The child beneath the roof

Elena read the message again.

THIRD CHILD — LOCATION CONFIRMED.

THE CHILD IS LIVING UNDER YOUR ROOF.

Her fingers tightened around the phone.

“That's impossible.”

Adrian took the phone from her and examined the address.

It was the house where Lily had spent her earliest years, before the family moved into the Blackwood estate.

“Someone is trying to frighten us,” he said.

Samuel Hayes shook his head.

“No. That address is important.”

Elena turned toward him.

“Why?”

Samuel looked uncomfortable.

“Because your parents hid something there.”

“What?”

“Your brother's original birth record.”

Michael stepped closer.

“You mean Jonathan?”

Samuel nodded.

“Not Jonathan. The third child.”

Eleanor's face changed.

“Samuel, you promised me that child's identity would remain protected.”

“And I kept that promise,” he replied. “But someone has found the record.”

Elena looked between them.

“Who is this child?”

Nobody answered.

Alexander gave a quiet laugh.

“You're all wasting time.”

Adrian turned toward him.

“What do you know?”

Alexander adjusted his jacket.

“I know that the third child was never meant to inherit anything. The child was supposed to disappear.”

Elena stepped closer.

“Why?”

“Because your parents made a terrible mistake. They believed they could divide the original inheritance among their children.”

Robert frowned.

“That isn't possible. The seventh seal only recognizes one successor.”

Alexander smiled.

“Exactly.”

He looked directly at Elena.

“And that's why one child had to be removed.”

Elena's stomach tightened.

“Did you take my brother?”

Alexander didn't answer.

Instead, he looked at Samuel.

“Tell her what happened the night Daniel died.”

Samuel's expression hardened.

“Enough.”

“Tell her.”

Samuel closed his eyes.

“Daniel discovered that the inheritance system had been altered. He planned to take all three children away before Alexander could reach them.”

Elena swallowed.

“But he didn't.”

“No. Someone betrayed him.”

“Who?”

Samuel looked at Michael.

Michael shook his head.

“Don't look at me.”

“I wasn't,” Samuel replied.

He turned toward Amelia.

Amelia's face went pale.

Elena stared at her.

“Amelia?”

Amelia shook her head quickly.

“I don't know what he's suggesting.”

Samuel sighed.

“You were the one who carried Elena away from the hospital.”

“I was protecting her!”

“And you left the other two children behind.”

Amelia's eyes filled with tears.

“I was told they were already safe.”

“By whom?”

She looked at Eleanor.

Eleanor lowered her head.

“I gave her the instructions.”

Elena stepped back.

“So both of you knew?”

Amelia reached for her.

“Elena, please.”

“Did you know I had brothers?”

Amelia couldn't answer.

Adrian moved beside Elena.

“Let's go to the house. We need to see what's there.”

Alexander smiled.

“You may find more than you expect.”

Robert ordered the security team to secure the vault.

But before they could leave, the screen changed.

A photograph appeared.

It showed Lily sitting in the living room of their former house.

Beside her stood a young man.

Elena's heart stopped.

She recognized him.

It was the man from the old family photograph.

The one whose face had been scratched out.

Beneath the picture were three words.

HE HAS RETURNED.

---

The journey to the old house felt longer than usual.

Elena barely spoke.

Adrian held her hand while watching the road.

“Whatever we find, we'll face it together.”

She nodded, but her thoughts remained with Lily.

If the message was true, someone had been inside their home.

Someone who knew the family's history.

Someone who might have been watching their daughter.

When they arrived, the front door was open.

Adrian immediately called the security team.

“Check every room. Make sure Lily is safe.”

Elena rushed inside.

“Lily!”

A small voice answered from the sitting room.

“Mummy?”

Elena hurried toward it.

Lily was sitting beside Margaret, holding a picture book.

Elena pulled her into a tight embrace.

“Are you alright?”

Lily nodded.

“Why are you scared?”

Elena kissed her forehead.

“I'm fine, sweetheart.”

Adrian entered the room.

“Where is everyone else?”

Margaret looked confused.

“Everyone?”

“The visitors. The people who came here.”

Margaret frowned.

“Nobody came.”

Adrian glanced at Elena.

Then Lily quietly raised her hand.

“Someone came to see me.”

Elena froze.

“Who, sweetheart?”

“A man.”

Adrian immediately knelt beside her.

“What did he look like?”

Lily thought for a moment.

“He had Daddy's eyes.”

Adrian went still.

“What did he say?”

Lily pointed toward the bookshelf.

“He told me to give this to Mummy.”

Elena followed her finger.

An envelope sat between two books.

Her name was written across it.

She opened it carefully.

Inside was a photograph of three children.

Two boys and a baby girl.

The older boy was Jonathan.

The baby was Elena.

The second boy looked remarkably like Adrian.

On the back, someone had written:

THE THREE CHILDREN OF DANIEL ROSE.

Elena stared at the photograph.

“Adrian…”

He took it from her.

His expression changed.

“That boy…”

“What?”

Adrian looked at the photograph again.

“He looks like someone I know.”

“Who?”

Before he could answer, his phone rang.

It was Charles Vale.

Adrian answered.

“Charles?”

“Where are you?”

“At the old house.”

A brief silence followed.

Then Charles spoke.

“Get Elena and Lily out of there.”

Adrian's expression hardened.

“Why?”

“Because I just received a message from someone claiming to be Jonathan Rose.”

“We know about Jonathan.”

“No, Adrian. You don't understand.”

Charles lowered his voice.

“The man who contacted Elena isn't Jonathan.”

Elena stepped closer.

“Then who is he?”

Charles hesitated.

“He's the third child.”

Adrian looked at the photograph.

“Who is the third child?”

Charles answered slowly.

“His name is Daniel Alexander Rose.”

Elena's heart began pounding.

“Why does he look like Adrian?”

Charles was silent for several seconds.

Then he said something that made Adrian's face lose its colour.

“Because Daniel Alexander Rose wasn't raised as Daniel Rose.”

A pause.

“He was raised as Adrian Blackwood's brother.”

Adrian stared at the phone.

“I don't have a brother.”

Charles's voice became almost a whisper.

“You do.”

Then the call ended.

Elena looked at Adrian.

Before either could speak, Lily pointed toward the hallway.

“Mummy?”

Elena turned.

“What is it?”

Lily was staring at a man standing near the staircase.

He looked exactly like the boy in the photograph.

The man smiled faintly.

“Hello, Elena.”

She stepped in front of Lily.

“Who are you?”

He looked at Adrian.

Then he answered.

“I'm the brother your husband was told never existed.”

He paused.

“And I'm here to take back what your family stole from mine.”

::