Chapter 5 - THE SECRET BEHIND THE CHILDREN
Adrian felt his entire body go cold.
“What did you say?”
Marcus didn’t answer immediately.
Lena stepped between them.
“Don’t listen to him.”
Marcus looked at her.
“You still protect him after everything?”
Lena’s eyes hardened.
“I protect my children.”
Adrian looked at both of them.
“Stop.”
His voice filled the room.
“I’m done being the last person to know what’s happening.”
Everyone became silent.
He pointed at Marcus.
“You came here because you knew I would find Lena.”
Marcus said nothing.
“You knew about Emma and Mia.”
Still nothing.
“You knew about Victoria.”
Marcus looked away.
That was enough.
Adrian laughed quietly.
A painful laugh.
“Everyone knew.”
He looked around.
“Everyone knew except me.”
Lena’s expression softened.
“Adrian…”
“No.”
He shook his head.
“I need the truth.”
Marcus slowly sat down.
“Your father discovered something about your family.”
“What?”
“A secret from before you were born.”
Adrian frowned.
“This is about my children.”
“No.”
Marcus looked directly at him.
“It’s about your bloodline.”
The words sounded ridiculous.
But Marcus wasn’t joking.
“Your father built the Cross empire on one promise.”
Adrian crossed his arms.
“What promise?”
“That the family name would survive.”
Lena interrupted.
“That’s not the whole story.”
Marcus looked at her.
“You don’t get to tell him half the truth.”
Adrian stepped closer.
“Enough.”
He looked at Marcus.
“Start from the beginning.”
Marcus took a deep breath.
“Seven years ago, when Lena became pregnant, your father found out someone inside the company was trying to destroy the Cross family.”
Adrian frowned.
“What does Lena have to do with that?”
“She became a target.”
Lena looked down.
“They told me Adrian would be killed if I stayed.”
Adrian’s expression changed.
“They threatened you?”
“Yes.”
“Who?”
Lena hesitated.
Marcus answered.
“Victoria.”
The room went silent.
Adrian felt anger burning inside him.
“No.”
Marcus nodded.
“She wasn’t acting alone.”
Adrian remembered Victoria’s calm face.
Her perfect smile.
Her confidence.
She wasn’t surprised when Clara walked into the wedding.
She was afraid.
Because she knew.
“What did she do?”
Marcus looked at him.
“She helped create the story that Lena abandoned you.”
Adrian clenched his fists.
“She destroyed my family.”
Marcus shook his head.
“You still don’t understand.”
Adrian stared.
“Then make me understand.”
Marcus opened a folder.
Inside were documents.
Photos.
Records.
And one DNA report.
Adrian picked it up.
His eyes moved across the page.
Then stopped.
“What is this?”
Marcus said nothing.
Lena covered her mouth.
Adrian looked at the result.
A result connected to Emma and Mia.
His face changed.
Because the children were his.
That wasn’t the secret.
The secret was something else.
Something hidden beneath the report.
Adrian looked up.
“Why does this say their identity was changed?”
Nobody answered.
Then Marcus said:
“Because someone wanted your children to disappear.”
Adrian stared.
“Who?”
Marcus slowly placed another picture on the table.
A picture of a man standing beside Victoria.
A man Adrian knew.
A man who had been helping Victoria from the beginning.
His closest friend.
Daniel.
Adrian’s voice became a whisper.
“Daniel?”
Marcus nodded.
“He wasn’t helping Victoria steal your wedding.”
A pause.
May you like
“He was helping her steal your entire life.”
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