The Hidden heir’s revenge

CHAPTER 30 — THE SON WHO WAS TAKEN

Varek stared at Eleanor.

For several seconds, he couldn’t find the words to speak.

“The child Daniel took from Helena was Adrian?”

Eleanor nodded.

Varek looked at the photograph in his hand.

It showed Daniel standing beside a woman in a hospital uniform. The woman was holding a newborn baby, but the baby’s face was hidden beneath a white blanket.

“Then who was I?” Varek asked.

Eleanor looked exhausted.

“You were the other child.”

“Which other child?”

“The child Helena gave birth to after Adrian.”

Varek shook his head.

“You’re saying Helena gave birth to Adrian and me, but Daniel took Adrian?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did Naomi say Adrian and I shared the same biological father?”

“Because you do.”

Varek stared at her.

“Who is our father?”

Eleanor looked toward the empty doorway.

“Jonathan Thorne.”

Varek laughed bitterly.

“Another Jonathan. Another Daniel. Another person who supposedly died and came back. I’m tired of this.”

“I know.”

“No, you don’t! You people keep changing my parents as if I’m some document you can edit whenever it suits you.”

Eleanor reached for him.

He stepped away.

“Don’t touch me.”

Her hand dropped.

Naomi struggled to stand.

“Varek, we need to leave.”

He turned toward her.

“Where is Daniel?”

“I don’t know.”

“How can you not know? He was standing right here!”

Eleanor looked frightened.

“Someone took him.”

“Who?”

She shook her head.

“I didn’t see anyone.”

Varek looked around the room.

The front door was still locked. The windows were closed, and there was no sign of a struggle.

Daniel had simply disappeared.

Then Varek noticed something.

The old clock near the staircase was no longer showing the correct time.

Its hands had stopped at exactly 11:17.

He approached it and examined the wooden frame.

There was a small gap behind it.

He pulled the clock away from the wall.

A narrow compartment had been built into the space behind it.

Inside was a small black key and a folded letter.

The letter carried his name.

VAREK.

He opened it.

The handwriting was familiar.

It was the same handwriting he had seen in the old hospital notebook.

He began reading.

If you are reading this, then the people who were supposed to protect you have failed.

You have been told that you were stolen from Helena. You have been told that Daniel was your father. You have been told that Adrian was your brother.

Some of these things are true. Some are not.

But there is one truth you must never forget.

The child who was taken was not the child who was supposed to inherit.

Varek stopped reading.

He looked at Eleanor.

“Who wrote this?”

Eleanor’s face had become pale.

“Your mother.”

“Which mother?”

She swallowed.

“Helena.”

Varek looked down at the letter again.

There was more.

Find the room beneath the chapel. The original birth register is there. Do not trust the names written on the front. Trust the blood recorded on the last page.

And if you meet the man who calls himself your father, ask him what happened to the child who died.

The letter ended there.

Varek read the last sentence again.

“What child died?”

Eleanor closed her eyes.

“Varek…”

“Who died?”

She looked at him.

“One of the four children.”

“Which one?”

“I don’t know.”

“Stop lying!”

Eleanor flinched.

Naomi stepped forward.

“Maybe she really doesn’t know.”

Varek turned toward her.

“Then who does?”

Naomi looked at the letter.

“Marcus.”

Varek immediately remembered the call.

Marcus Blackstone had contacted him and claimed Adrian was alive.

He had also said Sebastian had chosen Adrian as the heir.

Varek pulled out his phone and called the number.

It rang twice.

Then Marcus answered.

“You’re calling earlier than I expected.”

“Where is Adrian?”

“Safe enough.”

“Where?”

“That depends on whether you’re willing to listen.”

“Listen carefully. I don’t have time for your games.”

Marcus chuckled.

“You’re beginning to sound like your father.”

“Which one?”

There was a pause.

Then Marcus laughed.

“That’s a good question.”

Varek tightened his grip on the phone.

“Tell me where Adrian is.”

“He’s at the Blackstone residence.”

“With Sebastian?”

“Yes.”

“Put him on the phone.”

“I can’t.”

“Why?”

“Because he’s being prepared.”

Varek’s expression hardened.

“Prepared for what?”

“His inheritance.”

“Adrian doesn’t want your inheritance.”

Marcus gave a short laugh.

“That’s what you think.”

Varek glanced at Naomi.

She was watching him carefully.

“Why did you contact me?”

“Because Sebastian is about to make the same mistake Alistair made twenty-nine years ago.”

“What mistake?”

“Choosing the wrong child.”

Varek looked at the letter.

“Who was supposed to inherit?”

Marcus lowered his voice.

“That is something you should ask Daniel.”

“Daniel is missing.”

“Of course he is.”

Varek’s eyes narrowed.

“What do you mean?”

“Your father has a habit of disappearing whenever the truth becomes inconvenient.”

“Which father?”

Marcus laughed again.

“You’re learning.”

