Chapter 5 - THE WOMAN WHO CONTROLLED EVERYTHING
Eleanor Thorne arrived at Mercer Memorial voluntarily.
That surprised everyone.
Marcus expected lawyers.
Denials.
A private jet.
Instead, his mother entered Adrian’s office alone and placed her handbag on the table.
“Before you accuse me,” she said, “listen.”
Marcus stood opposite her.
“My daughter was hidden in a house owned by your foundation.”
“Yes.”
“You knew she existed.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
“Since before she was born.”
Khloe looked as though she might cross the room and strike her.
Marcus gently touched her shoulder.
Not to silence her.
To remind her she was not alone.
Eleanor continued.
“Vittorio came to me eighteen months ago.”
“Before Khloe’s miscarriage?”
“Yes.”
“What did he want?”
“To enforce the agreement Harrison made with him.”
“The marriage arrangement.”
“Yes.”
“I refused Isabella.”
“You did.”
“So?”
“Vittorio said the family line still needed protection.”
Marcus laughed bitterly.
“Protection.”
“He believed the Thorne fortune would fracture if you married outside the families we knew.”
“Khloe.”
“Yes.”
Khloe stared.
“So you helped him steal my genetic material?”
“No.”
“Then explain Amelia.”
Eleanor closed her eyes.
“I learned about Amelia after the pregnancy began.”
“Whose pregnancy?”
“A surrogate.”
“Name.”
“Claire Donovan.”
Adrian immediately searched.
Claire Donovan.
Thirty-two.
Former nurse.
Current address unknown.
“Where is she?”
“I don’t know.”
“Did she willingly participate?”
“I believe she thought it was a legal surrogacy.”
Marcus felt sick.
“How did Vittorio obtain Khloe’s egg?”
Eleanor looked at Voss’s records.
“I don’t know.”
“Stop lying.”
“I’m not.”
“Then why hide Amelia?”
“Because when I discovered what they had done, Vittorio wanted the child placed with Isabella.”
Khloe stared.
“What?”
Eleanor nodded.
“Isabella would raise Amelia privately. Then after you and Marcus eventually separated—”
“We weren’t separating.”
“That was their assumption.”
“Why?”
“Because they planned to make sure you did.”
Marcus felt his hands curl into fists.
The car accident.
The medication.
The pressure.
Every event had been designed to destabilize them.
Eleanor continued.
“Eventually Isabella would present Amelia as Marcus’s biological daughter.”
“And then?”
“Marriage.”
Marcus laughed without humor.
“They thought I would marry Isabella because she had my child.”
“Yes.”
Khloe whispered:
“A child they created.”
“Yes.”
“And you helped?”
“I hid Amelia from them.”
“At your house.”
“To protect her.”
“You also hid her from us.”
Eleanor’s face broke.
“I thought telling you would destroy your marriage.”
Khloe stood.
“You keep calling secrets protection.”
Eleanor looked at her.
“I know.”
“No, you don’t.”
Khloe’s voice trembled.
“You let me spend a year grieving. You watched me blame my body. You watched Marcus hold me through nightmares. And all that time you knew someone had stolen pieces of us to create a child.”
Eleanor cried silently.
“You don’t get to call that protection.”
Marcus had never been prouder of his wife.
Eleanor whispered:
“You’re right.”
Then Marcus asked:
“Why did you give Amelia to Julian?”
“Because Vittorio found the house.”
“When?”
“Yesterday.”
“So you trusted Julian?”
“Yes.”
“After hiding him from me?”
“I didn’t hide him initially.”
“You destroyed his letter.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Julian was angry.”
“He had reasons.”
“He wanted revenge.”
“Did he threaten Khloe?”
“No.”
“Then why did you tell me he did?”
Eleanor looked ashamed.
“Because I wanted you afraid of him.”
Marcus stared.
“Why?”
“If you met Julian, everything would come out.”
“Everything is coming out anyway.”
“Yes.”
Eleanor looked older than sixty-two.
“That’s why I’m here.”
Then she revealed the secret that changed the entire case.
Julian was not working with Vittorio.
He had spent six years investigating him.
After Harrison’s death, Julian discovered payments to Voss.
He believed Voss had been involved in his adoption.
Following the money led him to Vittorio.
