The Hidden heir’s revenge

Chapter 84 — The Woman Beneath the Chapel

“She’s alive!”

Naomi’s voice echoed through the communication device.

Varek grabbed it tightly.

“Naomi, get away from her!”

“I can’t! Richard is here!”

A loud crash followed.

Then the connection went dead.

“Naomi!”

Varek tried calling again, but there was no response.

He turned towards Jonathan.

“Where is the entrance to the chapel?”

Jonathan was already moving towards the corridor.

“There’s an underground passage beneath the eastern wing. It connects to the old family cemetery.”

“Then take us there.”

Alistair laughed.

“You cannot enter that place.”

Varek turned towards him.

“Watch me.”

“You’re making another mistake. The woman beneath the chapel isn’t someone you can simply rescue.”

Adrian grabbed Alistair by the collar.

“Why? What did you do to her?”

Alistair looked at him.

“Ask your father.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened.

“Richard?”

Alistair nodded.

“He was the one who ordered the burial.”

Jonathan suddenly stepped forward.

“Enough. We don’t have time for this.”

He pressed his hand against a hidden panel.

A section of the wall opened, revealing a narrow staircase.

Varek looked at the others.

“Victor, stay here with Matthew. Make sure Alistair doesn’t leave. Adrian, you’re coming with me.”

The little girl caught his hand.

“I’m coming too.”

Varek looked down at her.

“No.”

“She’s my mother.”

He froze.

“What?”

The girl looked towards the passage.

“The woman beneath the chapel. She’s my mother.”

Mary staggered.

“No. That can’t be.”

The girl turned towards her.

“You said you knew everything, but you don’t even know who gave birth to me.”

Mary looked as if she had been struck.

Varek crouched beside the girl.

“Are you sure?”

She nodded.

“I remember her voice.”

For a moment, Varek didn’t know what to say.

Then he gently held her shoulder.

“Stay close to me.”

⸻

The underground passage was cold and narrow.

Jonathan led the way while Varek and Adrian followed behind him.

They could hear distant alarms coming from different sections of the facility.

“How long has this passage existed?” Adrian asked.

“Since the first family estate was built,” Jonathan replied.

“Why was it connected to the nursery?”

“Because the nursery was never meant to be a nursery.”

Varek looked at him.

“What was it?”

“A medical observation centre.”

Adrian shook his head.

“You people turned children into experiments.”

Jonathan didn’t defend himself.

They reached a metal door.

Jonathan entered a code, but the system rejected it.

He tried again.

ACCESS DENIED.

“Richard has changed the security code,” he muttered.

Varek examined the door.

“Can you open it?”

“Not without the original key.”

Adrian looked at him.

“Which key?”

Jonathan pointed towards Varek’s left hand.

“The mark beneath your thumb.”

Varek stared at him.

“You’re telling me my hand is a key?”

“Your mark is connected to the original biometric system.”

Varek placed his thumb against the scanner.

The machine remained silent.

Then a second light appeared.

IDENTITY RECOGNISED.

ORIGINAL RECEIVER CONFIRMED.

The door opened.

Beyond it was a long corridor lined with old medical rooms.

At the far end stood a heavy iron door.

A small window had been built into it.

Varek looked through.

A woman was sitting on a narrow bed.

Her hair was completely white, and her face was thin, but her eyes were open.

She looked directly at him.

Then she smiled.

“Varek.”

He stepped back.

“How do you know my name?”

The woman rose slowly.

“Because I gave it to you.”

Adrian moved beside him.

“Who are you?”

The woman ignored him.

“Come closer, my son.”

Varek’s stomach tightened.

“I’m not your son.”

Her smile faded.

“Not the way you think.”

She placed her hand against the glass.

“I am Isabella Thorne.”

Jonathan lowered his head.

Varek turned towards him.

“You said she was dead.”

“I believed she was.”

The woman laughed weakly.

“Jonathan has always believed whatever Richard tells him.”

Adrian stepped closer.

“Why did Richard bury you?”

Isabella looked at him.

“Because I knew what happened to the six children.”

