She listened carefully while I explained everything.
Then she asked to speak with me alone.
Dante immediately stepped outside.
I appreciated that.
Detective Mitchell looked at me.
"Elena, do you trust Mr. Vancel?"
I hesitated.
"I don't know."
"That's an honest answer."
She leaned forward.
"His father was connected to the financial scheme your mother investigated. We haven't found evidence Dante participated, but you should understand the risks."
I nodded.
"I do."
"Has he asked you to sign anything?"
"No."
"Has he pressured you to go anywhere?"
"No."
"Has he threatened you?"
I shook my head.
"He's been helping."
Detective Mitchell studied me.
"Then keep making your own decisions. Don't surrender that just because someone has money or influence."
Her words stayed with me.
Later that night, I returned to Toby's room.
He was drawing superheroes.
"Ellie?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you think Dad was a good person?"
I froze.
"What made you ask that?"
Toby shrugged.
"I heard you talking."
I sat beside him.
"I don't know everything about Dad yet."
He looked down.
"Sometimes I wish I knew him."
My throat tightened.
"Me too."
Then Toby reached beneath his pillow.
"I have something."
He handed me a small photograph.
It showed Mom standing outside a house with a dark-haired man.
Adrian.
But there was someone else in the picture.
A teenage boy.
Tall.
Gray-eyed.
Wearing a school uniform.
I recognized him instantly.
Dante Vancel.
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On the back, Mom had written:
Adrian trusted Dante before anyone knew who he would become.
