THE SON THEY BURIED WAS THEIR ONLY HEIR

Chapter Fifty Six: The Office They Sealed —

By nightfall, Ashcroft Group had become a fortress.

Security personnel stood at every entrance.

Employees had been sent home.

The executive floors were locked.

Victor Ashcroft had made sure that all internal systems were put on high alert and given emergency protection.

Damian stood across the street, watching the tower.

“It's strange.”

Benedict looked at him.

“What?”

“I've worked there my entire adult life.”

He stared at the building.

“Tonight it feels like I don't know the place at all.”

Benedict's expression remained calm.

“Sometimes a building tells you what a family refuses to say.”

Damian looked at him.

"Do you really believe the sealed office has the original document that shows who's next in line?"

“Yes.”

“And you think Victor knows?”

I believe your dad is aware of more than he's letting on.

“That isn't an answer.”

“No.”

Benedict looked toward the tower.

“It's the safest answer I can give you.”

Damian almost smiled.

“You're becoming just like him.”

Benedict's eyes narrowed.

“I hope not.”

They crossed the street.

Mercer remained in the car.

He had refused to enter.

Damian noticed.

“You're not coming?”

Mercer shook his head.

“Someone needs to remain outside.”

Benedict studied him.

“Or you're afraid of what you'll find.”

Mercer looked away.

“That too.”

Benedict didn't press him.

The three men had agreed on one thing.

They would enter through the old service entrance.

The access card still worked.

That alone made Damian uncomfortable.

He swiped it.

The door opened.

They stepped inside.

The lobby was dark.

Only emergency lights remained.

Damian looked around.

“No guards.”

Benedict shook his head.

“That's deliberate.”

“How do you know?”

Victor would never leave the building so open to risk.

They moved through the lower corridor.

Every security camera followed them.

Damian noticed.

“They know we're here.”

“Yes.”

“Then why aren't they stopping us?”

Benedict didn't answer.

They reached the private elevator.

Damian pressed the button.

Nothing happened.

He tried again.

The display changed.

ACCESS DENIED.

Benedict examined the panel.

“Your grandfather's private elevator required two authorizations.”

“Victor and Eleanor?”

“No.”

Damian frowned.

“Then who?”

Benedict looked at him.

“That's what we're about to discover.”

He removed a small device from his coat.

Damian stared.

“You came prepared.”

“I came expecting locked doors.”

Benedict connected the device.

The panel flickered.

Then it opened.

Damian looked impressed.

“What exactly do you do?”

Benedict disconnected the device.

“Too many things.”

The elevator doors opened.

They stepped inside.

The elevator began moving upward.

Past the executive floors.

Past the boardroom.

Past the chairman's office.

Then stopped.

The doors opened into a dark corridor.

Damian stared.

“I've never seen this floor.”

“Most people haven't.”

Benedict stepped out.

At the far end of the corridor, there was only one door, made of steel, standing all by itself.

No sign.

No number.

Only the Ashcroft crest.

Damian walked toward it.

As he drew nearer, the symbol started to look really familiar.

Then he noticed something beneath it.

A second symbol had been carved into the metal.

A simple geometric design.

Benedict stopped.

Damian looked at him.

“You recognize it.”

Benedict's face remained unreadable.

“No.”

“You're lying.”

Benedict touched the symbol.

His fingers remained there for several seconds.

Then he withdrew his hand.

“Let's open the door.”

Damian studied him but said nothing.

There was no visible lock.

Only a narrow indentation beneath the crest.

Damian remembered the key Mercer had given them.

He took it from his pocket.

Benedict looked at him.

“Try it.”

Damian inserted the key.

It turned.

The steel door opened.

Cold air rushed out.

Inside was an office untouched by time.

A wooden desk.

Leather chairs.

Shelves filled with documents.

An old telephone.

And photographs covering one entire wall.

Damian walked inside.

His breathing slowed.

“This was my grandfather's office.”

“Yes.”

“But everything looks like he left yesterday.”

Benedict examined the room.

“Because someone kept it preserved.”

Damian walked toward the desk.

A nameplate remained on it.

VICTOR ASHCROFT — FOUNDER

Damian frowned.

“My father wasn't the founder.”

“No.”

“Then why does this say founder?”

Benedict looked at the desk.

“Because your grandfather wanted the world to believe the empire began with him.”

Damian opened the first drawer.

Empty.

Second.

