Chapter 1 – The Medal of the Forgotten Hero
Chapter 1 – The Medal of the Forgotten Hero
No one spoke.
Colonel Marcus Vance held the battered silver medal as though it were made of glass.
His weathered fingers traced the faded insignia again.
Then his eyes widened.
"I never thought I'd see this again."
The room remained frozen.
Victoria Sterling folded her arms impatiently.
"It's just an old military medal."
"No."
Vance's voice became dangerously quiet.
"This isn't a medal."
He turned toward the crowd.
"This is the Guardian Star."
Several retired officers in attendance gasped.
Only six had ever been awarded.
Each belonged to members of a covert military rescue unit that officially never existed.
Every recipient had disappeared.
Every mission had been classified.
Everyone believed the medals had been destroyed decades ago.
Except one.
General Nathaniel Cross.
The greatest rescue commander in modern military history.
The man who sacrificed his entire career saving hundreds of civilians during a covert operation twenty-five years earlier.
Officially...
He died without leaving any family behind.
Vance slowly faced Maya.
"Where did you get this?"
Maya swallowed.
"It was around my neck when the police found me as a child."
Vance's breathing became uneven.
His voice cracked.
"My God..."
He looked at Maya's face once more.
Her eyes.
Her smile.
The shape of her jaw.
She looked exactly like someone he once knew.
"You aren't an orphan."
The words struck the ballroom like thunder.
"You are General Nathaniel Cross's daughter."
May you like
The room exploded into stunned whispers.
Victoria's confident smile disappeared.
