Chapter 16: The Woman Using Her Name

The car sped through the darkness.

No one spoke.

Ava stared at the brass key in her palm.

317.

Someone had already opened the safety deposit box using her name.

But she had never been there.

She finally broke the silence.

"Lucas."

He glanced at her through the rearview mirror.

"Who opened the box?"

"The bank won't tell us."

"Why?"

"Because whoever opened it passed every verification."

Damien's expression hardened.

"Meaning?"

Lucas tightened his grip on the steering wheel.

"Meaning they had Ava's identification, her signature, and her biometric information."

Ava's heart dropped.

"That's impossible."

"Apparently not."

She looked at Damien.

"Someone has everything."

"Not everything," Damien said.

Ava frowned.

He pointed toward her hand.

"You still have the key."

---

Twenty minutes later...

The car stopped outside an old private bank in the city's financial district.

The building appeared abandoned.

The lights were off.

The doors were locked.

Lucas checked his watch.

"The bank closed two hours ago."

Damien stepped out.

"Then we'll make them open it."

Ava followed.

"You can't just break into a bank."

Damien looked at her.

"Watch me."

Despite everything, Ava almost smiled.

Almost.

Then she noticed something.

A black sedan was parked across the street.

Its engine was running.

Someone was watching them.

"Damien."

He turned.

The sedan suddenly sped away.

Lucas immediately pulled out his phone.

"I'll follow it."

"No."

Damien's voice stopped him.

"They want us to chase them."

"So what do we do?"

"We go inside."

---

The bank manager arrived ten minutes later.

He looked nervous when he saw Damien.

"Mr. Blackwood..."

"I need access to Box 317."

The manager swallowed.

"That isn't possible."

"Why?"

"The box has been sealed."

"By whom?"

The manager hesitated.

"The owner."

Ava stepped forward.

"I'm the owner."

The manager looked at her.

"You are?"

"Yes."

He studied her face for several seconds.

Then slowly shook his head.

"That's not what the records say."

Ava's stomach tightened.

"What do they say?"

The manager opened a secure file.

"According to our records..."

"...Ava Carter already came here tonight."

Ava stared at him.

"When?"

"8:17 p.m."

"What did she look like?"

The manager frowned.

"Exactly like you."

A chill ran down Ava's spine.

"Did she say anything?"

"She asked for Box 317."

"And?"

"She opened it."

"What was inside?"

The manager's expression changed.

"I wasn't permitted to see."

Damien stepped closer.

"Who authorized the withdrawal?"

The manager lowered his voice.

"Your grandfather."

Damien froze.

"My grandfather has been dead for years."

"I know."

"Then why does his authorization still work?"

The manager looked toward the security cameras.

"Because whoever controls the Blackwood family trust..."

"...still has access."

---

Minutes later...

The vault door opened.

Ava stood beside Damien as the manager led them toward Box 317.

The brass key fit perfectly.

Click.

The drawer slid open.

Empty.

Ava stared at it.

"Nothing."

Damien's eyes narrowed.

"Not nothing."

He reached inside and ran his fingers along the back wall.

Something clicked.

A hidden compartment opened.

Inside was a small black envelope.

Ava's name was written across it.

AVA CARTER

She slowly opened it.

Inside was a photograph.

Her heart stopped.

It showed two young girls standing together.

One was Ava.

The other was the mysterious woman from the hospital.

But they weren't babies.

They looked about six years old.

Ava stared at the image.

"I've never seen this."

Damien turned the photograph over.

A date was written on the back.

October 14, 2008.

Ava's face went pale.

"That's impossible."

"What?"

"I was told I met my stepsister for the first time when I was eight."

Damien looked at the photograph again.

"Then someone lied."

A second item fell from the envelope.

A hospital wristband.

This one was different.

It read:

Emily Blackwood — Patient Transfer

Damien's breathing stopped.

"Emily."

Ava looked at him.

"Your sister."

He nodded slowly.

"But why would her bracelet be in a box under your name?"

Before either could answer, the bank's alarm suddenly sounded.

The manager's face went pale.

"Someone has entered the building."

Lucas looked toward the corridor.

"How many?"

The manager checked the security monitor.

"Three."

Damien took Ava's hand.

"Stay behind me."

Ava shook her head.

"No."

He looked at her.

"I'm tired of hiding."

For a moment, Damien simply stared at her.

Then he nodded.

"Stay close."

Footsteps approached.

Slow.

Measured.

The vault doors suddenly opened.

A man stepped inside.

He wasn't wearing a mask.

Damien's expression changed immediately.

Ava recognized him too.

Ethan Lawson.

He smiled.

"Hello, Ava."

She froze.

"What are you doing here?"

Ethan's gaze shifted to Damien.

"I came to collect something that belongs to my family."

Damien stepped forward.

"You've made a mistake."

Ethan smiled.

"No."

"I think you have."

He lifted a small envelope.

"Because I know exactly who Ava Carter really is."

Ava's heart pounded.

"What do you mean?"

Ethan looked directly at her.

"You're not the daughter your family raised."

Then his smile disappeared.

"You're the Blackwood heir."