The Hidden heir’s revenge

Chapter 75 — The Second Matthew

Nobody spoke.

Two men stood in the original nursery, wearing the same face.

One stood beside Adrian.

The other stood at the end of the corridor, dressed in a white medical coat.

They had the same height, the same eyes, the same nose and even the same small scar beneath the right side of their jaws.

Varek looked from one to the other.

“Which one of you is Matthew?”

The man beside Adrian answered immediately.

“I am.”

The second man smiled.

“That’s what he has been telling you.”

Adrian raised his gun.

“Who are you?”

The second man ignored him.

His eyes were fixed on Samuel.

“Come here, little one.”

Samuel tightened his grip around Varek’s neck.

“No!”

The stranger smiled.

“You remember me.”

“I don’t want to!”

“That’s not what you said the last time.”

Varek stepped forward.

“Stay away from him.”

The stranger tilted his head.

“You shouldn’t be holding him, Varek. He’s not yours.”

“Then whose child is he?”

“Mine.”

A strange silence followed.

Matthew, the man beside Adrian, stepped forward.

“You’re lying.”

The stranger laughed.

“Still pretending you don’t remember me?”

Matthew’s expression hardened.

“I know exactly who you are.”

“Then tell them.”

Matthew said nothing.

Varek looked at him.

“Explain. Now.”

Matthew swallowed.

“My name is Matthew Cross. I was brought into this facility when I was six years old. I was told I had a brother, but I never met him.”

The stranger smiled.

“That’s because I was never your brother.”

Matthew turned towards him.

“You were my replacement.”

The words hung in the air.

Victor frowned.

“What does that mean?”

Matthew looked at Varek.

“After the first transfer failed, they created another Matthew. They gave him my records, my medical history and eventually my face.”

Varek stared at the stranger.

“Are you saying he’s a clone?”

“No,” Matthew replied. “He’s another person. They used the same identity to hide two different children.”

The stranger began clapping slowly.

“Very good. You’ve finally learned something.”

Adrian stepped closer.

“How many of you are there?”

The stranger smiled.

“Enough to make sure none of you ever knows who you really are.”

Varek adjusted Samuel in his arms.

“What’s your name?”

The stranger looked at him.

“Matthew Thorne.”

Matthew Cross shook his head.

“That’s not your name.”

“According to the original register, it is.”

Varek turned towards Alistair.

“Is this true?”

Alistair nodded.

“Matthew Thorne was the firstborn child in the original arrangement. Matthew Cross was created later.”

Adrian looked towards the stranger.

“Then why was the firstborn hidden?”

Alistair’s expression changed.

“Because he was never supposed to survive.”

The stranger laughed.

“Yet here I am.”

Matthew Cross moved towards Varek.

“Don’t believe anything he says. He was the man who controlled the first memory chamber.”

The stranger’s smile disappeared.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“I remember you.”

“Impossible.”

“I remember the room. I remember the woman who came every night. I remember being told that my name was Matthew, even though someone else kept calling me Daniel.”

Adrian went still.

“Daniel?”

Matthew looked at him.

“Yes.”

Varek noticed his expression.

“Do you remember anything else?”

Matthew closed his eyes.

“A little boy was crying. Someone kept saying there wasn’t enough time. Then they carried him away.”

Adrian stepped forward.

“Was that the original Daniel?”

Matthew opened his eyes.

“I don’t know.”

The second Matthew smiled.

“But I do.”

Everyone turned towards him.

He pointed at Adrian.

“The child you were trying to save wasn’t Daniel.”

Adrian’s face tightened.

“Who was he?”

The stranger looked towards Varek.

“He was the first Varek.”

Varek felt his blood run cold.

“What?”

“The original child whose identity was used to create yours.”

Matthew Cross shook his head.

“That’s impossible. The original Varek was an adult.”

“Not when the first transfer happened.”

The stranger walked closer.

“All of you have been searching for a family tree. But the truth is that there was never one family. There were several children, several guardians and one identity that kept moving from person to person.”

Varek looked towards Mary.

“Is he telling the truth?”

Mary’s face was pale.

“Some of it.”

“Which part?”

“The first Varek was a child. He was the first successful memory carrier.”

Samuel suddenly lifted his head.

“That’s not true.”

Varek looked down.

“What isn’t true?”

“The first Varek wasn’t a boy.”

Mary closed her eyes.

The second Matthew stared at Samuel.

“Who taught you that?”

Samuel shook his head.

“I saw her.”

“Who?”

“The little girl.”

Varek frowned.

“What little girl?”

Samuel pointed towards the corridor.

“She was inside the white room. She had the same eyes as me.”

Mary began crying.

“Samuel, please.”

The boy continued.

“She said she was waiting for her brother.”

The second Matthew took another step forward.

“Where did you see her?”

Samuel started trembling.

“In the glass.”

The stranger stopped smiling.

For the first time, he looked afraid.

Matthew Cross noticed.

“Who is she?”

Nobody answered.

Then Naomi’s voice came through the device.

“Varek, I need you to listen.”

Varek lifted it.

“What is it?”

“I found another file. It was hidden inside the original nursery records.”

“Read it.”

Naomi hesitated.

“It’s a list of children born during the original transfer period.”

“How many?”

“Four.”

Varek frowned.

“Four?”

“Yes. Samuel, Matthew, Daniel and one unidentified girl.”

Mary slowly sat down.

Naomi continued.

“The girl was never registered under a proper name. But there is a note beside her record.”

“What note?”

Naomi took a breath.

FIRST VAREK — FEMALE VERSION.

Varek stared at the screen.

“Female version?”

Matthew Cross looked at Mary.

“That’s what they meant by the first Varek.”

Mary nodded slowly.

“The original Varek was not a man.”

Adrian looked confused.

“Then who was she?”

Mary looked towards the second Matthew.

“She was the first girl to receive the memory transfer. They called her Varek because they believed the name carried the strongest identity.”

Varek’s mind raced.

“Then why did they give me the same name?”

“Because the girl disappeared.”

The second Matthew suddenly rushed forward.

Victor fired, but the stranger ducked behind the doorway.

“Stop him!” Varek shouted.

Matthew Cross and Adrian ran after him.

A loud crash came from the corridor.

Varek remained with Samuel, Mary and Jonathan.

Then the boy whispered something.

“She’s here.”

Varek turned.

“Who?”

Samuel pointed towards the glass cabinet.

A small reflection appeared in it.

A little girl stood behind Varek.

She looked about six years old.

Her hair was braided, and she wore a hospital gown.

Varek turned around.

There was nobody there.

He looked back at the glass.

The girl was still standing.

Then she raised her hand and placed it against the glass.

Varek slowly raised his own.

Their palms met on opposite sides of the reflection.

A message appeared beneath her image.

ORIGINAL SUBJECT FIVE — FEMALE.

NAME: VAREK.

STATUS: ALIVE.

Mary began whispering.

“No. No, this cannot be happening.”

Varek looked at her.

“You knew?”

“I thought she was dead.”

The little girl moved her lips.

Varek leaned closer.

He could barely hear her voice.

But he understood the words.

“Don’t trust the boy.”

Varek turned towards Samuel.

The child was no longer in his arms.

He stood several feet away, staring at the glass.

Then he slowly smiled.

And in a voice that sounded nothing like his own, he said:

“She’s lying. I’m the real one.”