The Hidden heir’s revenge

CHAPTER 18 THE PRICE OF A FATHER’S BLOOD

Varek looked at the clock on Richard’s office wall.

11:38 p.m.

Twenty-two minutes remained.

On his phone, the photograph of Adrian’s son stared back at him. The boy’s hands were bound, and fear filled his eyes.

Varek had never met the child.

He didn’t even know his name.

But someone had decided the boy’s life was worth less than a fortune.

And someone else wanted Richard Thorne delivered to them before midnight.

Varek turned toward Richard.

“Who has the boy?”

Richard adjusted his cufflinks.

“If I knew, I would have dealt with them already.”

“You look remarkably calm for a man whose entire family is being hunted.”

“Panic doesn’t solve problems.”

“Neither does sacrificing children.”

Richard’s expression hardened.

“Be careful, Varek.”

“Or what? You’ll order another assassination?”

Richard stood.

“You think you can walk into my office, threaten me, and suddenly become the man who controls this family? You have no idea how many people have died to keep this empire standing.”

“Then perhaps it’s time the empire fell.”

For a moment, Richard looked almost impressed.

Then he laughed.

“You sound like your mother.”

Varek stepped closer.

“Don’t mention her.”

“Why? Because you still believe she was innocent?”

Varek grabbed Richard’s jacket.

“If she’s dead, I’ll make sure you spend the rest of your life wishing you were.”

Richard looked down at Varek’s hand.

“Your mother made choices, too.”

“Tell me what you know.”

“Bring me to the clinic.”

Varek released him.

“What?”

“You heard me. If Eleanor is in danger, I want to see her.”

“You expect me to trust you?”

“No. I expect you to understand that whoever is behind this has been manipulating both of us.”

Varek studied his face.

Richard might have been lying. He had lied about almost everything else.

But Varek couldn’t afford to waste another minute.

He pulled out his phone and called Adrian.

“I’m coming to the clinic.”

“Bring Richard,” Adrian replied.

“Why?”

“Because your mother regained consciousness for a few seconds. She said Richard was the only person who could identify the man who poisoned her.”

Varek glanced at Richard.

“Keep her alive. Don’t let anyone near her unless you trust them.”

“Varek, there’s something else.”

“What?”

“The boy isn’t the only hostage.”

Varek’s stomach tightened.

“Who else?”

Adrian’s voice broke.

“My son isn’t alone. They have Naomi, too.”

The call ended.

For several seconds, Varek stood motionless.

Then he turned to Richard.

“We’re leaving.”

Richard picked up his coat.

“Good. There’s something you need to understand before we arrive.”

Varek opened the office door.

“Talk while we move.”

Richard followed him into the corridor.

“Adrian’s son is not supposed to exist.”

Varek stopped.

“What did you say?”

“Adrian had a child with a woman named Isabel seven years ago. The relationship was brief. He was told the baby died shortly after birth.”

“Is that true?”

“I don’t know.”

“You know everything else about everyone’s lives. Don’t tell me you don’t know.”

Richard sighed.

“The woman disappeared after the birth. Adrian searched for her for months, but I convinced him to stop.”

“Why?”

“Because Isabel had discovered something about the inheritance.”

“What?”

Richard looked toward the elevator.

“She knew the identity of the third heir.”

Varek felt a chill run through him.

“Who is the third heir?”

Richard pressed the elevator button.

“That’s what everyone has been trying to discover.”

The doors opened.

They entered.

Varek stared at him.

“You’re telling me a child who supposedly died seven years ago is now being used to control Adrian.”

“Yes.”

“And Naomi?”

“She’s been investigating the same people who arranged the original identity changes.”

Varek’s expression darkened.

“Who arranged them?”

Richard looked at the elevator display.

“Your grandfather.”

The doors opened onto the ground floor.

Richard stepped out.

“But your grandfather wasn’t working alone.”

⸻

The private clinic stood on the outskirts of the city, hidden behind a high wall and a row of trees.

Two black vehicles were parked outside.

Varek recognized Adrian’s car.

He also recognized the men standing beside the entrance.

They wore no uniforms, but their weapons were visible.

Varek slowed as he approached.

Richard walked beside him, carrying no weapon.

One of the guards stepped forward.

“Mr. Thorne. You’re expected.”

“By whom?” Varek asked.

The guard ignored him.

“Mr. Thorne, you must enter alone.”

Varek reached for his weapon.

Richard caught his wrist.

“Don’t.”

Varek looked at him.

“Let go.”

