"Hello, Uncle Arthur."
Arthur's face became expressionless.
Julian slowly turned toward him.
"Uncle?"
Arthur closed the door.
"Daniel is Vivienne's younger brother."
Julian looked back at the prisoner.
The man smiled.
"Now we're getting somewhere."
Julian placed both hands on the table.
"Where is Vivienne?"
Daniel tilted his head.
"She's looking for her sister."
"Which sister?"
Daniel's smile vanished.
"Emma."
Julian's eyes narrowed.
"Where is she?"
Daniel leaned forward.
"That's the problem, Mr. Vance."
His voice became almost affectionate.
"Nobody knows."
Then he laughed.
"Not even Vivienne."
Chapter 9: The Woman Behind the Curtain
At 2:17 a.m., a black sedan stopped outside an abandoned hotel on the northern edge of the city.
The building had once been one of the most prestigious addresses in the country.
Its grand entrance featured marble columns, bronze sculptures, and a glass canopy that had survived decades of storms.
Now the windows were boarded up.
The sign above the entrance had lost several letters.
Only the word ELYSIAN remained.
Vivienne Cross stepped out of the car.
She wore a long black coat over her evening dress. Her hair had become disheveled, and the diamond cuffs were gone.
A man waited beneath the entrance canopy.
He was tall, perhaps sixty years old, with silver hair and a walking cane.
"You're late," he said.
Vivienne looked at him.
"Where is she?"
"Inside."
"Is she alive?"
The man nodded.
"Yes."
Vivienne closed her eyes briefly.
"Can I see her?"
"That depends."
"On what?"
"Whether you have brought what I asked for."
Vivienne reached into her coat.
She removed a small silver key.
The old man examined it.
"Where did you get this?"
"My mother."
He looked at her sharply.
"Your mother is dead."
Vivienne's eyes hardened.
"That's what everyone believes."
The old man slowly took the key.
"Then perhaps the stories are finally becoming interesting."
He opened the entrance door.
Inside, the hotel was almost completely dark.
Dust covered the marble floors.
A grand chandelier hung above the reception desk, its crystal pieces reflecting the light from a single emergency lamp.
Vivienne followed him toward a private elevator.
"Who is she?" she asked.
The old man didn't answer.
"How long has she been here?"
"Since the night of the fire."
Vivienne stopped.
"What fire?"
He turned.
"The one that destroyed the original Cross estate."
Her face drained of color.
"That happened twenty years ago."
"Yes."
"Nobody survived."
The old man smiled faintly.
"That was the official report."
The elevator opened.
They descended two floors.
When the doors separated again, Vivienne found herself in a long underground corridor.
At the end stood a reinforced glass room.
Inside was a woman sitting in a wheelchair.
Her hair was silver.
Her face was thinner than Vivienne remembered.
But her eyes were unmistakable.
Vivienne approached the glass.
"Mother?"
The woman lifted her head.
For several seconds, she simply stared.
Then she smiled.
"Vivienne."
Vivienne covered her mouth.
Tears filled her eyes.
"You're alive."
The woman raised one trembling hand.
"Come closer."
Vivienne placed her palm against the glass.
"Why didn't you come home?"
Her mother looked toward the old man.
Then back at her daughter.
"Because your father was going to kill us."
Vivienne shook her head.
"Father died twenty years ago."
Her mother's expression changed.
"No, darling."
She whispered:
"Your father is the man who raised Julian Vance."
Vivienne stepped backward.
The corridor seemed to disappear around her.
"What?"
The woman continued.
"Richard Vance was never Julian's biological father."
Vivienne stared.
"Then who was?"
Her mother closed her eyes.
"Your grandfather."
The old man behind Vivienne spoke.
"And that is why the Meridian Group was built around a secret nobody was supposed to discover."
Vivienne turned.
"Who are you?"
The old man removed his glasses.
"My name is Henry Cross."
He paused.
"And I am the man who signed Julian's birth certificate."
Chapter 10: The Name That Never Existed
Julian had not slept.
At 5:40 a.m., he stood inside the hospital's private conference room, staring at a wall covered with photographs and documents.
Marcus had assembled the material overnight.
There were hospital records, corporate registrations, financial transfers, old newspaper clippings, and photographs from the Vance family's private archives.
At the center of the board was a photograph of Margaret Vance.
She appeared to be in her early thirties, wearing a cream-colored dress and standing beside Richard at a charity event.
Julian stared at the photograph.
His mother had always seemed like the one innocent part of his childhood.
Now even her memory had become uncertain.
Arthur entered carrying two cups of coffee.
"You should sit down."
Julian ignored him.
"Daniel Cross has been transferred to federal custody."
Arthur nodded.
"Good."
"His statement mentions a person called Henry Cross."
