The Hidden heir’s revenge

Chapter 89 — The Woman Who Stole Their Mother

“She’s the woman who stole our mother.”

Adrian remained frozen.

The little boy held his hand tightly, as if he feared Adrian would disappear if he let go.

Varek stared at the woman.

“Who is our mother?”

The woman said nothing.

“Answer me!” Varek demanded.

She looked at the two men, then at the boy.

“You shouldn’t listen to him. His memories are damaged.”

The boy shook his head.

“They told me to forget, but I didn’t.”

Adrian knelt beside the bed.

“Tell me what you remember.”

The boy swallowed.

“There were two babies. One was you. One was Varek. But there was another woman who came before this woman.”

He pointed at the older woman.

“She carried our real mother away.”

Varek frowned.

“Why?”

“Because our mother knew about the seventh baby.”

The woman suddenly moved towards the bed.

“That’s enough!”

Varek blocked her.

“Don’t take another step.”

She looked at him with anger.

“You have no idea what you’re doing. Every second you waste brings the entire system closer to collapse.”

“Then let it collapse.”

“You think you can destroy the Black Ledger and walk away? It controls more than your family’s money. It controls the identities of people who don’t even know they belong to this arrangement.”

Adrian stood.

“Where is our mother?”

The woman looked at him.

“Dead.”

The boy began crying.

“No!”

She continued.

“She died twenty-nine years ago.”

Varek shook his head.

“That’s what you said about the little girl. You keep declaring people dead whenever they become inconvenient.”

The woman stared at him.

“Your mother was the first person to discover what we were doing. She tried to stop the transfer. She failed.”

“Who was she?” Adrian asked.

The woman looked towards the computer.

“Her name was Isabella.”

Adrian went still.

“Which Isabella?”

The woman gave a bitter smile.

“Now you understand the problem. Every woman in this family has been given another woman’s name.”

Varek stepped closer.

“Was she the Isabella who claimed to be Adrian’s mother?”

“No.”

“Was she the Isabella buried beneath the chapel?”

“No.”

“Then who was she?”

The woman hesitated.

“She was the original Isabella Thorne. The woman whose identity was stolen before the first child was born.”

Adrian looked down at the boy.

“Do you remember her face?”

The boy nodded.

“Yes.”

“Can you describe her?”

The child looked at the older woman.

“She looked like Naomi.”

Nobody spoke.

⸻

Naomi was still holding the photograph when Evelyn received an alert.

Someone had accessed the building’s internal security system.

“That’s impossible,” Evelyn muttered.

She opened the security panel.

A camera feed appeared.

A man was standing outside the secure room.

He was wearing a dark jacket and holding a small medical case.

Naomi leaned closer.

“Who is that?”

Evelyn zoomed in.

Her expression changed.

“Richard.”

Naomi immediately pulled Daniel behind her.

“How did he find us?”

Evelyn reached for her weapon.

“I don’t know. But he isn’t coming inside.”

Richard raised his head towards the camera.

Then he held up a white card.

Naomi read the words printed on it.

I HAVE YOUR MOTHER.

Her fingers went cold.

Evelyn looked at her.

“Don’t react. It could be a trick.”

Richard lifted another card.

This one carried a photograph.

It showed an elderly woman sitting in a chair.

Naomi recognized the pendant around her neck.

It was the same pendant she had inherited from her mother.

She whispered, “Mum.”

Daniel looked up at her.

“Is Grandma there?”

Naomi couldn’t answer.

Evelyn activated the building’s emergency lockdown.

“Nobody opens that door.”

Richard smiled at the camera.

Then he spoke.

His voice came through the security speakers.

“Naomi, you have ten minutes to bring me the pendant.”

He paused.

“Or your mother will disappear again.”

⸻

Back in the maternity ward, Varek was examining the bracelet.

The engraving was old, but the letters were clear.

DANIEL THORNE — TWIN ONE.

He turned it over.

There was another inscription.

PROPERTY OF THE ORIGINAL MATERNITY ARCHIVE.

Adrian looked at the woman.

“You knew about this bracelet.”

“Of course.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Because you weren’t supposed to remember Daniel.”

Adrian’s jaw tightened.

“Was I born Daniel?”

“Yes.”

“Then why did Richard call me Adrian?”