Then Isabella.
Then Amelia.
“He came to me three months ago,” Eleanor said.
“The day Khloe saw him at the gate.”
“Yes.”
“What did he want?”
“To tell you everything.”
“And you stopped him.”
“I begged him to give me time.”
“Why?”
“Because Vittorio had threatened Amelia.”
Marcus stared.
“How?”
“He said if the truth came out, the child would disappear permanently.”
Khloe sat slowly.
“Where is she now?”
“Julian would take her somewhere Harrison never knew.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
Marcus’s phone rang.
Julian.
He answered.
“Let me speak to her.”
“You want to speak to a toddler?”
“I want to hear my daughter.”
Silence.
Then a small voice came through.
“Hello?”
Marcus stopped breathing.
Khloe covered her mouth.
Marcus put the phone on speaker.
“Hi, Amelia.”
“Who?”
His eyes filled.
“My name is Marcus.”
“Okay.”
Khloe began crying.
A child’s voice.
Nothing dramatic.
Everything.
“Are you safe?”
“Yes.”
“Is Uncle Julian with you?”
Julian had apparently already assigned himself a title.
“Yes.”
“Can you give him the phone?”
“Okay.”
Rustling.
Then Julian returned.
“She’s safe.”
“Where?”
“I’m not telling you over a phone.”
“Then meet me.”
“Not while Vittorio still has people inside your security.”
Marcus froze.
“Who?”
“That’s your next problem.”
“Name.”
“I only know one.”
“Who?”
Julian answered:
“David Crane.”
Marcus stared.
David Crane had led Thorne family security for fourteen years.
He had been outside Khloe’s hospital suite that night.
“Proof?”
“I’ll send it.”
A file arrived.
Bank transfers.
Photographs.
Messages.
David had been paid by a Rossi shell company.
Marcus immediately called police.
David was gone.
His apartment was empty.
His phone disconnected.
Then Adrian rushed into the office.
“We have another problem.”
“What?”
“Khloe’s medication.”
Khloe looked at him.
“What about it?”
“The vial Isabella switched.”
“You tested it?”
“Yes.”
“What was inside?”
Adrian hesitated.
“A harmless saline solution.”
Everyone stopped.
Marcus stared.
“Then Isabella wasn’t trying to hurt Khloe with that switch.”
“No.”
Khloe frowned.
“Why would she replace my medication with something harmless?”
Marcus understood first.
“She was protecting her.”
Adrian nodded.
The security footage suddenly looked different.
Isabella had entered with Voss.
She paid him.
She switched the vial.
Then later attacked Khloe.
Two contradictory acts.
Unless the attack itself had another purpose.
Marcus remembered Isabella saying:
You were supposed to give him an heir and disappear.
Maybe she had not been threatening Khloe.
Maybe she had been repeating someone else’s plan.
Then police called.
Isabella wanted to speak.
Only to Khloe.
Against Marcus’s objections, Khloe agreed.
Isabella appeared behind reinforced glass.
No emerald gown now.
Gray clothing.
No makeup.
She looked exhausted.
Khloe picked up the phone.
“Why did you switch my medication?”
Isabella closed her eyes.
“Because the original vial would have put you into premature labor.”
Khloe froze.
“Who prepared it?”
“My father.”
“Why shove me?”
Isabella started crying.
“Because he was watching.”
“What?”
“Your suite camera wasn’t the only camera.”
Khloe stared.
“My father had David install a feed.”
Marcus’s blood chilled.
Isabella continued.
“He told me if I didn’t prove I was still following his plan, he would take Amelia and disappear.”
“You knew about her?”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I was trying to find her.”
Khloe’s anger remained.
“You could have killed my baby when you shoved me.”
“I know.”
“Then why should I believe anything you say?”
“You shouldn’t.”
Isabella wiped her face.
“But you need to believe this.”
“What?”
“My father doesn’t need Marcus anymore.”
Khloe’s hand tightened around the phone.
“Why?”
“Because Amelia is the older heir.”
Silence.
“And he has a DNA test proving it.”
Khloe felt cold.
Isabella leaned toward the glass.
“Vittorio isn’t trying to control your unborn son anymore.”
May you like
She swallowed.
“He’s trying to make sure Amelia becomes the only surviving Thorne heir.”
