Chapter 36 — Alexander's Father

CHAPTER 36 — ALEXANDER'S FATHER

Alexander barely spoke during the drive back to the mansion.

Daniel's photograph had confirmed what he had feared for days. His father had not simply known about the separation of the triplets. He had been directly involved in keeping them apart.

Alexander kept his eyes on the road, gripping the steering wheel tightly. Every memory of his childhood seemed different now. He remembered the family dinners, the conversations about business, and the way his father always insisted that the Blackwood name came before everything else.

He had once admired that confidence. Now he wondered how many lies had been hidden behind it.

When they arrived, Alexander went straight to his father's private office.

Amelia followed him.

"Alexander, wait."

He turned.

"I need to hear the truth from him."

"Then let me come with you."

Alexander hesitated before nodding.

His father's office was at the far end of the mansion. The older man was seated behind his desk, reading a document. Several folders were arranged neatly beside him, and a glass of water sat near his right hand.

He looked up when they entered.

"Alexander. I wasn't expecting you."

"We need to talk."

His father noticed Amelia.

"Is this about the Laurent family again?"

Alexander placed Daniel's photograph on the desk.

"Who is this?"

His father glanced at it.

"Someone you should leave alone."

Alexander's voice became colder.

"That's Daniel Laurent. My family's spent years searching for him. Why was he raised under another name?"

His father closed the document.

"Because it was necessary."

Amelia stepped forward.

"Necessary for whom? You separated three children from their mother. You let them grow up believing they had no siblings."

His father looked at her.

"Your grandfather made the original decision. I only helped protect the arrangement."

"Protect it from what?" Alexander asked.

"From a family scandal that could have destroyed both families."

Alexander shook his head.

"That's not an answer."

His father stood and walked toward the window.

"Edward Laurent was afraid that his inheritance would be divided. He believed the triplets would complicate the future of the estate. He wanted each child placed where he could control their future."

"And you agreed?" Alexander asked.

"I believed it was the best solution at the time."

Amelia's voice trembled.

"You don't get to decide what is best for someone else's children."

His father turned.

"Your mother understood the situation."

Alexander frowned.

"Don't bring Mother into this."

"She knew more than you think."

Amelia exchanged a look with Alexander.

"What does Victoria know?"

His father didn't answer.

Alexander moved closer to the desk.

"Tell us everything."

For several seconds, the room remained silent.

Then his father opened a drawer and removed a thick folder.

"I kept the original agreement. Edward wanted Richard to become Daniel's legal guardian, but Richard refused. The arrangement was changed afterward."

"Who signed the final agreement?" Alexander asked.

His father placed the folder on the desk.

"Your grandmother Eleanor and I."

Amelia opened it. The pages contained several signatures and official stamps.

At the bottom was a name she didn't expect.

Victoria Blackwood.

Alexander stared at his mother's signature.

"Why did Mother sign this?"

His father looked away.

"Because she believed she was protecting you."

"Protecting me from what?"

His father lowered his voice.

"From the truth about your own birth."

Alexander froze.

Amelia looked from one man to the other.

"What are you talking about?"

His father closed the folder.

"Some questions have consequences, Amelia. You should be careful about what you uncover."

Alexander picked up the agreement.

"I'm done listening to warnings. If you know something about my birth, you're going to tell me."

His father's expression became hard.

"Then ask your mother."

Alexander walked out without another word.

Amelia followed him into the hallway.

"Alexander, what did he mean?"

He looked at the document in his hands.

"I don't know."

For a moment, neither of them moved.

Amelia gently touched his arm.

"Whatever the truth is, you don't have to face it alone."

Alexander looked at her. His expression softened, but the worry in his eyes remained.

"I spent my entire life believing I knew my family. Now I'm beginning to wonder if anything they told me was true."

"Your father's decisions don't define who you are," Amelia replied. "You can choose what happens next."

Alexander nodded, although he still seemed troubled.

His phone rang.

It was Victoria.

Alexander answered immediately.

"Mother, did you sign an agreement involving Amelia's siblings?"

There was a long silence.

Then Victoria spoke.

"Where did you find that document?"

"Father showed it to us."

Her voice became unsteady.

"Alexander, you need to come home. There is something I should have told you a long time ago."

Alexander looked at Amelia.

"What is it?"

Victoria whispered:

"Your father isn't the only person in this family who has been lying."

The call ended.

Alexander stared at his phone.

A few minutes later, Alexander and Amelia entered the main sitting room. Victoria was already waiting for them.

She was standing beside the fireplace, holding a small cup of tea that she hadn't touched.

When she saw the folder in Alexander's hand, her expression changed.

"You found it," she said quietly.

Alexander placed the folder on the table.

"Why did you sign it?"

Victoria looked down at the signature.

"I was hoping you would never see that document."

"That isn't an answer, Mother."

She slowly placed her cup down.

"Your grandmother Eleanor came to me shortly after the children were born. She told me Edward Laurent had made arrangements to separate them. She said the agreement would prevent a dispute over the inheritance."

"And you believed her?" Amelia asked.

Victoria looked at her.

"I was young, and Eleanor had considerable influence over everyone in the family. She told me that refusing to sign would put Alexander's future at risk."

Alexander stepped forward.

"What did my future have to do with three children from the Laurent family?"

Victoria's eyes filled with tears.

"That's what I never understood. Eleanor kept telling me that the two families were connected in ways I couldn't question. She insisted that signing the document would protect the Blackwood name."

Alexander shook his head.

"You signed something without knowing what it meant?"

"I knew it involved the children. I didn't know every detail. I was told Daniel would be placed with a guardian and that the girls would be raised separately."

Amelia's voice became sharper.

"And you never tried to find them?"

Victoria lowered her head.

"I tried once. Eleanor discovered what I was doing and threatened to expose something about our family. After that, I became afraid."

Alexander stared at her.

"What could she possibly have known that was powerful enough to frighten you?"

Victoria looked at her son, but she couldn't bring herself to answer.

"Mother, was my father telling the truth about my birth?"

Victoria's hands began to tremble.

She looked toward the hallway, making sure no one else was nearby.

"Alexander, there are things about the night you were born that your father has never explained."

Amelia moved closer.

"What things?"

Victoria swallowed.

"Your grandmother controlled the family records. She decided which documents were kept and which were hidden. Even your father's personal records were not beyond her reach."

Alexander's expression hardened.

"Are you saying my birth records were changed?"

Victoria didn't answer.

Instead, she walked toward a small cabinet and removed an old photograph. It showed Alexander as a newborn, lying in a hospital blanket. His father stood beside the bed, while Eleanor was positioned behind them.

Victoria held the photograph carefully.

"Your grandmother kept this picture in her private room. She never allowed anyone to take it."

Alexander studied it.

"Why?"

"Because she said it reminded her of a promise your father had made."

"What promise?"

Victoria closed her eyes.

"That the Blackwood family would never lose control of its future."

Alexander felt a chill run through him.

He looked at Amelia, then back at his mother.

"You're telling me my birth was part of one of Eleanor's plans?"

Victoria's voice broke.

"I don't know how much of it was planned. But I know your father has hidden information about the day you were born."

Alexander took a step back.

"Then I'm going to find it."

Victoria reached for his hand.

"Please, Alexander. Before you confront him again, let me find the remaining documents