“If you start shooting, everyone inside dies.”

The guard smiled faintly.

“Your companion understands the situation.”

He opened the door.

Varek entered first.

The clinic smelled of antiseptic and damp concrete. The reception area was empty, and several lights had been switched off.

A television mounted on the wall displayed a countdown.

00:17:42.

Below it was a message.

ONE MAN. ONE CHOICE. ONE FAMILY.

Varek moved down the corridor.

At the end, Adrian stood outside a treatment room.

His shirt was stained with blood.

Varek immediately approached him.

“Are you injured?”

“No.”

“Whose blood is that?”

Adrian looked at the floor.

“Naomi’s.”

Varek’s heart dropped.

“What happened?”

“They hit her when she refused to give them access to your financial accounts.”

“Is she alive?”

“Yes. But I don’t know how long they’ll keep her that way.”

Varek looked through the glass panel in the door.

Naomi sat in a chair with her hands tied behind her back. A man stood behind her, holding a pistol near her head.

Across the room, a young boy sat on the floor.

Adrian’s son.

The child looked up when Varek appeared.

His eyes widened.

“Uncle Adrian?”

Adrian closed his eyes briefly.

Then he pressed his hand against the glass.

“I’m here, little man.”

The boy began to cry.

“Please take me home.”

Adrian’s face crumpled.

“I will.”

Varek turned toward him.

“You know his name?”

“Daniel.”

Varek frowned.

“Daniel?”

Adrian nodded.

“I named him after the man I believed was my father.”

Varek looked through the glass again.

The boy was staring at him.

“Who is the woman?” Varek asked.

“Isabel. His mother.”

“She’s alive?”

“I don’t know. They haven’t told me anything.”

Varek turned toward the armed men at the end of the corridor.

“Who is in charge?”

A voice answered from the treatment room.

“I am.”

The door opened.

A man stepped out.

He wore a dark suit and black gloves. His hair was neatly combed, and his expression was calm.

Varek recognized him from the old hospital footage.

The man who had stood behind the camera twenty-nine years earlier.

The man whose face had been hidden.

“You,” Varek said.

The stranger smiled.

“I’m glad you remember me.”

“Who are you?”

“Someone who has spent most of his life cleaning up the mess your family created.”

Richard’s face turned pale.

Varek noticed.

“You know him?”

Richard didn’t answer.

The stranger glanced at him.

“Go on, Richard. Tell your son who I am.”

Richard swallowed.

“His name is Lucian Vale.”

Varek’s eyes narrowed.

“Vale?”

Lucian smiled.

“Cassian’s younger brother.”

The corridor seemed to shrink around them.

Cassian Vale had supposedly been Varek’s biological father. His death had started the chain of revelations that had brought Varek here.

Now his brother stood in front of him, holding Naomi and Adrian’s child hostage.

“You’re the one who arranged all this,” Varek said.

Lucian tilted his head.

“Not all of it. Your grandfather had his own plans. Richard had his ambitions. Sebastian had his guilt. Jonathan had his greed.”

“And you?”

“I wanted what should have belonged to my family.”

“The Thorne fortune?”

Lucian laughed.

“No, Varek. I wanted the truth.”

He gestured toward the treatment room.

“Come inside.”

Varek stepped forward.

Adrian caught his arm.

“Don’t go in there alone.”

Lucian raised his gun.

“Let him go, Adrian. Or I’ll kill your son before you can blink.”

Adrian released Varek.

Varek entered the room.

Naomi looked up at him.

Her eyes were swollen, but she was conscious.

“Varek,” she whispered. “Don’t give them anything.”

Lucian pressed the gun against the back of her head.

“Your investigator is brave.”

He turned toward Richard.

“Now, let’s finish what we started.”

Richard remained near the door.

“What do you want?”

Lucian smiled.

“The original inheritance documents. The ones your father hid before he died.”

Richard shook his head.

“I don’t have them.”

“Liar.”

“I swear I don’t.”

Lucian struck him across the face with the gun.

Richard stumbled.

Varek moved forward, but two guards raised their weapons.

“Stay where you are,” Lucian ordered.

He turned toward Varek.

“You’ve spent weeks searching for your identity. You believe the truth will give you power. But the truth is only useful when you know what to do with it.”

“Then tell me.”

Lucian’s smile disappeared.

“Your grandfather had three children.”

Varek frowned.

“Three?”

“Not three heirs. Three children. Richard, Jonathan, and your father.”

Richard slowly raised his head.

Varek looked at him.

“My father?”

Lucian nodded.

