Chapter 3: The Brother Who Knew Everything
I stared at Daniel's signature until the letters began to blur.
Daniel Blackwood was thirty-seven, charming, intelligent, and considerably more approachable than his older brother.
He was the person who had welcomed me into the Blackwood family when Ethan barely introduced me to his relatives.
He sent flowers on my birthday. He remembered my favorite restaurants. He once stayed with me in the hospital when Ethan had been overseas for a business conference.
I had trusted him.
Apparently, that had been a mistake.
"Richard, why would Daniel order a fertility test using Ethan's identity?""
Richard removed his glasses.
"That's what we need to establish.""
"Does Ethan know?""
"Not yet. I received this copy through a preliminary inquiry. The clinic has not released its full records.""
I picked up the authorization form.
The signature looked almost identical to Ethan's.
Almost.
But I noticed something unusual.
Ethan always crossed the letter B in his surname with a sharp horizontal stroke. This signature didn't.
"Is this a forgery?""
"I can't make that determination. A handwriting expert would need to examine it.""
I placed the form down.
"Then why did you ask me to come here?""
Richard opened another document.
"Because Daniel's name appears on the company that manages the Blackwood family trust. And your divorce settlement contains a clause releasing certain claims connected to that trust.""
I frowned.
"Nobody explained that to me.""
"I know.""
"Did Ethan know?""
Richard hesitated.
"He instructed me to include it.""
A cold feeling spread through my chest.
"So my husband wanted me to sign away something I didn't even know existed?""
"That's possible.""
I stood and walked toward the window.
Outside, Manhattan was already moving. Yellow taxis filled the streets, pedestrians hurried past coffee shops, and office workers carried their breakfasts beneath the autumn sun.
I felt as though I were watching another world.
"Richard, what does Daniel gain if Ethan believes Vanessa is carrying his child?""
Richard didn't answer immediately.
Then he opened a spreadsheet.
"The Blackwood family trust has a succession provision. If Ethan has a biological child, certain voting rights and inheritance provisions transfer to the next generation. If he dies without an heir, those rights follow a different succession path.""
"To Daniel?""
"Potentially.""
I turned around.
"Then this isn't just about an affair.""
"No," Richard said quietly.
"It may be about control of the family empire.""
My phone rang.
Ethan.
I stared at the screen.
Richard motioned for me to answer.
"Hello?""
"WHERE ARE YOU?""
His voice was so loud I had to move the phone away from my ear.
"I'm busy.""
"Don't play games with me, Olivia. Richard told me you came to his office.""
I glanced at the attorney.
"He has a name, Ethan. You hired him.""
"Did you give him my medical records?""
I didn't respond.
"Answer me!""
"Yes.""
There was a sharp sound on the other end, as if something had struck a table.
"How did you get those results?""
"From the clinic. You authorized me to collect them.""
"Those results are wrong.""
"Then get tested again.""
"I already have!""
My heart skipped.
"When?""
"Yesterday morning. The doctor is reviewing everything.""
I exchanged a look with Richard.
"Did you tell Vanessa?""
A silence.
Then Ethan spoke through clenched teeth.
"She's standing right here.""
In the background, I heard Vanessa's voice.
"Tell her to stop interfering!""
Ethan lowered his voice.
"Olivia, listen carefully. You're going to withdraw that report and sign a confidentiality statement. I'll increase your settlement to fifty million.""
I almost laughed.
"Yesterday, forty million was too expensive. Today, you're offering fifty?""
"Don't test me.""
"I'm not testing you, Ethan. I'm asking you to explain something.""
"What?""
"How can Vanessa be three months pregnant with your child when your fertility report says no sperm were detected?""
Silence.
Then I heard Vanessa.
"She's lying! That report is fake!""
I waited.
Ethan spoke again.
"Vanessa, stop.""
"She wants your money! She's trying to destroy us!""
"Then why are you so frightened of a second test?""
I heard something fall.
Then a door slammed.
Richard reached across his desk and motioned for me to put the phone on speaker.
"Mr. Blackwood," he said calmly, "this is Richard Coleman. I suggest you preserve every medical document connected to your recent examinations.""
"Richard, stay out of this.""
"I am your attorney. That's precisely why I'm involved.""
Ethan's breathing grew heavier.
"You're supposed to represent me.""
"I represent your legal interests. That includes protecting you from potentially fraudulent claims.""
Another voice entered the conversation.
