Chapter 8 - The Lie Hidden Inside the Blood
Adrian moved away first.
He walked to the edge of the road and stood with his back toward them.
Isabella watched him.
The world seemed to narrow until all she could hear was the distant sound of security vehicles moving through the estate.
“You said the listed man cannot be my father,” she said to Dr. Ross.
“That is correct.”
“So Adrian and I are not related?”
“Your genetic results do not match what we would expect if his father were also yours.”
“Then why would Margaret create a record saying he was?”
“To prevent you from claiming your inheritance,” Adrian said without turning around.
Isabella looked at him.
He faced them again.
“If a relationship between us were declared illegal, our marriage could be challenged. The trust’s heir clause might also be disputed.”
Dr. Ross nodded.
“That may be the purpose.”
“But why choose Adrian’s father?” Elena asked. “Why not invent another man?”
“Because it would destroy more than the inheritance,” Adrian said.
Isabella understood.
“It would destroy us.”
Adrian met her eyes.
“Yes.”
The doctor opened her bag.
“I managed to preserve a partial genetic report before the sample was taken. It proves the listed paternity is false, but it does not identify Isabella’s biological father.”
“Can another test identify him?” Isabella asked.
“Only if we have a sample to compare.”
Adrian looked toward the villa.
“My father’s remains could be tested.”
“No,” Isabella said. “You just said the report already excludes him.”
“I want proof no court can ignore.”
“You want proof for yourself.”
He did not deny it.
Elena touched Isabella’s arm.
“We need to leave before Margaret finds us.”
Dr. Ross had a vehicle waiting farther down the road. They drove toward the Vale family cemetery, hidden behind the abandoned monastery north of the estate.
During the journey, Isabella sat beside Adrian but did not touch him.
She understood why he needed certainty.
She also hated that Margaret’s lie had placed doubt between them.
At the cemetery, they found Sebastian Vale’s memorial stone at the center of a circular garden.
Elena knelt and examined the base.
“There.”
A small iron plate was hidden beneath ivy.
Adrian used a pocketknife to loosen the screws.
Behind the plate was a narrow compartment.
It was empty.
Elena stared into it.
“My mother said the ledger was here.”
“Someone found it first,” Adrian said.
Isabella noticed scratches around the compartment.
“They are recent.”
Footsteps approached through the trees.
Adrian positioned himself between the sound and Isabella.
A young man emerged.
He wore a dark suit, and a scar crossed his left eyebrow.
Isabella recognized him as Daniel Cross, Adrian’s head of corporate security.
Adrian did not lower his guard.
“Who sent you?”
“Not your mother.”
“Then why are you here?”
Daniel removed a leather ledger from beneath his jacket.
“Because Rosa Maren asked me to bring you this.”
Elena froze.
“My mother is alive?”
“Yes.”
“Where is she?”
“In a private facility outside the city.”
“Take me to her.”
“I cannot.”
Elena stepped forward angrily.
“You will.”
Daniel held up one hand.
“Margaret has monitored Rosa for twenty-eight years. If I lead you there now, Margaret’s people will follow.”
Adrian looked at the ledger.
“What does it contain?”
“Payments, medical records, false death certificates, and the original trust amendments.”
“Why did Rosa give it to you?”
“She did not trust anyone connected to the Vale family.”
“Yet you work for us.”
“I worked for your father before I worked for you.”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“My father died when you were a teenager.”
Daniel’s eyes remained steady.
“I was not always Daniel Cross.”
He looked toward Isabella.
“My name at birth was Gabriel Catherine Vale.”
Isabella felt the cemetery tilt around her.
“Catherine’s baby was recorded as a girl.”
Daniel shook his head.
“No. Catherine had twins.”
He pointed toward Isabella.
“You were taken away.”
May you like
Then he placed one hand against his own chest.
“And I was kept.”
