Chapter 6 - The Child Nobody Knew About
Adrian did not sleep that night.
He studied the photograph until dawn.
Rebecca.
Alive.
Standing beside another child.
The little girl appeared to be around five years old.
She had Rebecca's eyes.
And Adrian's dark hair.
He called Daniel.
"Run a search on every property connected to Rebecca's name."
"All of them?"
"Every single one."
Then he looked at Claire.
"Take Lily downstairs."
Claire crossed her arms.
"What's happening?"
"Something I need to handle."
"Is Rebecca alive?"
Adrian looked at the photograph.
"I don't know."
"That's not an answer."
He rubbed a hand over his face.
"There's another child."
Claire looked at the picture.
For several seconds, she couldn't speak.
Then she understood.
"Is that your daughter?"
"I don't know."
The meeting with Emma Collins was scheduled for noon.
Adrian arrived at an abandoned office building near the harbor.
Two security men waited outside.
He entered alone.
A woman sat near the window.
She was in her late forties, with tired eyes and a gray scarf wrapped around her neck.
"Mr. Mercer."
"Where is my wife?"
Emma looked at him.
"You shouldn't have come."
"Answer me."
She opened a folder.
Inside were medical documents, photographs, and a handwritten statement.
"Rebecca discovered that Vincent was using the family's shipping company to move illegal shipments through several ports. She threatened to tell you."
Adrian's expression remained cold.
"I shut down those operations years ago."
"Not all of them."
Emma continued.
"Vincent had been hiding the transactions through shell companies. Rebecca found the evidence while reviewing some of the household accounts."
"And?"
"He arranged for her medication to be altered."
Adrian's face went pale.
"What?"
"Her condition was real. But the treatment she received made it worse. She discovered what was happening and tried to leave."
Emma hesitated.
"She didn't die at the hospital. We helped her disappear."
Adrian stared at her.
"Why?"
"Because Vincent threatened Lily."
Adrian stepped forward.
"Where is she?"
Emma handed him another photograph.
Rebecca was standing in front of a modest house.
The same house from the photograph.
"She's alive," Emma said. "But she doesn't remember everything. The accident damaged her memory, and she has been living under another identity."
Adrian's voice cracked.
"Where?"
Emma gave him an address.
Then she looked toward the door.
"There's something else."
"What?"
"The little girl with her isn't your daughter."
Adrian froze.
"Then whose child is she?"
Emma's eyes filled with tears.
"Rebecca's."
At the mansion, Claire was helping Lily with a puzzle when the little girl suddenly spoke.
"Claire?"
"Yes?"
"Uncle Vincent said Daddy has a secret family."
Claire's hands stopped.
"Why would he say that?"
"He told me not to tell."
Claire carefully placed the puzzle piece down.
"Sweetheart, you can always tell me when something makes you uncomfortable."
Lily nodded.
"He said Daddy will send me away when he finds his other little girl."
Claire pulled her into a hug.
"Nobody is sending you anywhere."
But her mind was racing.
Another child.
Rebecca's daughter.
A secret family.
The pieces were beginning to form a terrible picture.
Adrian returned at four.
He found Claire waiting outside Lily's bedroom.
"Where's my daughter?"
"Asleep."
He nodded.
Then he handed Claire the photograph.
She studied it.
"Rebecca."
"She's alive."
Claire's eyes filled.
"Oh, Adrian."
He looked away.
For a moment, he seemed unable to breathe.
"There's another child."
"Is she yours?"
"I don't know."
"Then you need to find out."
He nodded.
Before he could say anything else, his phone rang.
Daniel.
Adrian answered.
"What?"
The attorney's voice was urgent.
"Vincent just transferred ownership of the eastern shipping terminal to a company registered in the Cayman Islands."
"Why?"
"Because the FBI has opened an investigation."
Adrian's expression hardened.
"On what?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Human trafficking. Illegal shipments. And the disappearance of Rebecca Mercer."
Adrian looked at Claire.
Then he heard the next sentence.
"There's an arrest warrant being prepared, Adrian."
"For Vincent?"
"No."
A pause.
"For you."
That evening, federal agents arrived at the mansion.
They carried search warrants.
They searched Adrian's office, the garage, and the security room.
They found financial records linking Mercer Holdings to several suspicious transactions.
Adrian cooperated.
But Claire noticed something strange.
The evidence appeared too perfectly arranged.
Every document pointed toward Adrian.
Every signature looked authentic.
Every transaction carried his authorization.
It was as if someone had built an entire case around him.
When an agent approached the staircase, Claire stepped in front of Lily.
"She stays out of this."
The agent nodded.
Then Adrian looked at her.
"Claire, take Lily to Mrs. Whitmore."
She hesitated.
"Adrian—"
"Please."
It was the first time he had ever asked her for something rather than ordering it.
Claire took Lily's hand.
But before they reached the hallway, a sharp voice came from the entrance.
"Nobody moves."
Vincent stood in the doorway.
He held a small remote control.
May you like
And he smiled.
"Looks like the family reunion is going to be more interesting than I expected."