"Mr. Blackwood, before you accuse Vanessa of anything, there's something you should know.""
I froze.
I recognized that voice.
Dr. Harrison.
Ethan must have called the fertility clinic while we were speaking.
"Doctor?"" Ethan said.
"Are you telling me these results are wrong?""
"No, Mr. Blackwood. The results from our laboratory are accurate.""
"That is impossible!""
"The sample was processed twice. We also reviewed the quality-control records. There was no laboratory error.""
Vanessa began crying.
"Ethan, please. You know I love you.""
"Not now, Vanessa.""
Dr. Harrison continued.
"However, there is another matter that requires your attention.""
"What matter?""
"Your wife isn't the first person who requested information about your medical records.""
Richard sat upright.
I felt my fingers go cold.
"What do you mean?"" Ethan demanded.
"Someone accessed the records weeks before your appointment. The inquiry was made through a separate clinic.""
"WHO?""
The doctor hesitated.
"Your younger brother, Daniel Blackwood.""
A crash echoed through the phone.
I stood.
"Richard...""
He raised one hand, asking me to wait.
Ethan's voice sounded different now.
Not angry.
Frightened.
"Why would Daniel access my medical records?""
"I cannot answer that question, Mr. Blackwood. But there's something else.""
The doctor paused.
"The second report wasn't ordered under Daniel's name. It was ordered under yours, and the attached consent form carries a signature that appears to be yours.""
I looked at Richard.
He slowly closed his eyes.
"Doctor," he said, "do you have the original authorization?""
"Yes. We have retained the original digital submission and its associated verification records.""
Ethan shouted.
"WHO SUBMITTED IT?""
"Mr. Blackwood, I believe you should have your attorney review the documentation before drawing conclusions.""
"JUST TELL ME!""
"Your brother's identification credentials were used to submit the request. But the payment came from an account registered to Blackwood Legacy Holdings.""
Richard stood so quickly his chair rolled backward.
I felt the room tilt.
The same company he had shown me.
The same company connected to the family trust.
Ethan was shouting again.
"Daniel has access to my personal accounts?""
"Apparently, someone has been using your credentials for longer than we initially suspected.""
Then Vanessa spoke.
Her voice was small.
"Ethan, please. Don't listen to him.""
He turned away from the phone.
"Vanessa, look at me.""
"I can explain.""
"Three months pregnant. That's what you told me.""
"Yes.""
"And you said the baby was mine.""
"Of course it is!""
"Then why did Daniel pay for the test?""
Silence.
For several seconds, nobody spoke.
Then a man's voice came from somewhere near Vanessa.
"Because you're asking the wrong question, Ethan.""
I recognized it.
Daniel.
He was there.
Ethan's voice dropped.
"Daniel?""
A door slammed.
Someone screamed.
Then Ethan shouted something I had never heard him say before.
"OLIVIA, CALL THE POLICE! MY BROTHER DIDN'T JUST LIE ABOUT THE BABY—HE'S BEEN USING MY IDENTITY FOR YEARS!""
The call disconnected.
I stared at the phone.
Richard immediately reached for his office telephone.
"Nobody leaves this room until we establish what's happening.""
My hands were shaking.
I had expected an affair.
I had expected lies.
I had even expected that Vanessa's pregnancy might not be what Ethan believed.
But identity theft? A secret company? Medical records accessed before Ethan's examination?
This was something much bigger.
Richard called the clinic and requested that all relevant records be preserved. He then contacted the firm's security consultant and asked for a formal review of the financial documents connected to Blackwood Legacy Holdings.
I sat motionless.
Then my phone buzzed.
An unknown number.
A message appeared.
Olivia, you need to stop asking questions about Daniel. You have your forty million. Take it and disappear.
I read it twice.
Richard leaned over my shoulder.
"Don't respond.""
"Who sent this?""
"I don't know. But save the message.""
Another message arrived.
This time, it contained a photograph.
It showed Daniel standing outside the fertility clinic six weeks before Ethan's appointment.
He was holding a sealed medical envelope.
And beside him stood Vanessa.
Underneath the photograph were seven words:
The baby isn't the only thing he stole.
I looked up at Richard.
He had gone completely pale.
Because the photograph revealed something I hadn't noticed before.
Daniel wasn't holding the envelope alone.
His other hand was resting on the shoulder of a woman standing just outside the frame.
May you like
A woman whose reflection appeared clearly in the clinic's glass entrance.
*Me.*