Varek looked through the glass.

“What happened?”

Her eyes filled with tears.

“They were never supposed to inherit anything. They were supposed to replace the people who created the system.”

Varek frowned.

“Replace them?”

Isabella nodded.

“The Black Ledger was not simply a family trust. It was a system designed to preserve identities, memories and control. The children were selected because the adults believed they could use them to create a new generation of obedient heirs.”

Adrian shook his head.

“And Richard was part of it?”

“Richard wanted the inheritance. Alistair wanted control. Jonathan wanted to preserve the family name.”

She paused.

“And Mary wanted to save her children.”

Varek looked towards Jonathan.

“Open the door.”

Jonathan hesitated.

“Richard has locked the internal mechanism.”

“Find a way.”

Jonathan examined the control panel.

While he worked, Isabella continued speaking.

“Varek, you must understand something. The records you’ve been reading are not all false. Some are true. Others were deliberately changed. The people who built this system knew that one day someone would find the archive.”

“Why create so many identities?”

“To make sure nobody could identify the original children.”

Varek glanced at Adrian.

“Why was Adrian registered as Daniel?”

Isabella’s expression changed.

“Because Daniel was not the name of one child.”

Adrian frowned.

“What?”

“It was the identity given to the child who would inherit the Black Ledger.”

She looked at him.

“Richard transferred that identity to you, but he kept another child alive to claim it.”

Adrian stared.

“The second Daniel?”

Isabella nodded.

“Yes.”

Varek stepped closer.

“Who is the second Daniel?”

Isabella looked towards the little girl.

Her eyes widened.

“Where is she?”

“She’s safe,” Varek replied.

The woman shook her head.

“No. Not the girl you think.”

Varek frowned.

“What do you mean?”

Isabella pressed her hand against the glass again.

“The girl you brought into the nursery is not the only surviving twin.”

The corridor went silent.

Adrian looked at Varek.

“How many twins were there?”

Isabella’s voice dropped.

“Three pairs.”

Varek stared at her.

“Three pairs?”

“Six children. Three pairs of twins. But only two pairs were recorded.”

Jonathan finally opened the door.

A loud click echoed through the corridor.

Isabella stepped outside.

She looked at Varek, then at Adrian.

Her eyes settled on Adrian.

“My son.”

Adrian didn’t move.

“Don’t call me that.”

Isabella’s face crumpled.

“I know what they did to you.”

“You don’t know anything about me.”

“I know you were taken from my arms.”

Adrian looked away.

Varek stepped between them.

“We can deal with this later. We need to find Naomi.”

Isabella nodded.

“Richard took her to the chapel because he needs the sixth key.”

Varek looked at the small metal key in her hand.

“Naomi has it.”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“Because she is the only person who can open the original maternity archive.”

Adrian frowned.

“What is inside?”

Isabella looked towards the ceiling.

“The truth about the children. And the identity of the person who ordered their births to be registered under false names.”

“Who?”

Isabella opened her mouth.

Before she could answer, a gunshot echoed through the corridor.

Jonathan fell to the floor.

Blood spread across his shirt.

At the end of the passage stood Richard Thorne.

He held a gun in one hand.

In the other was a small photograph.

“Hello, Mother,” he said.

Isabella froze.

Richard smiled.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t find you?”

Varek raised his weapon.

“Drop it.”

Richard ignored him.

He looked at Isabella.

“You’ve told them everything, haven’t you?”

Isabella said nothing.

Richard sighed.

“Then there’s no reason to keep pretending.”

He raised the photograph.

It showed six newborn babies.

And beneath it was a handwritten note.

THREE PAIRS. SIX CHILDREN. ONE MOTHER.

Richard looked directly at Varek.

“There’s something Isabella hasn’t told you.”

Varek tightened his grip on his weapon.

“What?”

Richard smiled.

“She didn’t give birth to all six children.”

He turned towards Adrian.

“Neither did your mother.”

Then he looked at the photograph again.

“Because the woman who gave birth to all six was standing right here.”

Isabella’s face went white.

Richard pointed the gun at her.

“Your grandmother.”