Chapter 4 - THE NAME HE STOLE
Mabel stared at Selina.
“Elias Mercer?”
Selina nodded.
“He was Richard’s most trusted operative.”
Edward stepped between them.
“Why would he steal Flynn’s identity?”
“Because Richard needed someone who could marry Mabel without raising suspicion.”
Mabel’s stomach twisted.
“So the man I married was assigned to me?”
“Yes.”
“For eight years?”
“Yes.”
“Did he ever love me?”
Selina looked down.
“That is the one thing I don't know.”
Mabel laughed bitterly.
“Neither do I.”
The tunnel door opened.
A man entered.
Not Flynn.
A police detective.
He raised both hands.
“I'm not here to hurt anyone.”
Edward recognized him.
“Detective Harris.”
Harris nodded.
“I've been investigating Richard Vance for six years.”
Mabel stared.
“You knew?”
“I suspected.”
“Then why didn't you tell me?”
“Because every witness who tried to expose Richard disappeared.”
Selina stepped closer.
“I found the records.”
She handed Mabel the flash drive.
“Everything is on there.”
Mabel plugged it into an old laptop.
Files appeared.
Payments.
Shell corporations.
Hospital records.
Travel documents.
Then one file stopped her.
PROJECT HEIR.
She opened it.
The first page contained her name.
SUBJECT: MABEL CARMICHAEL
The second contained her wedding date.
The third contained Flynn’s photograph.
The fourth contained a medical report.
Mabel's hands shook.
“Why was I being monitored?”
Harris answered.
“Because Richard believed your family trust could only be transferred through your biological child.”
Mabel looked down.
Her baby.
The file continued.
Pregnancy required.
Her face went pale.
“They planned my pregnancy?”
Selina shook her head.
“Not exactly.”
Mabel looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
“The fertility treatment you received three years ago.”
Mabel froze.
She remembered.
She had undergone treatment after months of unsuccessful attempts to conceive.
Flynn had insisted on a private clinic.
He had handled every appointment.
Every bill.
Every medical record.
Mabel whispered:
“He chose the clinic.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Selina looked away.
“Because the embryo wasn't yours.”
Mabel stopped breathing.
“What?”
Edward grabbed the file.
“No.”
Harris read the document.
“Embryo transfer.”
Mabel's knees weakened.
“My baby…”
Selina stepped toward her.
“Your daughter is biologically connected to the Carmichael Trust.”
Mabel stared.
“What does that mean?”
“It means Richard wanted a child who could legally inherit your family’s controlling assets.”
“But why use my DNA?”
“They didn't.”
Mabel’s eyes filled with horror.
“My baby isn't mine?”
Selina shook her head.
“No. Your daughter is yours.”
Mabel exhaled.
“But her father…”
Selina hesitated.
Mabel understood.
“Who?”
Selina whispered:
“The real Flynn Vance.”
Silence.
Mabel stared at her.
“The real Flynn?”
“He wasn't killed.”
“Where is he?”
Selina pointed toward the laptop.
A video file appeared.
Mabel clicked it.
A young man appeared on the screen.
He looked frightened.
“My name is Flynn Vance.”
Mabel covered her mouth.
“I was forced into hiding because Richard discovered that I knew the truth.”
The video continued.
“The woman you call Mabel is not the target.”
Mabel frowned.
“What?”
Flynn looked directly into the camera.
“She is the only person who can stop him.”
Then the video cut.
A new message appeared.
TRANSFER COMPLETE.
Mabel looked at her bank account.
Millions had moved.
Someone had triggered a transaction.
Edward stared at the screen.
“Richard.”
Mabel shook her head.
“No.”
She looked at Selina.
“Elias.”
Selina’s face went pale.
“He has access to everything.”
Mabel suddenly understood.
The man she married had never needed her trust.
He needed her signature.
And he had spent eight years patiently collecting it.
Then Mabel received one final message.
Come home, Mabel.
May you like
Bring your father.
Or your daughter will never know who her real father is.
