Chapter 8: The Child Who Was Never Supposed to Exist
For several seconds, Darius could only stare.
Marjorie Wells stood beneath a flickering emergency light, one hand gripping the shoulder of a little girl who looked about four years old.
The child's dark hair fell to her chin. Her pale blue dress was too thin for the cold evening, and she clutched a stuffed rabbit with one torn ear.
Around her wrist was the silver bracelet.
Kayla's bracelet.
Darius took a step forward.
“Who is that child?””
Marjorie tightened her grip on the girl's shoulder.
“You should leave.””
“Not until you answer me.””
Brittany emerged from the shadows behind him.
“Marjorie?””
The older woman turned.
Her expression hardened.
“You shouldn't have come here.””
“You told me my daughter was dead.””
“I told you what you needed to hear.””
Brittany looked as though she might collapse.
“You took her from me.””
“I saved her.””
“You stole my baby!””
The little girl flinched at the shouting.
Darius immediately lowered his voice.
“What's your name, sweetheart?””
The child looked at Marjorie before answering.
“Grace.””
“Grace, how old are you?””
“Four.””
Darius's stomach tightened.
The dates were wrong. The hospital records were wrong. Everything about this child seemed to contradict the documents he had found.
He crouched several feet away.
“Grace, can I see your bracelet?””
The little girl shook her head.
“It's mine.””
“I know. I'm not going to take it from you.””
Marjorie pulled her behind her.
“Don't speak to her.””
Darius stood.
“You've been hiding this child for four years. You forged medical records, altered a birth certificate, and apparently used my father's money to arrange her placement. You're going to explain every part of it.””
Marjorie gave a short, bitter laugh.
“You think money explains everything, don't you?””
“No. But it explains why someone paid to keep my daughter from finding the truth.””
“Which daughter?””
The question struck Darius like a blow.
He glanced at Brittany.
She had gone completely still.
Marjorie looked from one to the other.
“You've been asking the wrong questions. You want to know who Grace belongs to? You want to know why Olivia died? Then stop pretending this family has only one secret.””
She reached into her coat and removed a folded document.
“Read it.””
Darius took the paper.
It was a DNA report from a private laboratory.
The names at the top were partially obscured, but the conclusion was clear.
*Probability of maternity: 99.99%.*
The alleged mother was Olivia Carter.
The child was Grace Wells.
Darius stared at the report.
“No.””
Marjorie nodded.
“Olivia gave birth to Grace.””
Brittany made a choking sound.
“That is impossible.””
“Is it?”” Marjorie asked.
“You signed the papers, Brittany. You helped us move the baby.””
“I was told she was mine!””
“You were told what you wanted to believe.””
Brittany shook her head violently.
“No. I carried her. I gave birth to her.””
Marjorie looked at her coldly.
“You carried a child for someone else.””
The words echoed through the corridor.
Darius felt his knees weaken.
Olivia had given birth to a second child?
He had been with her through every doctor's appointment during her pregnancy with Kayla. He had held her hand during labor. He had watched her cradle their daughter for the first time.
There had never been another pregnancy.
Unless the pregnancy had been hidden.
Unless the baby had been born before Kayla.
Unless every memory he possessed had been carefully arranged to conceal a truth he had never thought to question.
He looked at Marjorie.
“Tell me exactly what happened.””
Marjorie glanced toward the entrance.
The gunman had disappeared, but the sound of an engine remained somewhere outside.
“We don't have much time.””
“Then start talking.””
Marjorie took a breath.
“Olivia discovered that Richard Carter had been funding a private surrogacy arrangement. Your father wanted another heir, one he could control without interference from you or your wife.””
Darius shook his head.
“My father was nearly sixty.””
“He was obsessed with the Carter name. He believed you were too sentimental, too distracted by your marriage and your daughter. He wanted a child who could be raised to inherit the company according to his wishes.””
“And Brittany?””
“Brittany was a surrogate.””
Brittany stumbled backward.
“No.””
Marjorie continued.
“Olivia agreed to donate an egg because Richard promised that the child would be protected by a separate trust. She believed she was helping the family. She did not understand that Richard intended to use the child as a weapon against her.””
Darius looked at the DNA report again.
“Why did Olivia agree?””
“Because Richard told her that the child would be raised as a member of the family. He told her the arrangement would remain private until the baby was born. He said it was a way to protect the child's future.””
“And Brittany?””
“She agreed because Richard promised to provide for her and the baby. But when Grace was born, he changed the agreement. He ordered the records altered and arranged for the child to disappear.””
Brittany began crying.
“I never knew Olivia was the biological mother.””
Marjorie looked at her.
“You knew she had donated the egg.””
“I knew she was involved in the arrangement. I didn't know Richard had used her signature to transfer the baby.””
