CHAPTER THIRTY: VICTOR'S SON

The baby opened his eyes.

Elena couldn't breathe.

They were dark.

Almost black.

And painfully familiar.

Victor's eyes.

But eyes alone couldn't prove anything.

Not after everything they had discovered.

She looked at the baby again.

"No."

Damien stared at the phone in his hand.

Victor's final words echoed in his head.

He's mine.

His jaw tightened.

"He's lying."

Elena looked at him.

"How do you know?"

"Because everything he says is designed to destroy us."

His mother stepped forward.

"Damien."

He turned.

"You knew."

She shook her head.

"I knew Victor had taken the baby. I didn't know what he intended to do with him."

"Then why did you say he carried the Ashford mark?"

"I was wrong."

Damien's eyes narrowed.

"You were wrong?"

"I hadn't seen him since he was born."

Elena looked at the baby.

"Then whose child is he?"

Nobody answered.

Eva finally spoke.

"Mine."

Everyone turned.

Elena stared at her sister.

"What?"

Eva wiped her tears.

"I don't know if he's mine biologically. But I carried him."

Damien frowned.

"Victor said he was his."

Eva shook her head.

"Victor lies."

She looked at Elena.

"But there's something you need to know."

"What?"

"Before the accident, Victor took blood from both of us."

Elena's expression changed.

"Why?"

"He said it was for medical testing."

Adrian's face went pale.

"It wasn't."

Damien looked at him.

"What did he do?"

Adrian hesitated.

"Victor had been running genetic experiments."

Elena's stomach tightened.

"Experiments?"

"Not on the children."

Adrian looked toward the baby.

"On the embryos."

Silence.

Damien's face hardened.

"Explain."

Adrian swallowed.

"Victor had access to genetic material from several members of the Ashford family."

"Why?"

"Because he wanted to create a child whose genetic profile would satisfy the conditions of your mother's private trust."

Damien stared at the baby.

"So this child was created for the inheritance."

"Yes."

Elena's voice was barely audible.

"Then he may not belong to anyone."

Adrian shook his head.

"Biologically, he belongs to someone."

"Who?"

"I don't know."

---

A sharp cry came from behind them.

Daniel.

He was standing at the doorway.

His face had gone pale.

"Mommy."

Elena immediately turned.

"What is it?"

Daniel pointed at the baby.

"Don't let Grandpa take him."

Elena's heart tightened.

"He won't."

Daniel shook his head.

"He always takes the babies."

Damien crouched.

"What do you mean?"

Daniel's eyes filled with tears.

"When I was little, he took my brother."

Damien froze.

"Your brother?"

Daniel nodded.

"He said he was taking him somewhere safe."

Elena knelt beside him.

"Which brother?"

Daniel pointed toward the baby.

"Him."

Everyone went silent.

Eva's face drained of color.

"No."

Daniel nodded.

"That's him."

Eva looked at the infant.

"But I gave birth to you."

Daniel shook his head.

"No."

He pointed toward Elena.

"She did."

Elena's heart stopped.

"What?"

Daniel looked confused.

"You don't remember?"

She shook her head.

"No."

He whispered:

"You were crying when Grandpa took him."

A memory flashed through Elena's mind.

A hospital room.

Bright lights.

Her body exhausted.

A newborn crying.

Victor standing beside her.

And another baby.

Not one.

Two.

Her hands reached toward them.

Then Victor pulled one away.

Elena gasped.

"I remember."

Damien caught her.

"What did you see?"

"Two babies."

Adrian closed his eyes.

"Then the records were altered again."

Elena looked at him.

"One of them was taken."

"Yes."

"Where?"

Adrian shook his head.

"I don't know."

Daniel whispered:

"Grandpa knows."

---

A loud bang came from outside.

Everyone turned.

Marcus rushed through the door.

"We have movement."

Damien immediately handed the baby to Eva.

"Take the children upstairs."

Elena shook her head.

"I'm staying."

"Elena—"

"I'm staying."

Damien looked at her for a moment.

Then nodded.

"Fine."

Marcus looked through the window.