“Because the original Daniel was declared dead.”

The boy shook his head.

“He wasn’t.”

Adrian looked at him.

“Who was declared dead?”

The boy pointed towards the woman.

“She gave another baby my name.”

The woman closed her eyes briefly.

Varek felt a chill run through him.

“Another baby?”

The boy nodded.

“There were two Daniels. One stayed with her. One was taken away.”

Adrian slowly looked at the woman.

“Which one was I?”

“You were the one who survived.”

“That’s not an answer.”

She sighed.

“You were the child Richard chose to raise. The other Daniel was kept here because his memories were needed.”

Adrian looked at the boy.

“Then why does he look like me?”

“Because you are brothers.”

“Twins?”

The woman nodded.

“Identical twins.”

Adrian stepped back.

For years, he had believed his childhood memories were incomplete because of an accident, a medical procedure or some forgotten family tragedy.

Now he was being told that the missing pieces had been deliberately removed.

He looked at Varek.

“And you?”

The woman answered before Varek could speak.

“He was born between the two Daniels.”

Varek frowned.

“That makes no sense.”

“There were three boys.”

The little girl suddenly moved forward.

“No.”

Everyone turned towards her.

She was staring at the woman.

“You’re forgetting one.”

The woman looked irritated.

“Go back to Varek.”

The girl shook her head.

“There were four.”

Varek knelt in front of her.

“What do you mean?”

The girl looked at the hospital bed.

“Daniel wasn’t the only one who had a brother. I remember another baby.”

The woman grabbed the edge of the table.

“Stop talking.”

The girl continued.

“He was crying. You said he was the one who would remember everything.”

Adrian stared at her.

“Where is he?”

The girl pointed towards the far wall.

Varek turned.

There was a narrow metal cabinet built into the wall. He had assumed it contained medical supplies.

He approached it and pulled the handle.

It didn’t move.

The woman rushed forward.

“Don’t open that!”

Varek turned towards her.

“What’s inside?”

“Nothing.”

“Then you won’t mind if I check.”

He pulled out his weapon and aimed at the lock.

The woman shouted.

“Varek, don’t!”

He fired.

The lock broke.

The cabinet door swung open.

Inside was a small compartment containing a hospital file, a photograph and a tiny pair of shoes.

Varek picked up the photograph.

It showed four newborn boys.

Adrian.

The child in the bed.

Varek.

And another baby whose face had been scratched out.

On the back, someone had written:

THE FOURTH BOY WAS NOT GIVEN A NAME.

Varek opened the hospital file.

The first page contained four birth records.

The second page contained a handwritten note.

He read it aloud.

“Three boys were transferred. One boy remained with the mother.”

Adrian looked at the woman.

“Which boy remained with her?”

The woman said nothing.

The little girl slowly raised her hand.

“He was the one they called Father.”

Varek stared at her.

“What?”

She pointed at the scratched-out photograph.

“The fourth baby grew up. He became the man who raised the children.”

Adrian looked at the photograph again.

The woman finally spoke.

“That’s impossible.”

Varek turned towards her.

“Who is the fourth boy?”

She backed away from the cabinet.

For several seconds, she appeared unable to speak.

Then she whispered a name.

“Jonathan.”

Adrian’s face changed.

“Jonathan Thorne?”

The woman nodded.

“He was never your grandfather.”

Varek looked down at the photograph.

The man who had controlled the Black Ledger, manipulated their family and kept the children separated had not simply been another relative.

He had been one of them.

Before anyone could speak, the computer made a sharp sound.

A new file opened automatically.

FOURTH CHILD — CURRENT IDENTITY: JONATHAN THORNE.

ORIGINAL MOTHER: ISABELLA THORNE.

BIOLOGICAL STATUS: CONFIRMED.

Then another line appeared.

FOURTH CHILD’S CURRENT LOCATION: SECURE FACILITY.

Adrian stared at the screen.

“He’s here?”

The woman shook her head.

“No.”

Varek looked at her.

“Then where is he?”

The computer refreshed.

A photograph appeared.

It showed the old wheelchair man, Jonathan Thorne, lying in the underground corridor.

But his eyes were open.

And beneath the photograph was a new message.

JONATHAN THORNE HAS JUST ENTERED THE MATERNITY WARD.