The call disconnected.

Varek stared at his phone.

Then another message appeared.

It contained an address and a photograph.

The photograph showed Adrian sitting in a room, his hands tied behind his back.

A man stood behind him.

Sebastian.

Below the photograph was a message.

COME ALONE IF YOU WANT YOUR BROTHER ALIVE.

Varek immediately started toward the door.

Naomi caught his arm.

“Don’t.”

“He’s my brother.”

“That’s exactly why they want you to come.”

“Then what do you suggest? I sit here while they hold him?”

“We need to know what they’re planning.”

Varek looked at Eleanor.

“Do you know where the chapel is?”

She nodded slowly.

“The old Blackstone chapel.”

“Where?”

“Behind the original family estate.”

Varek glanced at the letter.

“The one with the underground room?”

Eleanor nodded.

“Yes.”

“Then that’s where we’re going.”

Naomi tried to follow.

Varek stopped her.

“You’re not coming.”

She looked offended.

“I found the original DNA report. I know more about this than anyone here.”

“And you’re bleeding.”

“I can still walk.”

“Naomi, I’m not arguing with you.”

She stared at him.

“Fine. But take this.”

She handed him a small memory card.

“What is it?”

“The complete DNA report. I managed to copy it before they attacked me.”

Varek slipped it into his pocket.

“What’s on it?”

“Everything they changed. Your blood results, Adrian’s, the fourth child’s identity, and the name of the person who authorised the original switch.”

“Who?”

Naomi looked toward Eleanor.

“Alistair.”

Eleanor shook her head.

“That’s impossible.”

Naomi gave her a cold look.

“Then perhaps you should explain why your name appears beside his.”

Eleanor went silent.

Varek turned toward her.

“Your name is on the report?”

Eleanor didn’t answer.

He stepped closer.

“Did you help Alistair switch the children?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“I was trying to save you.”

“That’s not an answer.”

“I did what I had to do.”

Varek stared at her.

He had spent years believing Eleanor was the one person who had loved him without conditions.

Now even that memory felt uncertain.

“Stay here,” he said.

He walked out of the house without looking back.

⸻

The old Blackstone chapel stood behind a row of abandoned buildings.

It had once been used for family ceremonies, but it had been closed after Alistair’s supposed death.

Varek arrived shortly before midnight.

He parked several streets away and approached on foot.

The main entrance was locked.

He walked around the building and found a narrow door behind a stone statue.

The black key from Eleanor’s house fitted perfectly.

The door opened.

Inside was a staircase leading underground.

Varek descended carefully.

At the bottom, he found a long corridor lined with old photographs.

Some showed Alistair with important political figures.

Others showed members of the Thorne family.

Then he saw one photograph that made him stop.

It showed two young boys standing beside a woman.

One boy was Adrian.

The other was Varek.

But they were not newborns.

They looked about five years old.

On the back was a date.

TWENTY-FOUR YEARS AGO.

Varek studied their faces.

He had never seen the photograph before.

A door opened at the end of the corridor.

A woman stepped out.

“You’re late.”

Varek raised his weapon.

“Who are you?”

She lifted her hands.

“Don’t shoot.”

He recognized her after a moment.

It was Evelyn Cross.

The woman who had previously worked with his security team.

“What are you doing here?”

“Waiting for you.”

“Where is Adrian?”

“Inside.”

Varek moved closer.

“Who brought him here?”

“Sebastian.”

“Where is he?”

“Waiting for you too.”

Varek studied her.

“Are you working with him?”

Evelyn shook her head.

“I was working for your family before you were born.”

Varek’s expression hardened.

“Which family?”

“All of them.”

He almost laughed.

“That explains nothing.”

Evelyn stepped aside.

“Come and see for yourself.”

Varek entered the room.

It was an old archive chamber filled with metal cabinets and shelves.

At the centre stood a large table.

Adrian sat in a chair beside it.

His hands were no longer tied, but there was a bruise near his eye.

Varek rushed toward him.

“Adrian!”

Adrian stood.

“You’re an idiot.”

Varek almost smiled.

“Good to see you’re still insulting people.”

“I told you not to come.”

“And I ignored you.”

Adrian looked toward Evelyn.

“Did she bring you here?”

“She was waiting outside.”

Adrian shook his head.

“You shouldn’t have trusted her.”

Varek turned.

“Why?”

A familiar voice answered from behind him.

“Because she was the one who changed your birth records.”

Sebastian stepped out from behind a cabinet.

He looked calm, almost relaxed.

Varek immediately raised his weapon.

“Where is Marcus?”

“Not here.”

“Where is Daniel?”

Sebastian smiled faintly.

“Still asking the wrong questions.”

Varek pointed the weapon at him.

“Start explaining.”

Sebastian placed a thick file on the table.

“Twenty-nine years ago, four children were born at St. Agnes Medical Centre. Their identities were switched before they left the hospital.”

Varek glanced at Adrian.

