Chapter 11: The Brother Who Wanted Me Dead
I met Daniel in a small coffee shop two blocks from the courthouse.
He was already waiting when I arrived.
He looked exactly like the photograph in the ledger.
Dark hair.
Brown eyes.
The same crescent birthmark beneath his left ear.
He wore a charcoal suit and carried a leather briefcase.
When he saw me, he didn't smile.
“Ryan Mitchell?””
I nodded.
“Daniel?””
He gestured toward the chair opposite him.
“Sit.””
I placed the blue ledger on the table.
His eyes immediately went to it.
“Where did you get that?””
“Sarah hid it in our house.””
He leaned back.
“Then she managed to do something nobody else could.””
I studied his face.
“You said you know what happened to Sarah.””
“I do.””
“Then tell me.””
Daniel opened his briefcase and removed a thick envelope.
Inside were newspaper clippings, medical records, and photographs.
The first photograph showed a young woman standing outside a clinic.
I recognized her immediately.
Margaret Collins.
The woman listed as my biological mother.
Daniel watched my expression.
“She raised me for six years before your father took me away.””
I frowned.
“What?””
“She was told I had died during a medical emergency. The truth was that Arthur arranged for me to be placed with another family.””
“Why would he do that?””
“Because he wanted control over the children produced by his fertility program.””
Daniel pushed a document toward me.
It was a private medical agreement.
My father's signature appeared at the bottom.
“Your father believed he could create a perfect genetic bloodline. He used donor eggs, surrogate pregnancies, and carefully selected genetic material.””
I stared at him.
“Are you saying he planned all of this?””
Daniel nodded.
“He wanted children who carried specific inherited characteristics. Intelligence, physical traits, and certain medical markers. He considered us a long-term investment.””
I felt sick.
“And Sarah?””
“She was supposed to be another carrier.””
I looked at the records.
“Why did he let me marry her?””
Daniel's expression changed.
“Because he didn't expect you to have children naturally.””
I stared.
“What?””
“Your father believed you were infertile. The original fertility agreement included a procedure intended to correct that condition, but it failed.””
I shook my head.
“That's impossible. Sarah got pregnant naturally.””
Daniel gave a bitter smile.
“Exactly. That's when everything changed.””
He placed another report on the table.
It contained a genetic comparison between me and Sarah.
The results showed we were half-siblings.
I couldn't look at it.
“Sarah knew?””
“She discovered it after the twins were conceived.””
“Why didn't she tell me?””
Daniel leaned forward.
“Because she was trying to find proof that your father had deliberately hidden the truth. She wanted to protect you.””
I closed my eyes.
For five years, I'd believed Sarah had died without knowing how much I loved her.
Now I understood that she'd spent her final months trying to protect me from my own family.
“Why did you contact me?””
Daniel took a sip of coffee.
“Because I need something from you.””
“What?””
“The blue ledger.””
I pulled it closer.
“No.””
His expression hardened.
“You don't understand. I have spent twenty years trying to destroy your father's program.””
“And you think I'm going to hand over the evidence?””
“I think you want your daughters safe.””
I stared at him.
“What happened to the third child?””
Daniel looked toward the window.
Then he spoke quietly.
“She's my daughter.””
I froze.
“What?””
“Her name is Olivia. She's twenty-six.””
My mind struggled to catch up.
“You have a daughter?””
Daniel nodded.
“She was born through the same program. My father used my genetic material without my consent.””
I stared at the photograph of the young man in the briefcase.
“So the third child isn't another baby?””
“No. Olivia is an adult woman. And she's the reason I contacted you.””
He opened another envelope.
Inside was a photograph of a young woman standing beside a hospital bed.
She had dark hair and a crescent-shaped birthmark beneath her left ear.
The same mark.
My heart pounded.
“Where is she?””
Daniel looked directly at me.
“Your father has her.””
I stood.
“Where?””
“He took her three days ago. He claims she's receiving treatment, but she's being held at a private facility.””
I grabbed the photograph.
“Then we call the police.””
Daniel shook his head.
“Your father owns the facility.””
“Then we get a warrant.””
“I'm a criminal defense attorney, Ryan. I know exactly how this works. By the time a warrant arrives, Olivia will be gone.””
I stared at him.
“What do you want me to do?””
“Give me the ledger. I'll use it to expose the program. But first, I need you to understand something.””
He leaned closer.
“Your father doesn't want the children because he loves them. He wants the genetic records because they're worth millions.””
I thought of Lily behind the wall.
Grace in my mother's house.
And Olivia in a private facility.
“How do we get them out?””
Daniel finally opened the last document.
It was a property record for an abandoned research center outside the city.
A handwritten note appeared beside the address.
*Project Sanctuary. Final transfer scheduled.*
I looked at him.
“What does that mean?””
Daniel's jaw tightened.
“It means your father is moving everyone connected to the project.””
“Everyone?””
He nodded.
“Children. Medical records. Witnesses.””
I grabbed my phone.
“I have to get Lily and Grace.””
Daniel stood.
“Then we need to move now.””
But as I reached for the ledger, he suddenly pulled a small pistol from his briefcase and placed it on the table.
I froze.
“What are you doing?””
His expression became unreadable.
“I'm sorry, Ryan.””
He picked up the blue ledger.
“I can't let your father have another chance to destroy my family.””
Then he turned toward the coffee shop entrance.
And I heard a familiar voice behind me.
“Daniel, put the book down.””
Dr. Evelyn Carter stood in the doorway.
She was holding a photograph.
May you like
And the man standing behind her was someone I had never expected to see again.
My father.
