Chapter 13 - THE FIRST HEIR
For several seconds, nobody moved.
The woman stood inside the open vault as if she had walked out of a nightmare that had been waiting thirty years to end.
She was older than Evelyn.
Older than me.
Her dark hair was streaked with silver, but her emerald eyes were unmistakable.
Thorne eyes.
My eyes.
Evelyn stared at her.
“Who are you?”
The woman looked at her.
Then at me.
“My name is Victoria.”
My father took one step backward.
“Victoria…”
She smiled.
“You remember me.”
He looked terrified.
I had never seen my father afraid.
Not when federal agents surrounded his empire.
Not when his men turned against him.
Not even when I burned his ledger.
But now his hands were trembling.
I stepped forward.
“You're my sister.”
Victoria nodded.
“Half sister.”
“Older?”
“Much older.”
“How old?”
She smiled sadly.
“Old enough to remember the night your father tried to kill me.”
The room went silent.
Evelyn looked at our father.
“You told me I was the first.”
“I lied.”
My father's voice was barely audible.
Victoria laughed.
“You lied to everyone.”
She walked toward him.
“You told Vincent I was dead.”
“You were supposed to be.”
Her expression hardened.
“You should choose your words carefully.”
My father looked at me.
“She was never supposed to survive.”
I felt Chloe's hand tighten around mine.
“Why?”
My father didn't answer.
Victoria did.
“Because I knew what he was building.”
She pointed toward the servers.
“The second empire.”
Then toward the documents.
“The third.”
Finally, she pointed at herself.
“And the organization behind both.”
I stared at her.
“What organization?”
Victoria's expression became cold.
“The people who actually financed your family.”
Marcus swore under his breath.
“You mean the syndicate?”
She nodded.
“The people your father served before he became powerful enough to betray them.”
My stomach tightened.
“So my father wasn't the king.”
“No.”
Victoria looked at him.
“He was an employee.”
The words struck harder than any accusation.
My father had spent his entire life believing himself untouchable.
But he had been serving someone.
Someone more powerful.
“Who are they?” I asked.
Victoria looked at Chloe.
“That's why they took her.”
My blood turned cold.
“What?”
“The syndicate discovered that you destroyed the Thorne empire.”
She paused.
“Then they discovered you had custody of the child who triggered the entire chain of events.”
Chloe looked up at me.
“What did I do?”
I knelt.
“Nothing.”
Victoria's expression softened.
“You did more than you know.”
She crouched in front of Chloe.
“You reminded Vincent that he was human.”
Chloe frowned.
“Is that important?”
Victoria smiled.
“Very.”
My father suddenly moved.
He reached beneath his jacket.
I drew my weapon.
“Don't.”
He stopped.
For the first time, he looked old.
Not powerful.
Not frightening.
Just old.
“You don't understand,” he said.
“Then explain.”
“If the syndicate believes Victoria is alive, they'll come.”
“Let them.”
“They won't come for me.”
He looked at Chloe.
“They'll come for her.”
I stepped in front of Chloe.
“No.”
My father looked at me.
“You still think this is about money.”
“It's not.”
“It never was.”
He pointed at Victoria.
“She knows.”
Victoria nodded.
“They want the bloodline.”
I frowned.
“What bloodline?”
Victoria looked at Evelyn.
Then me.
Then Chloe.
“They believe the Thorne family has something that belongs to them.”
“What?”
Victoria reached into her coat and removed an old envelope.
She handed it to me.
Inside was a photograph.
My mother.
Dominic.
Victoria.
And a baby.
I turned it over.
There was handwriting on the back.
The child must never be found.
I looked at Victoria.
“Who is the baby?”
Victoria's eyes filled with tears.
“You.”
I froze.
“What?”
She shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed at the photograph.
“The baby is your mother’s fourth child.”
My father's face went pale.
“Enough.”
Victoria turned.
“You're still afraid of him?”
“No.”
She looked at me.
“I'm afraid of what he will do if you learn the rest.”
I stared at my father.
“What rest?”
He closed his eyes.
Then whispered:
“Your mother had four children.”
I felt the world tilt.
“Four?”
“You.”
“Evelyn.”
“Victoria.”
“And the fourth?”
My father said nothing.
Victoria answered.
“Dead.”
I looked at the photograph.
The baby.
“Then why are they looking for the child?”
“Because the child wasn't dead.”
Silence.
Chloe squeezed my hand.
I looked at Victoria.
“Where is he?”
She hesitated.
“It's a she.”
My heart stopped.
“Where?”
Victoria looked toward the vault door.
“Chicago.”
We escaped through a service tunnel beneath the estate.
By the time we reached the surface, federal agents had surrounded the property.
Special Agent Daniel Mercer was waiting.
He approached with his weapon drawn.
“Vincent.”
“Where's Chloe?”
“With me.”
His eyes moved to Victoria.
Then Evelyn.
Then Dominic.
Finally, my father.
Mercer looked confused.
“I thought this family was finished.”
Victoria smiled.
“So did everyone.”
Mercer lowered his weapon.
“Who are you?”
“Someone your government spent thirty years believing was dead.”
Mercer stared.
“Victoria Thorne?”
She nodded.
His expression changed.
“Oh, hell.”
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A man's voice spoke.
“You have something that belongs to us.”
I looked at Chloe.
“No.”
“You don't understand.”
“I understand perfectly.”
“You have forty-eight hours.”
“For what?”
“Bring us the fourth child.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who are you?”
The voice laughed.
“You're asking the wrong question.”
“What should I ask?”
“Why did your mother hide her from everyone?”
The line went dead.
I looked at Victoria.
She was crying.
“What?”
She whispered:
“Because she wasn't trying to protect the baby from your father.”
May you like
She looked toward Chicago.
“She was protecting the world from what the baby carried.”
