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CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX: THE DEEP OLD
"The twin separation tradition was created by your great-great-grandfather, Vittorio Castellano, in 1924. But it wasn't a mystical curse or an old-world superstition. It was a business strategy.""I don't follow," Alex said."Vittorio had six sons. Under normal circumstances, dividing his fortune six ways would have diminished the family's power. But if he could ensure that only one son inherited the bulk of the wealth while the others were raised separately, with no knowledge of their inheritance, he could maintain the family's financial position across generations.""That's insane," Alex said."That's capitalism." Diane smiled without humor. "Vittorio's scheme worked brilliantly. He separated three sets of twins, keeping one from each pair and hiding the others in orphanages, foster care, abroad. The 'kept' twins inherited everything. The hidden twins inherited nothing. And none of them knew about their siblings until it was too late to challenge the will."Jonathan was shaking his
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE: THE WOMAN IN THE SHADOWS
The helicopter's rotors sent ripples across puddles on the adjacent building's helipad. Adrian watched the medical team secure Sophia's gurney, Jennifer climbing in beside her daughter, refusing to let go of her hand even as they strapped her in."I'm coming with you," Alex said, moving toward the helicopter."No." Jennifer's voice cut through the rotor noise. "You're staying here. You're fixing this mess. All of it.""Jennifer…""I mean it, Alex. I'm taking our daughter to Switzerland. You're staying here and dealing with your father, your brother, your psychotic grand-uncle, and whatever other family nightmares are about to crawl out of the woodwork." Her eyes were hard. "When I come back, if I come back, I want answers. Real ones. Not the sanitized version you've been feeding me for twelve years."The helicopter lifted before Alex could respond. He stood watching it disappear into the morning sky, his wife and daughter flying away from him toward a country he'd spent years hiding i
CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR: THE HUNTER AND THE HUNTED
The service elevator descended in silence except for the mechanical hum of cables and the steady beep of Sophia's portable monitor. Adrian kept his hand near his phone, ready to call for help if the elevator suddenly stopped.It didn't.They reached the basement level without incident. Vincent checked the corridor—empty except for industrial equipment and the smell of disinfectant."This way," Vincent said, leading them toward a service exit. "The helipad is accessible through the north stairwell."Jennifer pushed Sophia's bed, her jaw set. "How long until the helicopter arrives?""Eight minutes.""And how long until Marcus figures out where we went?""Less than that," Adrian admitted.They moved quickly through the basement corridor. Somewhere above them, the fire alarm continued its piercing wail. The evacuation would be in full chaos now—hundreds of people streaming out of the building, perfect cover for Marcus and his team to move freely."Why is he doing this?" Jennifer asked sud
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE: THE KEEPER OF SECRETS
The Swiss clinic called back at 6:47 AM.Alex watched his father pace the small consultation room adjacent to Sophia's ICU, phone pressed to his ear, speaking in rapid German. Jonathan's expression shifted as he listened, relief, then concern, then something that looked like resignation.He ended the call and turned to face Alex and Adrian."They'll take her. But we need to move within twelve hours. After that, the window closes, her immune system will be too compromised for the treatment to work.""Twelve hours," Jennifer said from the doorway. She'd been listening. "That's not enough time to get all the legal documentation sorted. The courts aren't even open yet.""We're not waiting for the courts." Jonathan pulled out his laptop and opened it on the table. "I've been preparing for this possibility for years. I have everything we need, birth certificates, medical records, DNA evidence. My lawyers are already filing emergency motions in three different jurisdictions. By noon, I'll le
CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO: FAMILY REUNION
For a long moment, no one moved. Alex stared at the man who was supposed to be dead, the father he'd grieved for twelve years, and felt nothing but a vast, hollow confusion where his emotions should be."You're real," Alex said finally. "This isn't another trick. You're actually alive.""I'm actually alive." Jonathan's gaze shifted to Adrian, standing in the doorway. "And you must be Adrian. You look exactly like Alex did at your age. Exactly like I did, too, before life and lies aged me." He smiled without humor. "It's remarkable, isn't it? How genetics work. How you can separate two babies, raise them in completely different environments, and they still grow up to be mirror images of each other.""Don't," Adrian said quietly. "Don't pretend this is some fascinating scientific observation. You threw me away. You let me grow up thinking I was worthless. You destroyed my childhood.""I know. And I'm sorry." Jonathan's voice was steady. "I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry for fo
CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE: THE FORGOTTEN SISTER
"And you grew up being mocked, rejected, treated like trash by your wife's family, by everyone around you who didn't know who you really were," Jonathan countered. "I heard about that too, Alex. I heard how they treated you during those years when you were hiding your identity. So tell me: which childhood was worse? The one where you knew you had billions but couldn't access them? Or the one where you had nothing and didn't know you'd been born to have everything?"Alex wanted to argue. Wanted to say his experience was nothing compared to Adrian's suffering. But the words stuck in his throat because part of him—the part that remembered every insult, every moment of humiliation, every time Nora's family had looked at him with contempt—understood what his father meant."This isn't about us," Alex said finally. "This is about Sophia. Let me see my daughter.""Our granddaughter," Jonathan corrected. "I want to see her too, Alex. I want to meet the great-grandchild I didn't know existed. A
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