Chapter 13: The Name No One Expected
Chapter 13: The Name No One Expected
The conference room fell into absolute silence.
No one moved.
No one seemed capable of breathing.
Adrien continued staring at the computer screen.
His face had gone completely pale.
Lily looked from one adult to another.
"Why is everybody scared?"
No one answered her.
Samuel Grayson slowly stepped closer.
His eyes settled on the name displayed beneath Evelyn's handwriting.
For a moment, he looked as though he had forgotten how to speak.
Finally, he whispered,
"I never imagined..."
Adrien swallowed hard.
"Neither did I."
Cora gripped the edge of the conference table.
The strength left her knees.
She slowly sank into a chair.
"This can't be."
Richard Bennett looked away.
His forehead glistened with sweat.
Michael noticed immediately.
"Dad?"
Richard didn't answer.
"Dad..."
Michael repeated.
"Do you know something?"
Richard shook his head too quickly.
"No."
Adrien finally looked up from the screen.
"That's the second lie you've told tonight."
Richard's jaw tightened.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Adrien calmly turned the monitor toward everyone.
The name on the screen was now visible to the entire room.
Jonathan Pierce
The room remained silent.
Lily frowned.
"Who's Jonathan?"
Samuel answered quietly.
"He was Adrien's godfather."
"And the chairman of the Vance Family Foundation."
Lily smiled faintly.
"The man who gave me books every Christmas?"
Samuel nodded.
"Yes."
The smile disappeared from Lily's face.
"He was nice."
Adrien closed his eyes.
Jonathan Pierce had been part of his life since childhood.
He had attended Adrien's graduation.
He had stood beside him at his wedding.
He had comforted him after Evelyn's funeral.
He had even insisted on paying for the memorial garden built in her honor.
None of it made sense.
Samuel carefully reread the document.
"Evelyn didn't write that Jonathan Pierce was Lucas Kane."
Adrien looked at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Read the sentence again."
Adrien lowered his eyes.
The man you know as Lucas Kane was never born with that name.
Below it...
Legal Identity Used Since 1998: Jonathan Pierce.
Samuel pointed at the wording.
"That means Jonathan Pierce wasn't another victim."
"He created the identity."
Adrien felt sick.
His childhood mentor.
His trusted adviser.
The man who had helped him build his charitable foundation.
Had been living under a false name for nearly three decades.
The head of security suddenly spoke.
"Sir."
"I know that name."
Adrien looked over.
"What?"
The guard hesitated.
"Jonathan Pierce called the estate this morning."
The room froze.
"This morning?"
"Yes."
"He asked whether you would be home all afternoon."
Adrien stared at him.
"Why wasn't I told?"
"It seemed routine."
"He calls every Monday."
Adrien slowly remembered.
Jonathan often checked in.
Sometimes to discuss the foundation.
Sometimes simply to ask how Lily was doing.
No one had questioned it.
Until now.
Samuel suddenly reached for the keyboard.
"There may be more."
He searched through the flash drive.
A second folder appeared.
Hidden.
Encrypted.
The folder title read:
Insurance.
Adrien entered the password printed inside Evelyn's letter.
The folder opened.
Hundreds of scanned documents appeared.
Bank transfers.
Property records.
Private emails.
Corporate contracts.
Samuel quickly skimmed through them.
Then he stopped.
"Oh..."
Adrien stepped beside him.
"What?"
Samuel opened a spreadsheet.
Millions of dollars had moved through dozens of shell companies over fifteen years.
Each transaction eventually ended at one name.
Pierce Family Charitable Foundation.
Adrien stared in disbelief.
"The foundation?"
Samuel nodded.
"It wasn't only a charity."
"It was laundering money."
Richard suddenly stood.
"I've had enough."
He headed toward the door.
Two security officers blocked his path.
Adrien looked at him.
"Leaving already?"
Richard forced a smile.
"This has nothing to do with me."
"Doesn't it?"
Adrien picked up another document.
"This says you served on the foundation's financial advisory board."
Michael turned toward his father.
"You told us you volunteered."
Richard remained silent.
"You signed these reports."
Adrien placed another paper on the table.
"Every year."
Michael's voice cracked.
"Dad..."
"Tell me this isn't true."
Richard looked at his son.
For the first time all evening...
His confidence disappeared.
"I never knew what they were doing."
Adrien wasn't convinced.
"You signed every transfer."
"I trusted Jonathan."
Samuel quietly added,
"That's exactly how organizations like this survive."
"They convince ordinary people they're serving a good cause."
Richard sank into the nearest chair.
"I thought..."
He rubbed his forehead.
"I thought we were funding hospitals."
"Scholarships."
"Veterans."
"I never asked questions."
Samuel looked at him.
"That was your biggest mistake."
The head of security's phone suddenly vibrated.
He answered.
His face instantly changed.
"Sir."
Adrien looked over.
"What now?"
"We just received a report from state police."
Adrien braced himself.
"What happened?"
The guard swallowed.
"Jonathan Pierce's private residence is empty."
Adrien wasn't surprised.
"He ran."
The guard slowly shook his head.
"No."
"The neighbors say he never came home."
"They haven't seen him in two days."
Samuel frowned.
"Then where is he?"
The guard looked down at his phone.
"There was something else."
"What?"
"We found his driver."
Adrien's expression hardened.
"Alive?"
The guard nodded once.
"Barely."
"He was found tied up inside the trunk of Jonathan's limousine."
The room became silent again.
"What did he say?"
The guard took a slow breath.
"He only repeated one sentence before losing consciousness."
Adrien waited.
The guard looked directly at him.
"He said..."
'Mr. Pierce wasn't running...'
A long pause followed.
May you like
Then the guard finished.
'He was kidnapped... by the real Lucas Kane.'
