The Hidden heir’s revenge

CHAPTER 37 — THE SIXTH CHILD

CHAPTER 37 — THE SIXTH CHILD

Varek stared at the photograph.

Three men stood beside Helena.

Marcus was on her left. The young man who looked like Adrian stood on her right. Between them, Helena held a small envelope.

The message beneath the photograph remained on his screen.

THERE WERE NEVER FIVE CHILDREN. THERE WERE SIX.

Varek zoomed in on the young man’s face.

It was Adrian.

There was no doubt about it.

The same eyes. The same jawline. The same small scar near his chin.

But Adrian was standing beside him.

Varek slowly turned.

“Adrian.”

Adrian looked up.

“What?”

Varek showed him the photograph.

Adrian stared at it.

Then he looked at the young man standing beside Helena.

“Who is that?”

“That’s what I’m trying to find out.”

“That’s my face.”

“I know.”

Adrian took the phone and enlarged the photograph.

“Where was this taken?”

Varek checked the details.

There was no location information.

Naomi moved closer.

“Send it to me.”

She examined the photograph carefully.

“There’s something strange about the lighting.”

“What?”

“The image has been edited. The background is real, but the three people may not have been photographed at the same time.”

Adrian frowned.

“So it’s fake?”

“Not necessarily. Someone may have combined separate photographs to create this image.”

Varek looked at the screen.

“Who would do that?”

“Someone who wants us to believe there are six children.”

Adrian returned the phone.

“Or someone who wants us to stop looking for Daniel.”

Varek nodded.

“Either way, we need to speak to Helena.”

He called the number again.

It was switched off.

⸻

Inside a private apartment, Helena sat opposite Marcus.

The young man who looked like Adrian stood near the window.

He had not spoken since the photograph was sent.

Marcus looked at him.

“Are you going to tell her?”

The young man shook his head.

“Not yet.”

Helena placed both hands on the table.

“How long do you intend to keep this secret?”

“Until I know what Richard has done.”

“Richard already knows.”

The young man turned.

“How?”

“Because he was the one who arranged the transfer.”

Marcus stood.

“You told me the transfer happened before you left the hospital.”

“It did.”

“Then how did Richard know?”

Helena looked down.

“Because he was there.”

The young man’s expression changed.

“You’re saying Richard saw me?”

Helena nodded.

“He held you before you were taken away.”

Marcus frowned.

“Then why did he tell Adrian that Daniel was the fifth child?”

“Because Daniel is the fifth child.”

“Then who is this man?”

Helena looked at the young man.

“He is the sixth.”

Silence filled the room.

The young man finally spoke.

“Who am I?”

Helena reached for his hand.

“Your name is Samuel.”

He pulled away.

“Don’t call me that.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know whether it’s even my name.”

Helena began to cry.

“I gave birth to you.”

Samuel looked at her.

“And then you allowed someone else to raise me.”

“I had no choice.”

“Everyone keeps saying that. Eleanor had no choice. Grace had no choice. You had no choice. Is there anyone in this family who actually made a decision?”

Marcus looked away.

Helena said nothing.

Samuel walked toward the door.

“Where are you going?” Marcus asked.

“To find Richard.”

“You can’t.”

“Watch me.”

Marcus blocked the doorway.

“Richard wants you to come looking for him. That’s why he sent that photograph.”

Samuel stared at him.

“Then what do you suggest?”

“Find the original hospital records.”

Helena slowly raised her head.

“The records were destroyed.”

“Not all of them,” Marcus replied.

He reached into his jacket and removed a small memory card.

“I found this inside Sebastian’s private archive.”

Helena’s face changed.

“Where did you get that?”

“Before Richard’s men took me.”

Marcus placed it on the table.

“It contains the original birth register.”

Samuel looked at the memory card.

“Then let’s see who we really are.”

⸻

Back at the safe apartment, Naomi was still working on the photograph when her laptop made a sound.

A new file had arrived.

She frowned.

