CHAPTER 8 The Bloodline That Was Never Meant to Be Found
CHAPTER 8 The Bloodline That Was Never Meant to Be Found
Theodore Vale stared at the document in front of him.
He read the name once.
Then again.
But his mind refused to accept it.
The letters remained the same.
The truth remained the same.
Yet everything inside him wanted to believe it was another lie.
Another trick.
Another cruel secret from a family that had spent his entire life hiding things from him.
“No.”
The word escaped his mouth quietly.
Then louder.
“No.”
Sebastian watched him carefully.
Theodore looked up.
“You knew.”
Sebastian did not answer.
That was enough.
Theodore stepped backward.
“You knew who my father was.”
Sebastian’s face tightened.
“I knew the truth was dangerous.”
“That is not what I asked.”
Theodore’s voice shook.
“Did you know?”
Sebastian looked at Isabella.
Then at Rosalie.
Finally, he looked at Theodore.
“Yes.”
The answer destroyed whatever trust remained.
The room felt smaller.
The walls that had protected the Vale family for generations suddenly felt like they were closing in.
Theodore looked at Isabella.
“You knew too.”
Her eyes filled with pain.
“Yes.”
“Everyone knew except me.”
“Theodore…”
“No.”
He raised his hand.
“Don’t explain.”
His voice cracked.
“Every person in this house knew who I was except me.”
Isabella stepped closer.
“I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
She hesitated.
And that hesitation hurt more than any answer.
“From the truth.”
Theodore laughed bitterly.
“The truth is the only thing nobody ever gave me.”
Rosalie picked up the document.
Her hands were trembling.
“This doesn’t make sense.”
Everyone looked at her.
She continued reading.
“If Theodore’s father was not a Vale…”
She looked at Sebastian.
“Then why did Father raise him?”
Nobody answered.
Eleanor smiled faintly.
“Because your father was not as powerful as everyone believed.”
Sebastian’s eyes moved toward her.
“Be careful.”
Eleanor ignored the warning.
“Your father built an empire by controlling information.”
She walked slowly across the room.
“He knew secrets were more valuable than money.”
Theodore watched her.
“What are you saying?”
Eleanor looked at him.
“I’m saying your father discovered your existence before anyone else did.”
A cold feeling moved through Theodore.
“Why?”
“Because he knew you were the key.”
“The key to what?”
Eleanor looked toward the old family records.
“The Vale inheritance.”
Sebastian stepped forward.
“That is enough.”
Eleanor turned.
“You still think you can protect them?”
Sebastian’s expression became cold.
“I can protect them from you.”
Eleanor laughed softly.
“You still don’t understand.”
She pointed at the documents.
“I didn’t create this.”
She looked at Theodore.
“I only revealed it.”
Theodore looked at the mysterious man standing beside her.
The man had not spoken once.
“Who is he?”
Eleanor smiled.
“Someone who knows your father better than any of us.”
The man stepped forward.
“My name is Daniel Cross.”
Theodore narrowed his eyes.
“Should I know you?”
Daniel smiled.
“You should.”
He opened his briefcase.
Inside were old photographs.
Old letters.
Old recordings.
He placed one photograph on the table.
Theodore picked it up.
It showed his biological father standing beside his mother.
But behind them was another person.
A younger Daniel Cross.
Sebastian looked at him.
“You worked with him.”
Daniel nodded.
“For many years.”
Rosalie looked confused.
“Then why are you helping us?”
Daniel looked at Theodore.
“Because your father left one final message.”
“What message?”
Daniel reached into the briefcase and removed an old recording device.
A small object covered in dust.
He pressed a button.
Static filled the room.
Then a voice appeared.
A voice Theodore had never heard.
But somehow recognized.
His father.
“If you are hearing this…”
Theodore froze.
“…then I am probably dead.”
Everyone became silent.
The recording continued.
“I know the truth about the Vale family will eventually come out.”
A pause.
“But there is one thing you must understand.”
Theodore moved closer.
“The person who betrayed me…”
The voice became weaker.
“Is the person you would least expect.”
The recording stopped.
Nobody moved.
Then Daniel spoke.
“He recorded that message three days before his death.”
Sebastian looked at him.
“Where did you find it?”
Daniel answered:
“He gave it to me.”
“When?”
“Before he disappeared.”
Theodore looked at him.
“Disappeared?”
Daniel nodded.
“Your father was never killed.”
Everyone froze.
“What?”
Daniel looked toward Isabella.
“He was taken.”
Theodore felt dizzy.
His father.
The man everyone believed was dead.
Was alive?
Or had been alive?
The same impossible pattern repeated again.
Nobody was ever truly gone in this family.
They were only hidden.
Rosalie whispered:
“If Father was alive…”
She looked at Sebastian.
“Who buried him?”
Nobody answered.
Then suddenly, every phone in the room rang.
Everyone looked down.
The same message appeared on every screen.
Sebastian’s phone.
Theodore’s phone.
Rosalie’s phone.
Even Daniel’s.
One sentence.
STOP SEARCHING, OR THE NEXT FUNERAL WILL BE REAL.
Isabella’s face went pale.
Because she recognized the number.
Theodore noticed.
“Who sent it?”
She slowly looked up.
A terrible fear filled her eyes.
“It’s impossible.”
“Who?”
Her voice trembled.
“Your father.”
The room went completely silent.
Sebastian grabbed the phone.
“That cannot be.”
Isabella whispered:
“I know.”
“Because I watched him die.”
She looked at Theodore.
“But that was not the only thing I was lied about.”
Theodore stared at the message.
For the first time, he wondered if the biggest mystery was not who tried to kill Rosalie.
Maybe the real mystery was much worse.
Maybe someone who should have been dead…
May you like
Had been controlling everything from the beginning.
TO BE CONTINUED…
