Chapter 9 - The Guest List
Elena entered the New Year’s party wearing the face of another woman.
The disguise was not perfect, but perfection was unnecessary among wealthy people trained to avoid staring. A dark wig changed the shape of her face. Cosmetic adhesive lifted her cheeks. Green contact lenses covered the gray eyes she shared with Julian.
Her invitation identified her as Adriana Vélez, representative of a private Swiss bank.
Daniel entered separately as a legal adviser to Senator Francisco Vale.
Neither had been able to contact official federal units without alerting the compromised officers inside the investigation. Daniel trusted only one agent, Mara Bell, who had agreed to organize a small tactical team once they obtained direct proof that Julian was alive.
Until then, Elena and Daniel were alone.
The ballroom glittered with gold ribbons and mirrored decorations.
Lorena moved among the guests, smiling as if no prisoner lay beneath their feet.
Victor stood near the staircase drinking water.
Elena watched him.
He looked thinner than she remembered. Older. His eyes repeatedly moved toward the basement corridor.
Daniel approached with two glasses.
“Three private security teams,” he murmured. “Lorena’s men, the senator’s detail, and another group using government credentials.”
“The Circle?”
“Possibly.”
“Where is Mara?”
“Five minutes away.”
Elena scanned the room.
A string quartet played near the windows. Waiters carried champagne. Large screens displayed the final minutes before midnight.
Near the fireplace stood a man Elena recognized from Gabriel’s private records.
Sebastián Vale, the senator’s younger brother.
Officially, Sebastián managed a charitable hospital network.
Unofficially, seven Aurelia subjects had disappeared from his clinics.
“He’s here,” Elena said.
Daniel followed her gaze.
“He never attends public parties.”
“He isn’t here for Lorena.”
“He’s here for the signature.”
Elena moved through the crowd.
As she passed Victor, she whispered, “The blue room still remembers you.”
Victor dropped his glass.
It shattered across the floor.
Guests turned.
Elena continued walking without looking back.
Minutes later, Victor followed her into the library.
He locked the door.
“Elena?”
She removed one contact lens.
Victor stared into the familiar gray eye.
“You are alive.”
“No thanks to Lorena.”
“I didn’t kill you.”
“You helped arrange the car.”
“I believed they would move you.”
“They did. They moved me to a clinic where a doctor tried to erase six months of my memory.”
Victor looked away.
Elena grabbed his arm.
“Where is Julian?”
“Basement.”
“Is he alive?”
“Yes.”
“Can he walk?”
“Barely.”
“Then help me remove him.”
Victor shook his head.
“You don’t understand what is happening.”
“I understand enough.”
“No. Lorena thinks the signature transfers the trust to her. Sebastián thinks it transfers the trust to the Circle. Neither of them knows Gabriel changed the final authorization.”
“To what?”
Victor looked toward the ceiling.
“A bloodline disclosure.”
Elena’s grip loosened.
“What does that mean?”
“When Julian signs, Aurelia Nine will identify every living subject connected to the original program.”
“All nine?”
“More than nine.”
“How many?”
Victor’s voice dropped.
“Hundreds.”
Elena stared at him.
“Gabriel expanded it?”
“No. The Circle did.”
A knock sounded at the library door.
Victor stepped away.
“Lorena is watching me.”
“Then give me the basement key.”
“I can’t.”
“Victor.”
“If I release Julian before the authorization begins, they will kill everyone in this house to contain the evidence.”
Elena studied him.
“You are still protecting yourself.”
“Yes,” he said. “But not only myself.”
He handed her a folded paper.
It was a list of names.
Children.
Each listed beside a hospital and a date.
Elena recognized the facilities.
Schools, orphanages, clinics.
Active Aurelia sites.
“Where did you get this?”
“From Isabella.”
“Our mother is dead.”
Victor met her eyes.
“No, Elena.”
Her breath stopped.
“Where is she?”
“She has been in this house for three days.”
The library lights went out.
May you like
A woman’s voice spoke from the darkness.
“That is enough, Victor.”
