Chapter 7 - Bloodlines and Broken Glass
The presidential suite at Columbia Presbyterian was quiet, save for the steady hum of cardiac monitors. Evelyn Carter lay against the propped pillows, her silver hair brushed back, her weathered face lined with years of hard labor and quiet sacrifice.
When the door opened and Alice rushed to her side, Evelyn’s eyes lit with sudden life.
“Alice... my sweet girl,” Evelyn breathed, catching her granddaughter's trembling hands.
“Grandma, are you alright? Did they hurt you?”
“No, baby. They treated me like a queen on that plane,” Evelyn whispered. Then her gaze lifted past Alice, toward the tall man standing silently in the doorway.
Admila stepped forward, stripping off his heavy wool overcoat. The titan of Wall Street suddenly looked like a repentant boy.
“Evelyn,” Admila said, his voice thick with emotion.
“Admila,” she replied, her voice firm despite her frailty. “You took your sweet time finding us.”
Alice stood between them, looking from one to the other. “Grandma... what is this? He says—”
“He’s your grandfather, Alice,” Evelyn said quietly. “When Admila’s father discovered I was pregnant back in Chicago, he threatened to destroy my family if Admila didn't marry Victoria Van Der Bilt to save their shipping line. Admila was young, ambitious, and coward enough to let his father buy him off. I took our daughter, Mary, and disappeared.”
Admila bowed his head. “I spent fifteen years searching for Mary after my father died. When the private investigators came back with death certificates... they told me Mary died in a hospital ward, leaving no trace.”
“Because Mary married an honest man, took his name, and died giving birth to Alice,” Evelyn said, tears finally spilling onto her cheeks. “I raised Alice on my own. I never told her who you were because I didn't want your poison touching her. I wanted her to grow up proud, honest, and free.”
Alice looked at Admila. The puzzle pieces clicked into place—the cold luxury of the mansion, the sudden hostility from Victoria, the instant hatred from Annabelle.
“I didn't come to your house because of fate, did I?” Alice asked, turning to Admila.
Admila shook his head. “No. Two weeks ago, an anonymous informant sent me Mary’s sealed adoption records and Alice’s employment agency application. I approved the hire myself to see you with my own eyes. I wanted to know what kind of woman my granddaughter had become.”
“And you let your daughter treat me like an animal to test me?” Alice’s voice turned dangerously sharp.
“No!” Admila stepped forward, genuine anguish on his face. “I had no idea Annabelle had become so vicious. I built an empire, Alice, but I neglected my home. When I saw you stand up to her on that staircase... I saw Evelyn. I saw Mary. I saw the only real thing I ever loved.”
Before Alice could process the revelation, Admila’s encrypted phone buzzed violently. He glanced at the screen.
May you like
It was Vance, the head of private security.
“Chief,” Vance’s voice cut through the speaker. “Victoria made bail an hour ago. She and Annabelle just emptied the private vault at headquarters and boarded the yacht at the marina. And they took the offshore transfer codes with them.”