"Vehicles."

"How many?"

"Six."

Damien's expression hardened.

"Victor."

His mother shook her head.

"No."

"Then who?"

She looked toward the gate.

"Someone worse."

The first vehicle stopped.

Men stepped out.

They weren't police.

They wore dark clothing and moved with military precision.

Marcus looked at Damien.

"We're surrounded."

Damien glanced at Elena.

"Get the children out through the back."

She nodded.

Eva gathered the boys.

Daniel grabbed Elena's hand.

"Don't leave me."

"I won't."

They moved toward the rear corridor.

Then the lights went out.

Again.

A voice came through the building's speakers.

"Elena."

She froze.

The voice was female.

Cold.

Calm.

Familiar.

Her own voice.

"Come to the basement."

Damien stared at the speaker.

"Who is that?"

Elena couldn't answer.

The voice continued.

"You've been searching for the truth."

A pause.

"Now you're ready for it."

The basement door opened by itself.

Elena's heart pounded.

Damien stepped in front of her.

"No."

The voice laughed softly.

"You can't protect her from herself."

---

The basement was colder than the rest of the building.

They descended slowly.

At the bottom stood a steel door.

It opened before they reached it.

Inside was a laboratory.

Elena stopped.

Rows of old equipment lined the walls.

Medical records were stacked on shelves.

Photographs covered one entire wall.

Children.

Dozens of them.

Damien stared.

"What is this?"

Adrian looked horrified.

"Victor's archive."

Elena stepped closer.

Every photograph had a name beneath it.

Most were crossed out.

Some had dates.

Others had only numbers.

Then she saw one.

SUBJECT 001 — ELENA ASHFORD.

Her hands went cold.

Another photograph.

SUBJECT 002 — EVA ASHFORD.

Then another.

SUBJECT 003 — DAMIEN VALE.

Damien stared at his own photograph.

"I was a subject?"

Adrian's voice shook.

"Apparently."

Elena looked at the next file.

Her blood ran cold.

PROJECT HEIR — FIVE VIABLE CHILDREN.

Five.

She counted the photographs.

Daniel.

Lucas.

The second twin.

Alexander.

And the baby.

Five.

Damien looked at her.

"Those are our children."

Adrian shook his head.

"Not all of them."

Elena turned.

"What?"

He pointed to the fifth photograph.

A boy.

Older than the others.

His face was hidden.

"That's the firstborn."

Elena stared.

"That's not Daniel?"

"No."

"Then who is he?"

Adrian walked toward the photograph.

Before he could answer, the laboratory doors slammed shut.

A screen lit up.

Victor appeared.

He was smiling.

"Congratulations."

Damien stepped toward the screen.

"You've lost."

Victor laughed.

"Have I?"

"You've been exposed."

"By whom?"

"Your own records."

Victor leaned closer to the camera.

"You still don't understand."

"What?"

Victor's smile disappeared.

"The five children were never the experiment."

Elena's blood ran cold.

"Then what were they?"

Victor looked directly at her.

"The experiment was you."

Silence.

Elena couldn't move.

Victor continued.

"You've spent years believing someone stole your memories."

He paused.

"They didn't."

Damien's face tightened.

"Then what happened?"

Victor's eyes remained fixed on Elena.

"You were the one who asked us to erase them."

Elena shook her head.

"No."

Victor smiled.

"You wanted to forget."

"Why?"

"Because you killed someone."

Elena's breathing stopped.

Damien stepped forward.

"Who?"

Victor looked at him.

"Your mother."

The screen went black.

Elena stared at it.

Her mother was standing upstairs.

Alive.

Or so they believed.

Then a scream echoed from above.

Elena's blood turned cold.

"Mom."

They rushed toward the stairs.

But before they reached them, Elena's phone vibrated.

One new message.

A photograph.

Her mother was tied to a chair.

Beside her stood Victor.

And behind them was the oldest boy from the laboratory photograph.

The boy looked directly into the camera.

His eyes were identical to Elena's.

The message beneath the photograph contained only four words:

HE KNOWS EVERYTHING, MOTHER.