Chapter 13 - EVA BENNETT
The address belonged to an abandoned church.
It had been closed for years.
No electricity.
No security.
No signs of recent activity.
Yet Nicholas's intelligence team had traced the address to a woman named Eva Morgan.
Twenty-five years old.
No known family.
No social media.
No employment history.
No birth certificate that could be verified.
Claire stood outside the building.
Her heart was beating so hard she could hear it.
“I'm going in,” she said.
Nicholas shook his head.
“Not alone.”
“I didn't say alone.”
Vincent stepped forward.
“I'll go.”
Claire looked at him.
“No.”
He stopped.
“I understand.”
It was a small sentence.
But Claire noticed it.
Once, Vincent would have argued.
Now he simply stepped back.
Nicholas opened the door.
Inside, the church smelled of dust.
Moonlight passed through broken stained glass.
A piano stood beneath the altar.
Claire walked slowly.
Then she heard footsteps.
A woman appeared from behind the columns.
Twenty-five years old.
Dark hair.
Pale skin.
Sharp eyes.
She looked exactly like their mother.
Claire stopped.
Eva stopped too.
Neither spoke.
Then Eva smiled.
“You took long enough.”
Claire felt tears rise.
“You're Eva.”
“Yes.”
“My sister.”
Eva nodded.
“Half of you.”
Claire frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Eva's expression changed.
“Ask your father.”
Claire turned.
Jonathan had entered behind them.
His face was devastated.
“Eva.”
She looked at him.
For a moment, anger replaced everything else.
“You finally came.”
Jonathan couldn't speak.
Eva laughed bitterly.
“Twenty-five years.”
Claire stared.
“You knew him?”
“He came to see me once.”
“When?”
“Eight years ago.”
Claire looked at Jonathan.
“You knew she was alive?”
Jonathan shook his head.
“I didn't know where you were.”
Eva laughed.
“You knew enough.”
Claire stepped between them.
“What happened?”
Eva looked at her.
“Eden raised me.”
Claire's blood ran cold.
“What does that mean?”
“They taught me everything.”
“Everything?”
“Finance. Languages. Intelligence. Negotiation. Psychology.”
Nicholas stared at her.
“You were trained.”
Eva looked at him.
“So were you.”
Nicholas's jaw tightened.
Claire noticed.
“You know her.”
“No.”
Eva smiled.
“He doesn't remember me.”
Nicholas looked confused.
Eva walked closer.
“Palermo.”
Nicholas froze.
“You were there.”
“Yes.”
“What happened?”
Eva looked at Claire.
“Your father sent Nicholas to rescue me.”
Claire stared at Nicholas.
“You knew?”
“I didn't know who she was.”
Eva interrupted.
“He knew exactly who I was.”
Nicholas's face became pale.
“That was twenty years ago.”
“I was five.”
Claire looked between them.
“What happened?”
Eva answered.
“Eden kidnapped me after the hospital.”
Jonathan's eyes closed.
“They wanted leverage.”
Eva nodded.
“They wanted your father to cooperate.”
“Did he?”
“No.”
“Then why didn't they kill you?”
Eva smiled sadly.
“Because my mother protected me.”
Claire's breath caught.
“My mother?”
“Eleanor.”
Claire stepped closer.
“What did she do?”
Eva looked at Jonathan.
“She made a deal.”
Jonathan whispered:
“No.”
Eva's eyes filled with anger.
“She traded her access to Eden for my life.”
Claire looked at her father.
“You knew?”
“I discovered it years later.”
Eva shook her head.
“You discovered nothing.”
Jonathan stared.
“You were told the truth.”
Silence.
Eva reached into her coat.
She pulled out an old envelope.
“My mother left this for Claire.”
Claire took it.
Her mother's handwriting.
She opened it.
My darling Claire,
If you ever meet Eva, do not believe everything she tells you.
Claire's eyes widened.
She continued.
Your sister is not the enemy. But she may believe she is.
The final line made Claire's blood run cold.
Because Eden did not raise Eva to destroy us. They raised her to replace me.
Claire lowered the letter.
Eva's expression had become unreadable.
Nicholas looked at her.
“What does that mean?”
Eva answered quietly.
“It means Eden wanted my mother.”
Claire frowned.
“They wanted Eleanor?”
Eva nodded.
“And when they couldn't control her…”
She looked directly at Claire.
“They created me.”
The church fell silent.
Then the doors slammed shut.
Lights came on.
Dozens of screens appeared around the room.
A man's face appeared on the largest screen.
Daniel Vale.
Older.
Silver-haired.
Calm.
Claire stepped forward.
“Who are you?”
Daniel smiled.
“Your mother's greatest mistake.”
Jonathan whispered:
“Daniel.”
Vale looked at him.
“You failed.”
Jonathan stepped forward.
“You stole my daughter.”
“No.”
Vale smiled.
“Your wife gave her to us.”
Claire froze.
Eva looked away.
Vale continued.
“Eleanor believed she could sacrifice herself and save both children.”
Claire's voice trembled.
“What happened to her?”
Vale smiled.
“Your mother is alive.”
Claire stopped breathing.
“Where?”
“Come find her.”
The screens went black.
Then one final message appeared.
PROJECT EDEN HAS BEGUN.
Eva looked at Claire.
“You shouldn't have come.”
Claire stared at her.
“Why?”
May you like
Eva whispered:
“Because now they know you remember me.”