“I didn’t request anything.”

Varek approached her.

“What is it?”

“Someone has sent an attachment.”

“Open it.”

She hesitated.

“It could be a virus.”

“Can you isolate it?”

Naomi nodded and opened the file in a secure environment.

A scanned document appeared.

At the top was the name of St. Catherine’s Medical Centre.

Beneath it was a list of six births.

Naomi enlarged the page.

“Look at this.”

Varek and Adrian stood beside her.

The document contained six entries.

CHILD ONE: MARCUS BLACKSTONE.

CHILD TWO: VAREK VALE.

CHILD THREE: ADRIAN THORNE.

CHILD FOUR: DANIEL THORNE.

CHILD FIVE: SAMUEL VALE.

The sixth entry was different.

There was no name.

Only a handwritten note.

CHILD SIX: REMOVED BEFORE REGISTRATION.

Adrian stared at the document.

“Six children.”

Naomi nodded.

“But look at the dates.”

She pointed to the birth times.

Marcus was recorded at 11:42 p.m.

Varek at 11:51 p.m.

Adrian at 12:03 a.m.

Daniel at 12:16 a.m.

Samuel at 12:29 a.m.

The sixth child had no recorded time.

Varek frowned.

“These births happened within an hour?”

“That’s what the document says.”

“Five children born to different mothers within an hour?”

Naomi looked at him.

“That’s not what it says.”

She scrolled down.

There was another section.

MATERNAL IDENTIFICATION: SEALED.

A note followed.

ALL SIX CHILDREN WERE DELIVERED UNDER THE SAME MATERNITY AUTHORIZATION.

Adrian stepped back.

“That doesn’t mean they had the same mother.”

“No,” Naomi replied. “But it means someone deliberately placed their births under one medical file.”

Varek studied the sixth entry.

“Who removed the last child?”

Naomi opened the attached authorization page.

The signature was visible.

It belonged to Alistair Thorne.

But there was another signature beneath it.

RICHARD THORNE.

Adrian shook his head.

“Richard was involved in all of this.”

Varek nodded.

“And he still has Daniel.”

Naomi closed the document.

“There’s something else.”

She opened a separate file.

It contained a list of people who had accessed the original records.

Most of the names were familiar.

Eleanor.

Grace.

Richard.

Alistair.

Then another name appeared.

DR. MATTHEW CROSS.

Varek frowned.

“Who is that?”

Naomi looked at the screen.

“I don’t know.”

Evelyn entered the room.

“I do.”

Everyone turned.

“Matthew Cross was Grace’s husband.”

Naomi’s eyes widened.

“Grace was married?”

“Yes. They had a child together.”

Varek looked at her.

“Who?”

Evelyn hesitated.

“Me.”

The room fell silent.

Naomi stared at Evelyn.

“You said Grace had two children, you and Naomi.”

“That’s what she told me.”

“Was Matthew your father?”

Evelyn nodded.

“But I never knew he worked at St. Catherine’s.”

Varek pointed at the document.

“His name is on the original records. We need to find him.”

Evelyn looked away.

“He’s dead.”

“How?”

“He disappeared twenty-five years ago. His car was found near the river. They never recovered his body.”

Varek narrowed his eyes.

“Another dead man who might be alive.”

Evelyn shook her head.

“This is different. I saw the accident report.”

Naomi turned back to the screen.

“Maybe the report was another lie.”

⸻

At that moment, Richard entered a private room inside an abandoned building.

A small boy sat on a bed, holding a toy car.

Daniel looked up.

“Where is my daddy?”

Richard placed a glass of water on the table.

“He’ll come soon.”

“Why can’t I call him?”

“Because your father is busy.”

Daniel lowered his head.

Richard watched him for a moment.

Then he opened a folder.

Inside was a photograph of six newborn babies.

He placed it beside the boy.

“Do you know these children?”

Daniel shook his head.

“That’s you.”

The boy looked at the photograph.

“Which one?”