Empty.

Third,

Locked.

He looked at Benedict.

“Another hidden compartment.”

Benedict nodded.

Damian searched the desk.

Nothing.

As he looked closer, he saw a tiny scratch underneath the drawer.

The same geometric symbol.

He pressed it.

The drawer opened.

Inside was a sealed black envelope.

Damian took it out.

His hands trembled slightly.

There was no name.

Only one sentence.

FOR THE PERSON WHO FINDS OUT WHY THE NAME WAS REMOVED.

Damian looked at Benedict.

“That's you.”

Benedict didn't respond.

Damian opened the envelope.

Inside was a single document.

The paper was old.

The name at the end was Victor's dad's.

Damian began reading.

His expression slowly changed.

“What?”

Benedict stepped closer.

Damian handed him the document.

Benedict read it.

Then froze.

“What does it say?” Damian asked.

Benedict didn't answer.

“Benedict.”

He finally looked up.

The original succession was never passed on in a permanent way.

Damian stared.

“Then who held it?”

Benedict looked back at the document.

“The Ashcroft family held it in trust.”

“For whom?”

Benedict's eyes moved to the final paragraph.

“For the surviving member of the original bloodline.”

Damian's heart began pounding.

“Who?”

Benedict remained silent.

Damian took the document back.

At the bottom was a handwritten note.

He read it aloud.

When the original family line comes back, the person who was in charge temporarily has to give up their power.

Damian looked at Benedict.

“Temporary heir.”

“Yes.”

“That means my family.”

“Yes.”

“And if the original bloodline returns…”

Benedict looked toward the photographs on the wall.

“Then everything changes.”

Damian turned.

One photograph had fallen from the wall.

He picked it up.

It showed Victor as a young man.

Beside him stood Eleanor.

And beside Eleanor—

a woman Damian had never seen before.

He stared at her face.

Something about her seemed familiar.

Benedict took the photograph from him.

His expression changed instantly.

“Where did you get this?”

“It fell.”

Benedict stared at the woman.

Damian noticed his hands trembling.

“You know her.”

Benedict didn't answer.

“Who is she?”

Benedict looked at the photograph again.

Then whispered,

“I've spent twenty-five years trying to remember her.”

Damian's eyes widened.

“You knew her?”

“I knew her before I became Benedict Vandross.”

The room fell silent.

Damian stepped closer.

“Then she is connected to your origin.”

Benedict looked at him.

“Yes.”

Just as Damian was about to ask something else, the lights in the office flickered to life.

A voice came from the doorway.

“You finally found it.”

Damian turned.

Victor stood there.

He was alone.

His expression was not angry.

It was exhausted.

Benedict stared at him.

“You knew we'd come.”

Victor nodded.

“Yes.”

Damian held up the document.

“You knew this existed.”

Victor looked at it.

“Yes.”

“Then why didn't you destroy it?”

Victor's eyes moved to Benedict.

“Because I destroyed enough twenty-five years ago.”

Benedict's expression hardened.

“What did you destroy?”

Victor looked at the photograph in Benedict's hand.

His face changed.

“That photograph.”

Damian frowned.

“Who is she?”

Victor closed his eyes.

“Your grandfather's greatest secret.”

Benedict stepped forward.

“And mine?”

Victor opened his eyes.

“Perhaps both.”

A sudden alarm sounded throughout the building.

Victor looked toward the corridor.

“They know you're here.”

Damian frowned.

“Who?”

Victor's expression darkened.

Those who have been waiting for this document to finally turn up.

The office doors slammed shut.

The lights went red.

Deep within the Ashcroft tower, a sudden burst of activity triggered the emergency locks, and they started to seal off every single exit, one by one, trapping everything inside.

The steel doors slammed shut with a loud clang, the sound of the lock clicking into place echoing through the air.

Damian turned toward them.

“What's happening?”

Victor didn't answer immediately.

He gazed at the picture Benedict was holding.

Benedict noticed.

“You know her.”

Victor's jaw tightened.

“I knew of her.”

“That isn't what I asked.”

Victor looked at him.

“She was important to your grandfather.”

Benedict's expression hardened.

“How?”

Victor hesitated.

“Because she knew the truth about the succession.”

Damian stepped forward.

“What truth?”

Victor looked at him.

The secret your grandfather dedicated his life to keeping hidden.

A second alarm sounded.

Damian looked toward the ceiling.

