Chapter 5 - THE CHILD WHO INHERITED AN EMPIRE
“No.”
The word came from Gabriel and me at exactly the same time.
Daniel continued.
“Victor changed the family trust twenty years ago.”
Gabriel's expression hardened.
“I've seen the trust.”
“You've seen the amended version.”
“What does the original say?”
“That control passes through the firstborn son of the firstborn surviving male heir.”
Gabriel went still.
Daniel was older.
That made Daniel the firstborn.
But Daniel had no children.
Or so I thought.
Gabriel frowned.
“Then Noah isn't the heir.”
“He is if I legally renounced my claim.”
Silence.
“You did?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Five years ago.”
My stomach tightened.
Exactly when the boys were born.
Gabriel understood too.
“How did you know Claire had children?”
“Miriam.”
I closed my eyes.
Every road returned to her.
Daniel continued.
“Victor had people monitoring medical records. Miriam intercepted enough to learn Claire delivered triplets.”
Gabriel looked toward me.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
Daniel was silent.
Then said,
“Because I didn't trust you.”
Gabriel's face closed.
“You thought I'd give my own sons to Victor?”
“I thought you'd been trained by him.”
That landed hard.
Daniel continued.
“I was wrong.”
Gabriel's voice became quiet.
“When did you decide that?”
“When I watched you dismantle the trafficking routes Father built.”
I looked at Gabriel.
He'd never told me that.
Daniel continued.
“When you shut down three of the most profitable operations because civilians were being hurt, I realized you weren't becoming him.”
Gabriel looked almost embarrassed.
“You've been watching me.”
“Yes.”
“For seventeen years.”
“Yes.”
“That's creepy.”
Even I laughed.
Daniel did too.
For one second, they sounded like brothers again.
Then the seriousness returned.
“Victor discovered Noah's legal status six months ago.”
I felt sick.
“Why now?”
“Because one of Serena's old records surfaced.”
Gabriel turned.
“Serena.”
“Yes.”
“She kept evidence that Claire was pregnant.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Daniel hesitated.
“Leverage.”
Of course.
Gabriel ended the call after arranging a meeting.
I immediately refused.
“No.”
He looked at me.
“We need Daniel.”
“You need Daniel. My children need distance from your insane family.”
His eyes softened.
“You're right.”
I blinked.
I had prepared a better argument.
“You're agreeing?”
“Yes.”
“That is suspicious.”
He almost smiled.
“The boys stay here under maximum security.”
“And me?”
“With them.”
“Gabriel.”
“I'll meet Daniel.”
“Absolutely not.”
His eyebrow rose.
“You just said—”
“I said my children stay away. I didn't say you're walking into an ambush alone.”
His expression changed.
“Claire.”
“Don't.”
I recognized the look.
The one he'd used during our marriage when he wanted to protect me by excluding me.
“You don't get to decide for me anymore.”
He nodded slowly.
“I know.”
That stopped me.
“Good.”
“We go together.”
Daniel chose an abandoned church in Yonkers.
Miriam stood beside him when we entered.
I wanted to hug her.
I wanted to slap her.
I did neither.
She started crying.
“Claire.”
“Not yet.”
She nodded.
Fair.
Daniel looked like an older version of Gabriel.
Same eyes.
Different scars.
“Little brother.”
Gabriel stared at him.
“You look terrible.”
Daniel smiled.
“You always were sentimental.”
Then they hugged.
Briefly.
Hard.
Seventeen years of absence in three seconds.
When they separated, Daniel looked at me.
“I owe you an apology.”
“You owe me several.”
“Yes.”
He opened a metal case.
Inside were documents.
Trust records.
Photographs.
And a video.
Victor Cross appeared on the screen.
Older.
Alive.
Surrounded by men.
He spoke to someone off camera.
“The first boy is the one.”
My stomach twisted.
“Noah,” Victor continued. “The other two are unnecessary.”
Gabriel became terrifyingly still.
Daniel paused the video.
“He intends to take Noah and force you to sign control of the Cross holdings into the original trust.”
“And then?” Gabriel asked.
“Raise him.”
My stomach turned.
“No.”
Daniel looked at me.
“Exactly.”
Miriam stepped forward.
“There's more.”
She handed me a school photograph of Noah.
On the back was a date.
Three weeks ago.
“What?”
Miriam swallowed.
“Victor already tried once.”
My blood froze.
“What do you mean?”
“The afternoon Noah came home late from school.”
I remembered.
He said the school bus had broken down.
“Someone took him?”
“For twenty-two minutes.”
My heart stopped.
Miriam began crying.
“I got him back before he knew what happened.”
“How?”
Her face changed.
“I killed the man who took him.”
Silence filled the church.
Then Daniel looked toward the entrance.
“We need to move.”
“Why?”
He pulled out his phone.
A security alert.
Gabriel's estate.
Gate breached.
My stomach dropped.
“The boys.”
Gabriel was already running.
Then Adrian called.
His voice came through the speaker, frantic.
“Boss, we have a problem.”
Gabriel's face turned white.
May you like
“What?”
“Noah is gone.”