Richard pointed to the fourth baby.

Daniel stared at the tiny face.

“That’s me?”

“Yes.”

“Who are the others?”

Richard smiled.

“Your brothers.”

Daniel looked confused.

“I only have Daddy.”

Richard leaned forward.

“You have more family than you know.”

Daniel hugged his toy car.

“I want my daddy.”

Richard closed the folder.

“Then perhaps you should help me bring him here.”

The boy looked up.

“How?”

Richard placed a small phone beside him.

“Call him.”

⸻

Varek’s phone rang.

The number was unfamiliar.

He answered immediately.

“Hello?”

A small voice came through.

“Uncle Varek?”

Varek froze.

“Daniel?”

“Yes.”

“Where are you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Are you safe?”

Daniel nodded, then remembered Varek couldn’t see him.

“Yes.”

“Is your father there?”

“No. But the man said I can talk to him if I call you.”

Varek looked at Adrian.

Adrian rushed toward him.

“Daniel!”

The boy began crying.

“Daddy!”

Adrian took the phone.

“Son, listen to me. I’m coming to get you.”

“Please come quickly.”

“I will.”

A man’s voice interrupted.

“Time is up.”

Adrian shouted.

“Don’t touch him!”

The call ended.

Varek immediately tried to trace the number.

Naomi began working on her laptop.

“Give me a minute.”

The screen displayed a location.

Then another notification appeared.

CALL ORIGIN: ST. CATHERINE’S MEDICAL CENTRE.

Varek stared at it.

“That’s impossible.”

Evelyn approached.

“What’s wrong?”

“The call came from the old medical centre.”

Naomi checked again.

“It’s not a normal phone connection. Someone used the hospital’s old internal communication system.”

Adrian looked at Varek.

“Then Daniel is there.”

Varek picked up his weapon.

“We’re going.”

Evelyn stopped him.

“Wait. The medical centre has been abandoned for years. If Richard is using it, he has probably prepared a trap.”

“I don’t care.”

“You should. We need to know what we’re walking into.”

Varek turned toward her.

“Every minute we waste, Daniel is in danger.”

Evelyn nodded.

“Then we’ll go prepared.”

⸻

Twenty minutes later, they arrived outside St. Catherine’s Medical Centre.

The building looked deserted.

The front entrance was locked, but a light was visible on the second floor.

Varek and Adrian approached the side entrance with Evelyn and two guards.

Naomi remained in the vehicle, monitoring the building’s security system.

“There’s movement inside,” she reported through their earpieces. “At least three people.”

“Where?” Varek whispered.

“Second floor. Near the old maternity ward.”

Adrian stopped walking.

“The maternity ward?”

“Yes.”

Varek looked at him.

“That’s where the children were born.”

They entered the building.

The corridor smelled of dust and damp walls.

Old medical equipment remained scattered around the rooms.

A door at the end of the passage was slightly open.

Varek pushed it.

Inside was a small office.

A computer sat on the desk.

Its screen displayed the same photograph of the six newborn babies.

Beside it was a handwritten message.

THE FIRST FIVE WERE REGISTERED. THE SIXTH WAS NEVER GIVEN A NAME.

Adrian moved toward the desk.

“Where is Daniel?”

A speaker crackled.

Richard’s voice filled the room.

“You’re early.”

Varek raised his weapon toward the ceiling.

“Show yourself!”

Richard laughed.

“You’re standing in the wrong room.”

A door behind them slammed shut.

The lights came on.

And from the far side of the room, a man stepped out.

He looked at Varek.

Then at Adrian.

Finally, he smiled.

“Hello, brothers.”

Varek recognized him.

It was the man from the photograph.

The one who looked like Adrian.

The man raised his hand.

“My name is Samuel.”

He paused.

“And I am not the sixth child.”

He pointed toward the locked maternity room.

“The sixth child is still here.”

A loud cry came from behind the door.

Then Samuel whispered:

“He’s been waiting for you for twenty-five years.”