“Can we get out?”

Victor shook his head.

“Not until the security system releases the lockdown.”

“Who controls it?”

Victor's eyes moved toward the wall.

“Someone else.”

Benedict understood immediately.

“Magnus.”

Victor didn't answer.

Damian stared at him.

“You gave Magnus access?”

“No.”

“Then how does he control the building?”

Victor's expression hardened.

“He doesn't control the building.”

“Then who does?”

Victor looked toward Benedict.

Someone who has more experience in the company than Magnus.

The answer unsettled Damian.

He turned toward the desk.

“Then we need to find out who.”

He placed the succession document on the desk.

Benedict looked at it.

“There's something missing.”

Damian frowned.

“What?”

“The final page.”

Victor's expression changed.

Damian noticed.

“You know where it is.”

Victor remained silent.

“Father.”

Nothing.

“Tell me.”

Victor finally spoke.

“Your grandfather kept the final page separately.”

“Where?”

“In the family vault.”

Damian stared at him.

“The vault under the manor?”

Victor nodded.

Benedict looked at him.

“Then why didn't you tell us?”

The vault is designed to need two people to open it.

“Who?”

Victor hesitated.

“You.”

Benedict's eyes narrowed.

“And who else?”

Victor looked at Damian.

“You.”

Damian stared at him.

“Why me?”

Your grandfather made some changes to who can access things before he passed away.

Benedict took a step forward.

“Why would he give Damian access?”

Victor's voice became quiet.

“Because he believed you would never come back.”

Benedict's expression tightened.

“And if I did?”

Victor looked directly at him.

He thought Damian would be the one to open the vault with you, not someone else.

Silence filled the room.

Damian looked at Benedict.

The idea was unsettling.

His grandfather had planned for a future none of them had understood.

A future in which Benedict returned.

A future in which Damian stood beside him.

A future in which the truth would finally become unavoidable.

The lights flickered.

Then the office doors unlocked.

Victor looked toward them.

“We have less than five minutes.”

“Before what?”

“The security system resets.”

“And then?”

“We won't be able to leave this floor.”

Damian picked up the document.

“Then let's go.”

Victor stopped him.

“You can't take that.”

Damian looked at him.

“Why?”

“Because it belongs in the vault.”

“No.”

Damian held it tighter.

“It's evidence.”

Victor's eyes hardened.

“It's dangerous.”

“Good.”

Benedict stepped between them.

“Damian is right.”

Victor looked at him.

“You don't know what you're carrying.”

“No.”

Benedict's voice remained calm.

“But I know what happens when powerful families decide the truth is too dangerous to survive.”

Victor said nothing.

Benedict turned toward the door.

“Let's move.”

They reached the elevator.

The doors opened.

Damian entered first.

Victor followed.

Benedict remained outside.

Damian looked at him.

“What?”

Benedict was staring at the hallway.

Someone was standing at the far end.

A security officer.

Motionless.

Watching them.

“Benedict?”

The officer quickly spun around and vanished from sight, disappearing around the corner in an instant.

Benedict stepped into the elevator.

“Close the doors.”

Damian pressed the button.

The doors shut.

Nobody spoke.

The elevator began descending.

Victor stared at the floor.

Damian watched him.

“You knew Benedict was alive.”

Victor didn't answer.

“You knew he had a claim.”

Still nothing.

You were aware that my grandfather had expected him to come back.

Victor finally looked at him.

“I knew pieces.”

“You knew enough.”

“Yes.”

“Why didn't you tell me?”

Victor's voice became tired.

“Because knowing the truth doesn't always protect a family.”

Damian shook his head.

“Maybe hiding it destroyed ours.”

Victor looked at Benedict.

“You don't understand what happened twenty-five years ago.”

Benedict's eyes remained cold.

“Then tell me.”

Victor looked away.

“I can't.”

Benedict's jaw tightened.

“Still.”

The elevator stopped.

The doors opened.

They entered the underground passage beneath Ashcroft Manor.

The family vault was at the end.

Two biometric panels stood beside the steel door.

Damian looked at Victor.

“Who designed this?”

“Your grandfather.”

Benedict studied the panels.

“Blood and identity.”

Victor nodded.

Damian placed his hand against the first scanner.

A light turned green.

Benedict stepped forward.

The second scanner activated.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then—

ACCESS VERIFIED.

The vault opened.

Damian stared.