Darius's thoughts raced.
Olivia had discovered the fraud.
She had found Grace.
And someone had tried to silence her.
“Why did Olivia die?””
Marjorie's face tightened.
“Because she discovered that Richard intended to use Grace's existence to take control of Kayla's inheritance and your company. He planned to claim that you were emotionally unstable after Olivia's death and needed a guardian to manage your affairs.””
Darius felt cold.
“Who arranged the accident?””
Marjorie looked toward Brittany.
“Ask her.””
Brittany recoiled.
“No. I didn't arrange anything.””
“But you were there.””
“I was supposed to meet Olivia! I never saw her that night!””
Marjorie shook her head.
“You were in the parking lot when the car left.””
Brittany stared at her.
“How do you know that?””
“Because I saw you.””
Darius turned toward Brittany.
“Were you at the scene of the accident?””
Brittany began to shake.
“I went to the clinic. Olivia called me and said she had found the original records. She told me to come immediately.””
“And?””
“When I arrived, she was already leaving. She was furious. She said Richard had lied to both of us and that she was going to the police.””
“Did you follow her?””
Brittany covered her face.
“I got into my car. I wanted to stop her. I thought if she went to the police, Richard would destroy everything.””
“What happened?””
“I drove after her, but I lost sight of her near the highway.””
Darius stared at her.
“Did you see the accident?””
“No.””
“Did you call anyone?””
Brittany hesitated.
That hesitation was enough.
“Brittany.””
She began crying.
“I called Richard.””
Darius felt his blood turn to ice.
“What did you tell him?””
“That Olivia was going to the police. That she had the original documents.””
“And what did he tell you?””
“He said he would handle it.””
The corridor fell silent.
Darius looked at Marjorie.
“Did Richard arrange the crash?””
“I don't know who was driving the other vehicle,” Marjorie said.
“But I know a payment was made to a man who worked for one of Richard's security contractors. The payment was processed less than an hour after Olivia's death.””
Darius closed his eyes.
His father had not merely hidden a secret.
He had built a system around it.
A system that had survived his death and continued to threaten his family.
The little girl beside Marjorie tugged at her sleeve.
“Can we go home now?””
Marjorie's expression softened.
“Soon, sweetheart.””
Grace looked at Darius.
“Are you my daddy?””
The question cut through him.
He crouched again.
“No, sweetheart. I'm not.””
“Then why are you looking at me like that?””
Darius struggled to find an answer.
“Because I think your life has been made very difficult by adults who should have protected you.””
Grace studied him.
“Did I do something wrong?””
“No.””
“Then why did everyone keep moving me?””
Darius had no words.
Brittany knelt a few feet away.
“Grace?””
The child looked at her.
Brittany began to cry harder.
“I'm your mother.””
Grace stepped behind Marjorie.
“No, you're not.””
The words seemed to destroy Brittany.
She sank to the floor, covering her mouth.
Darius watched her, feeling no satisfaction.
He had hated Brittany for what she had done to Kayla. He still did. But seeing a child reject her made him understand how thoroughly every adult in the room had failed.
Then Marjorie spoke again.
“There's one more thing you need to know.””
Darius turned.
“What?””
“Olivia wasn't killed because she discovered Grace's existence.””
“Then why?””
“Because she discovered the truth about the child who was supposed to inherit your company.””
Darius looked at Grace.
Marjorie shook her head.
“Grace was never the heir Richard wanted.””
“Then who was?””
Marjorie opened her handbag and removed a second DNA report.
“This child.””
She handed it to him.
The report listed Richard Carter as the alleged father.
The child's name was Grace Wells.
But the date of birth belonged to another infant.
Darius read the conclusion.
The probability of paternity was 99.98%.
He stared at Marjorie.
“How many children are involved in this?””
Marjorie looked toward the doorway.
“Two.””
Before Darius could ask another question, a sharp crack echoed through the building.
The emergency lights went out.
Grace screamed.
Someone seized Darius from behind.
He fought instinctively, twisting free just as a flashlight beam cut through the darkness.
A man's voice shouted, “Get the child!””
Marjorie grabbed Grace and ran toward the rear exit.
Brittany lunged after them.
Darius heard footsteps pounding down the corridor.
Then he saw the silver bracelet flash beneath the emergency light as Grace disappeared through the doorway.
A moment later, his phone rang.
It was his security chief.
“Mr. Carter, we have a problem. Someone entered the mansion while we were following you.””
Darius's blood ran cold.
“Where's Kayla?””
There was a pause.
Then the security chief answered.
“Your mother says Kayla is missing.””
Darius looked toward the exit where Grace had disappeared.
Two little girls.
May you like
Two stolen identities.
And someone was moving through his family, determined to make sure neither child ever learned who she really was.