“Your father was the youngest son of Alistair Thorne.”

Varek stared at Richard.

“No. You said Daniel Mercer was my father.”

“I said Daniel Mercer was the man the records identified as your father,” Lucian replied. “That doesn’t mean he was the man who gave you life.”

Varek’s thoughts raced.

“Then who was?”

Lucian looked directly at Richard.

“Ask him.”

Varek turned.

Richard’s face was pale, and his eyes were filled with something Varek had never seen before.

Shame.

“Tell me,” Varek demanded.

Richard took a shaky breath.

“I didn’t know when you were born.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I discovered the truth when you were nine. Your mother had kept the original birth documents hidden in the house. I found them after the accident.”

“You found them after she supposedly died?”

“Yes.”

“And what did they say?”

Richard looked at Varek.

“They said you were my son.”

Varek felt the room spin.

“Then why did you tell me I wasn’t?”

“Because I was afraid.”

“Of what?”

Richard’s voice broke.

“Of becoming my father.”

For a moment, nobody spoke.

Then Lucian laughed.

“Beautiful, isn’t it? A father who spent years destroying his own son because he feared becoming the man who destroyed him.”

Varek turned toward Lucian.

“Why are you telling me this?”

“Because the inheritance is about to change hands. The trust has recognized Adrian as the controlling heir, but the transfer isn’t permanent until midnight.”

Varek looked at the television.

The countdown showed less than ten minutes.

Lucian continued.

“If you want to save Naomi and Adrian’s son, you will sign a declaration renouncing your claim to the Thorne fortune.”

“And if I refuse?”

Lucian pressed the gun against Naomi’s head.

“Then she dies first.”

Naomi shook her head.

“Don’t do it, Varek.”

Lucian struck her.

Varek lunged forward, but the guards forced him back.

“Enough!” Varek shouted.

Lucian smiled.

“Then sign.”

He placed a document on the table.

Varek looked at the first page.

It transferred all remaining rights to the Thorne fortune to Adrian and permanently removed Varek from the inheritance.

At the bottom was a line for his signature.

Lucian placed a pen beside it.

“Your family has already taken everything from you. This is your chance to save someone.”

Varek picked up the pen.

Adrian shouted from the corridor.

“Varek, don’t!”

Varek looked through the open door.

Adrian was standing with his hands raised, a guard holding a gun against his back.

The boy was crying.

Naomi was watching Varek with desperate eyes.

Richard remained motionless beside the wall.

Varek lowered the pen to the paper.

Then he stopped.

“Before I sign, I want one answer.”

Lucian sighed.

“What now?”

“Who killed Cassian Vale?”

Lucian’s smile vanished.

Richard looked up sharply.

Adrian went still.

Even Naomi stopped struggling.

Lucian stared at Varek for several seconds.

Then he slowly lowered his gun.

“You’re asking the wrong question.”

“Then give me the right one.”

Lucian leaned forward.

“Cassian Vale was never murdered.”

Varek’s fingers tightened around the pen.

“What?”

Lucian looked toward Richard.

“Tell him.”

Richard’s face had gone completely white.

“Cassian is alive,” he whispered.

Varek stared at him.

Lucian nodded.

“And he has been living under a different identity for six years.”

“Where is he?”

Lucian smiled coldly.

“Closer than you think.”

He turned toward the treatment room door.

“Bring him in.”

Two guards stepped into the corridor.

A moment later, they returned, dragging a man whose hands were bound behind his back.

His face was bruised, his hair disheveled, and blood stained his collar.

But Varek recognized him immediately.

The man from the old photographs.

The man whose death had haunted the entire investigation.

Cassian Vale.

Alive.

Cassian raised his head and looked at Varek.

For several seconds, he said nothing.

Then his eyes filled with tears.

“My son,” he whispered.

Varek stared at him.

Cassian swallowed.

“I have waited twenty-nine years to tell you the truth.”

Varek’s voice was barely audible.

“Which truth?”

Cassian looked toward Richard.

Then toward Lucian.

Finally, he looked back at Varek.

“The truth about your birth.”

He took a trembling breath.

“Varek, you’re not Richard’s son.”

Varek felt the floor disappear beneath him.

Cassian continued.

“Richard is your biological father.”

A silence fell over the room.

Then Cassian whispered the words that made Varek’s blood run cold.

“But I’m the man who raised you before they stole you from me.”

Varek stared at him.

Cassian’s voice broke.

“And the woman you call your mother isn’t Eleanor.”

It was Mara Mercer.