Inside were shelves of documents, jewelry, old photographs, property deeds, and sealed boxes.

At the center stood a small iron chest.

Victor stopped.

“That is it.”

Benedict walked toward the chest.

Damian followed.

There was a single inscription on the lid.

THE SUCCESSION ENDS WHERE THE TRUTH BEGINS.

Damian looked at Benedict.

“Open it.”

Benedict lifted the lid.

Inside was one envelope.

No gold.

No money.

No weapons.

Only paper.

Damian took it.

The envelope was addressed to:

THE SURVIVING BLOODLINE.

Benedict stared at it.

His face had become unreadable.

Damian handed it to him.

“You should open it.”

Benedict broke the seal.

Inside was the missing page.

He unfolded it.

His eyes moved across the words.

Then stopped.

Damian waited.

“What does it say?”

Benedict didn't answer.

Victor stepped closer.

“Give it to me.”

Benedict ignored him.

Damian looked over Benedict's shoulder.

The page contained the final succession clause.

It named the original heir.

The name had been hidden on purpose under a piece of old paper.

Damian frowned.

“Why is it covered?”

Benedict touched the edge.

“Because someone didn't want us to read it.”

He carefully lifted the strip.

A name slowly appeared.

Damian's breath caught.

Victor stepped backward.

Eleanor's name was not there.

Neither was Victor's.

Neither was Damian's.

Instead, one word was written beneath the seal.

VANDROSS.

Benedict stared at it.

Damian looked at him.

“So you're the heir?”

Benedict shook his head.

“No.”

Damian frowned.

“What?”

“The name says Vandross.”

He pointed at the page.

“It doesn't say Benedict.”

Victor's face had gone pale.

Benedict turned toward him.

“Who is it?”

Victor said nothing.

Benedict's voice hardened.

“Who is the Vandross heir?”

Victor closed his eyes.

Then came the answer.

“Your mother.”

Benedict froze.

Damian stared at him.

“Your mother?”

Victor nodded.

“She was the original claimant.”

Benedict's breathing changed.

“Who was she?”

Victor looked toward the vault entrance.

“I don't know if I should say.”

Benedict stepped toward him.

"You've kept me in the dark about her for twenty-five years."

His voice broke for the first time.

“I deserve her name.”

Victor looked at him.

Then quietly said,

“Evelyn Vandross.”

Benedict went completely still.

The name hit him like a flashback, trying to cut through all the years of emptiness.

Evelyn.

A woman's voice.

A hand holding his.

Rain against a window.

A promise.

Then nothing.

Benedict closed his eyes.

Damian watched him carefully.

“You remember her.”

Benedict opened his eyes.

“Not enough.”

Victor looked at the document.

“That was why your grandfather feared your return.”

“Because of my mother?”

“No.”

Victor's voice dropped.

“Because your mother left something behind.”

Benedict stared at him.

“What?”

Victor glanced down at the last line of the document, his eyes scanning the words one final time.

“The original voting authority.”

Silence.

Damian slowly understood.

“If Evelyn's claim survived…”

Victor nodded.

“Then whoever carries her bloodline may have a legal claim over part of the Ashcroft structure.”

Benedict looked down at the page.

“Why didn't anyone tell me?”

Victor answered quietly.

It seems like your grandfather had a reason for wanting the claim to just go away, and that reason was connected to her.

Benedict looked up.

“And did it?”

Victor's eyes met his.

“No.”

Suddenly, the vault lights went out.

A voice came through the darkness.

“You should have left the past buried.”

Damian spun around.

“Who's there?”

A slow laugh echoed through the vault.

Then the emergency lights came on.

The vault entrance was empty.

But the document in Benedict's hand was gone.

Damian stared.

“What the—?”

Victor looked toward the shelves.

A second door stood open.

It had been hidden behind the archive cabinets.

Benedict's expression hardened.

“They were already inside.”

Damian ran toward the opening.

On the floor lay a single photograph.

He picked it up.

It showed Evelyn Vandross holding a young child.

The kid wasn't looking at the camera, their face was turned the other way.

There were only five words written on the back of the photograph.

HE WAS NEVER THE ONE THEY BURIED.

Damian looked at Benedict.

Benedict stared at the photograph.

The mystery surrounding Benedict was finally solved, and it was no longer a question of whether he had a claim to Ashcroft.

It was about the child in Evelyn's arms.

And whether that child had survived.