“Who were the four children?”

Sebastian opened the file.

“Varek Vale. Adrian Thorne. Marcus Blackstone. Naomi Cross.”

Varek shook his head.

“Naomi isn’t the fourth child. She said she wasn’t.”

Sebastian nodded.

“Correct.”

“Then who was?”

Sebastian turned a page.

A fifth name appeared.

EVELYN CROSS.

Varek looked up.

Evelyn stood silently beside the door.

Adrian’s face changed.

“That’s impossible.”

Sebastian continued.

“Grace Cross gave birth to two children that night. One was Naomi. The other was Evelyn.”

Varek stared at the woman.

“You’re Naomi’s sister?”

Evelyn nodded.

“But that’s not the only secret.”

Sebastian placed another document on the table.

It was a DNA report.

The results showed a biological connection between Varek and Evelyn.

Varek looked at the figures.

Then at Evelyn.

“Who is my mother?”

Evelyn’s eyes filled with tears.

“Grace Cross.”

The room went silent.

Varek slowly turned toward Adrian.

“Then Helena…”

Sebastian interrupted.

“Helena gave birth to Adrian.”

Varek’s mind raced.

If Helena was Adrian’s mother, and Grace was his, then the story about them being twins was another lie.

But they shared the same father.

Daniel.

The man who had stolen Adrian from Helena and later claimed to be Varek’s father.

Varek looked at Sebastian.

“Why did everyone pretend Helena was my mother?”

“Because Alistair needed you to believe you were Adrian’s twin. It made the inheritance system easier to control.”

“And Naomi?”

“Grace’s first daughter. Evelyn was her second.”

Evelyn stepped forward.

“My mother told me the truth before she disappeared. She said one of her children had to stay close to the family.”

Varek looked at her.

“So you became a security director?”

“Yes.”

“And you watched me all these years?”

“I was supposed to protect you.”

Varek laughed bitterly.

“Another protector.”

Evelyn lowered her eyes.

Adrian stood.

“Enough. What does all this have to do with me?”

Sebastian turned toward him.

“Everything.”

He opened another file.

Inside was a document bearing Adrian’s full name.

ADRIAN THORNE — FINAL HEIR DESIGNATION.

Adrian stared at it.

“What is this?”

“The original inheritance instruction.”

Sebastian placed his finger on the signature at the bottom.

“Alistair selected you as the final heir.”

Adrian shook his head.

“Why?”

“Because you were the child Helena was supposed to raise. Your bloodline gave you the strongest legal claim.”

Varek frowned.

“But you said I was the first child.”

“You were the first child born that night. Adrian was the second. But the trust was designed to recognise the child raised under Helena’s name.”

Adrian stared at the document.

“So all these years, my identity was the key?”

Sebastian nodded.

“Yes.”

Varek looked at him.

“And what about Marcus?”

Sebastian’s expression changed.

“Marcus was never supposed to inherit anything.”

“Then why did you tell me he was a key?”

“Because he was the child Alistair feared most.”

Varek looked at the photographs on the wall.

The four names.

The switched identities.

The missing children.

Everything seemed connected to one man.

Alistair Thorne.

But there was still one question.

“Who died in the hospital fire?”

Sebastian closed the file.

“Jonathan Thorne.”

Varek stared at him.

“Then Daniel is not Jonathan?”

“No.”

“Who is Daniel?”

Sebastian looked toward the door.

Before he could answer, a slow clap came from the corridor.

Everyone turned.

A man stepped into the room.

He was wearing a dark suit.

His face was older, but unmistakable.

Daniel.

Varek raised his weapon.

“Where have you been?”

Daniel ignored him.

He looked directly at Sebastian.

“You shouldn’t have shown them that document.”

Sebastian smiled.

“I had to.”

Daniel’s expression became cold.

“You’ve already done enough damage.”

Varek stepped between them.

“Who are you really?”

Daniel looked at him.

Then he gave an answer that made Sebastian take a step backward.

“My name is Daniel Thorne. I was Alistair’s firstborn son.”

Varek frowned.

“Richard said you were his older brother.”

Daniel nodded.

“Richard is my younger brother.”

“Then who is Jonathan?”

Daniel’s eyes moved toward the photograph on the wall.

“Jonathan was my son.”

The room fell silent.

Varek felt his heart pounding.

“Your son?”

Daniel nodded.

“And he was your real father.”

Varek stared at him.

“Then who am I?”

Daniel looked at him for a long moment.

“You are the child Jonathan died trying to protect.”

Before Varek could respond, the lights went out.

A gunshot rang through the archive chamber.

Someone screamed.

When the emergency lights came on, Daniel was gone.

And on the table, where the inheritance document had been, there was now a fresh photograph.

It showed a woman standing beside a hospital bed.

Varek recognised her immediately.

Grace Cross.

But she was not holding a newborn baby.

She was holding a little boy.

And the boy was Adrian.