Chapter 11: The Legacy Of A Monster
I thought I knew everything about my family.
I was wrong.
My father had been dead for eight years.
A respected businessman.
A man whose name appeared on buildings.
A man people described as brilliant.
A man I spent my entire life trying to become.
Now Andrew was telling me that the foundation beneath my entire world was built on something monstrous.
I stared at him.
“Say that again.””
Andrew didn’t look away.
“Your father funded the original research.””
The warehouse suddenly felt freezing.
“No.””
“Daniel.””
“No.””
I stepped back.
“You knew my father?””
“Not like you did.””
“Then don’t talk about him.””
Andrew stayed silent.
That silence angered me more than anything.
Because silence meant there was truth behind it.
I looked at the flash drive in my hand.
“How much is on this?””
“Everything.””
“Then we watch it.””
We played the files in Andrew’s car.
The first video was old.
A medical facility.
Scientists.
Documents.
Names.
Then my father appeared.
William Cross.
Younger.
Confident.
Standing in front of a group of researchers.
My hands tightened.
His voice came through the speakers.
“The future belongs to those willing to make difficult choices.””
I felt sick.
The video continued.
The research.
The funding.
The experiments.
Then a file appeared.
*Subject L-001.*
Lily.
I closed my eyes.
“No.””
Andrew looked at me.
“Daniel…”
“No.””
I shut off the screen.
“I don’t want to see my daughter reduced to a number.””
Andrew’s voice softened.
“She wasn’t.””
“Then why was she labeled that?””
He had no answer.
I went home before sunrise.
Lily was awake.
She was sitting in the kitchen.
The same place where she used to do homework.
The same place where Rachel used to sing while making breakfast.
She heard me enter.
“Dad?””
I sat beside her.
“I need to tell you something.””
She turned toward me.
“Is it bad?””
I looked at my daughter.
A child who had already carried more pain than anyone should.
I chose my words carefully.
“There were people who made mistakes before you were born.””
“About me?””
“Yes.””
She was quiet.
Then:
“Did they make me blind?””
I froze.
Children always find the question adults avoid.
I reached for her hand.
“I don’t know everything yet.””
“But you think so.””
I couldn’t lie.
“I think someone hurt you.””
Lily was silent.
Then she whispered:
“I always wondered.””
“About what?””
“Why Mom was afraid.””
My heart stopped.
“What do you mean?””
“Before she died, she used to hold me at night.””
Lily touched the table.
“She would tell me, ‘No matter what happens, your dad will find the truth.’”
My eyes filled.
Rachel knew.
She knew this day would come.
Later that morning, Marcus called.
“Daniel.””
His voice was urgent.
“What?””
“I found something about Hawthorne.””
“What?””
“The bullying incident wasn’t planned by the students alone.””
I stood.
“What are you saying?””
“The school’s security footage was altered before the attack happened.””
My jaw tightened.
“By who?””
A pause.
“Someone with access to the system.””
“Whitmore.””
“Yes.””
The principal.
The man who pretended to help.
“Find him.””
“I tried.””
“And?””
“He’s gone.””
My stomach dropped.
“What do you mean gone?””
“His house is empty. His bank accounts were closed. His phone was destroyed.””
I looked toward Lily.
Someone was cleaning up.
Someone was removing evidence.
Then Marcus said:
“There’s one more thing.””
“What?””
“We found the person who contacted Richard Blake.””
I waited.
“Who?””
Marcus hesitated.
Then:
“Daniel, you need to see this yourself.””
An hour later, Marcus showed me a security image.
A person entering Richard Blake’s office.
The picture was blurry.
But clear enough.
I stared.
My hands went cold.
Because the person standing beside Richard Blake…
Was someone I thought I buried years ago.
Someone whose death certificate I had personally signed.
Someone who should not have been alive.
Marcus looked at me.
“Do you know her?””
I could barely speak.
“Yes.””
“Who is she?””
May you like
I stared at the screen.
“Rachel.””