Arthur stopped.
"Where did you hear that name?"
"Daniel."
Arthur placed the coffee on the table.
"Henry Cross was declared dead twenty years ago."
"Apparently, everyone in this family has a remarkable talent for dying without actually dying."
Arthur did not smile.
"Henry was the original architect of the Meridian Group. He was also Elena's grandfather."
Julian turned.
"How old is he?"
"Approximately seventy-eight."
"Then he could be alive."
"Possibly."
Julian pointed to the photograph.
"Who is my biological father?"
Arthur looked at the image.
For several seconds, he said nothing.
Then he answered.
"I don't know."
Julian stared at him.
"You're lying."
"I'm not."
"You were my father's attorney."
"I was."
"You handled the estate."
"I did."
"You had access to every family record."
Arthur nodded.
"And I was instructed to destroy certain documents."
Julian's expression hardened.
"By whom?"
"Richard."
"Which documents?"
Arthur walked toward the board.
"Your birth records. Your mother's medical files. The original Meridian agreement."
Julian felt his stomach tighten.
"Why?"
Arthur looked at him.
"Because Richard believed that if anyone discovered your true identity, the entire empire would collapse."
Julian moved closer.
"Tell me what you know."
Arthur took a slow breath.
"On the night you were born, there were two infants registered at the hospital."
Julian said nothing.
"One was recorded as the son of Richard and Margaret Vance. The other was listed as the child of an unidentified woman."
"Who was the second child?"
Arthur looked directly at him.
"You."
The room fell silent.
Julian stared.
"What?"
"Your mother was not your biological mother. She raised you as her own, but the original birth certificate was altered."
"Then who gave birth to me?"
Arthur lowered his eyes.
"I believe it was Eleanor Cross."
Julian stepped backward.
Eleanor Cross.
The woman Vivienne had just visited.
The woman believed to have died twenty years earlier.
"Then why was I given to Richard?"
Arthur looked at the photographs.
"Because Eleanor's husband was killed shortly before your birth. The Cross family was involved in a dispute over the Meridian shares. Richard believed you would be safer under his name."
Julian's mind raced.
"And Margaret?"
"She agreed to raise you."
"Why?"
Arthur's voice softened.
"Because she had lost a child."
Julian looked at him.
"What?"
"Margaret's biological son died shortly after birth. She was devastated. Richard arranged for you to be placed in her arms."
Julian turned away.
For the first time in years, he felt like a stranger inside his own history.
He had grown up believing he was a Vance.
He had inherited the Vance name.
He had spent his life protecting a legacy that might never have belonged to him.
And now, the woman he had called mother might have been protecting him from the truth.
His phone rang.
Marcus answered the call from the other side of the room.
"Sir."
Julian turned.
Marcus listened.
Then his expression changed.
"What do you mean she's missing?"
Julian immediately approached.
"Who?"
Marcus lowered the phone.
"Charlotte."
The world went silent.
"Explain."
"She was in the hospital's family room. A nurse entered to bring breakfast. When she returned five minutes later, Charlotte was gone."
Julian grabbed his jacket.
"Lock down every exit."
"We already have."
"Find the cameras."
"Sir, the system has been wiped."
Julian stared at him.
"Then find the people who wiped it."
Marcus nodded.
Julian walked toward the door.
Arthur followed.
"Julian, wait."
Julian turned.
"What?"
Arthur looked terrified.
"If they have taken Charlotte, they may be trying to force you to sign the Meridian transfer agreement."
"Why?"
"Because the original trusteeship requires the consent of two surviving blood heirs."
Julian's expression hardened.
"Who are the heirs?"
Arthur looked directly at him.
"You and Charlotte."
Julian's phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
A video attachment.
He opened it.
Charlotte was sitting in a dark room.
Her hands were tied.
A man stood behind her, his face hidden.
Then a familiar female voice spoke.
"Good morning, Julian."
Vivienne.
"Bring me the original Meridian agreement."
The video ended.
A second message appeared.
OR YOUR DAUGHTER DISAPPEARS FOREVER.
Julian stared at the screen.
Then he looked at Marcus.
"Find Vivienne Cross."
Marcus nodded.
"Alive or dead?"
Julian's expression became terrifyingly calm.
"Alive."
He slipped the phone into his pocket.
"She owes me an explanation."
Chapter 11: The Price of a Daughter
The abandoned Elysian Hotel had no electricity, no functioning elevators, and no public access.
Yet somewhere beneath its deteriorating foundations, an entire private security network remained operational.
Cameras watched the corridors.
Electronic locks protected the doors.
A generator powered the underground medical wing.
And in a room without windows, Charlotte Cross sat on a leather chair, staring at a small wooden horse.
She had stopped crying.
The man standing near the door was called Victor Hale.