Chapter 6: The Brother Who Was Erased
For several seconds, I couldn’t move.
The stranger stood in the hidden passage, half-covered by shadows, his face carrying an expression I couldn’t understand.
Not anger.
Not fear.
Something closer to grief.
Like he had spent years imagining this moment and still wasn’t prepared for it.
“My name is Ethan Cross,” he repeated.
My hand tightened around Lily’s.
“I don’t have a brother.””
The words came out automatically.
Because that was easier.
A lie was easier to accept than a truth that destroyed everything you knew.
Ethan looked down.
“I know.””
The answer unsettled me.
“You know?””
He nodded slowly.
“My entire life, I knew you existed.””
The passage felt colder.
“How?””
“Because my father kept your picture.””
I stared at him.
“Our father?””
Ethan looked away.
“Yes.””
I wanted to deny it.
I wanted to tell him he was lying.
That this was another trick.
Another person using my family’s name to manipulate me.
But then I noticed something.
The way he looked at Lily.
The same way Victor looked at her.
Not like she was a secret.
Like she was someone he had spent years trying to protect.
“Where have you been?””
Ethan gave a bitter smile.
“Hidden.””
“By who?””
He looked at the photograph in my hand.
“By our father.””
The answer angered me.
“Everyone keeps saying that.””
“Because it’s true.””
“My father hid all of you.””
Ethan didn’t argue.
“He did.””
The honesty caught me off guard.
Most people defended Marcus Cross.
They called him brilliant.
Visionary.
A man who built an empire from nothing.
But every person connected to his secrets seemed to carry the same pain.
“Why?””
Ethan looked at Lily.
“Because he thought he was protecting us.””
“Was he?””
A long silence.
Then:
“No.””
That single word carried more weight than any explanation.
Lily stepped forward slightly.
“Ethan?””
His face softened immediately.
“Hey, Lily.””
She looked at him carefully.
“You came back.””
My eyes moved between them.
“You know each other.””
Ethan nodded.
“I helped take care of her.””
“Where is her mother?””
His expression changed.
“I don’t know.””
“You don’t know?””
“She disappeared two days ago.””
The room went silent.
“Two days?””
“Yes.””
I remembered the phone call.
The warning.
The fear in her voice.
“Did she contact you?””
“No.””
“Then how did you know to come here?””
Ethan reached into his jacket.
He pulled out a small envelope.
My heart sank.
Another envelope.
Another secret.
“This was delivered to me yesterday.””
I took it.
The handwriting made my fingers stop.
My father’s.
Again.
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a single page.
*Ethan,*
*If Damon finds Lily before you do, then the truth has already started coming out.*
I looked at Ethan.
He looked away.
I continued reading.
*I failed both of you by trying to control the damage instead of facing the fire. I thought distance would keep you safe. I was wrong.*
My chest tightened.
*Your brother Damon believes I was a good man. Do not destroy that belief with anger. Let him discover the truth himself.*
I almost laughed.
Even now.
Even dead.
My father was still deciding what I should know.
The letter continued.
*The people who betrayed me are still close to him. They will use my mistakes to make him doubt everyone.*
My eyes narrowed.
The same warning again.
Trust no one.
*Ethan, you must protect Lily. Damon must protect the company. Together, you may be able to uncover what I could not.*
I stopped reading.
“What company?””
Ethan looked at me.
“The real Cross company.””
I frowned.
“What does that mean?””
“The company everyone knows is only the surface.””
I stared at him.
“My company is worth billions.””
“Yes.””
“And you’re saying there’s something bigger?””
“Yes.””
“What?””
Ethan stepped closer.
“The Cross Foundation.””
I looked confused.
“That charity organization?””
“No.””
His voice lowered.
“The one your father created before he became famous.””
I remembered the gala.
The banner.
Helping children in need.
The irony hit me.
The foundation wasn’t just a charity.
It was connected to Lily.
Connected to us.
“What was it really?””
Ethan looked toward the closed passage.
“A protection network.””
“For what?””
“For children.””
I frowned.
“Children?””
“Children whose families were destroyed by powerful people.””
A cold feeling moved through me.
“You’re saying my father was helping them?””
“I’m saying he started helping them.””
“And then?””
Ethan’s jaw tightened.
“Then he realized some of the people donating money were the same people hurting them.””
I thought of Elisa.
Adrian.
All the smiling faces at the gala.
The expensive clothes.
The speeches.
The applause.
All of it suddenly looked different.
“Adrian Voss.””
Ethan nodded.
“He was one of them.””
My hands curled into fists.
“How long has he been involved?””
“Since before you were born.””
I looked at him.
“Why didn’t anyone tell me?””
“Because your father made sure nobody could.””
Again.
That sentence.
My father.
Secrets.
Control.
Fear.
I turned away.
“I don’t know what to believe anymore.””
Ethan’s voice softened.
“That’s exactly what they want.””
I looked back.
“What?””
“They want you confused.””
“Why?””
“Because a confused person can be controlled.””
The words stayed with me.
Then Lily spoke.
“Can we find mommy now?””
Her voice was small.
But it changed everything.
I looked at her.
A child who had been dragged into a war between adults.
A child who had lost her mother.
A child who might be my sister.
“Yes.””
Ethan looked at me.
“You believe me?””
I didn’t answer immediately.
The truth was complicated.
I didn’t trust him completely.
I didn’t trust Victor.
I didn’t trust my own memories.
But I trusted one thing.
Lily needed help.
And I wasn’t going to abandon her.
“We find her.””
Ethan nodded.
But before we could leave, the mansion alarm suddenly activated.
A loud siren filled the hidden room.
Victor’s voice came through the small communication speaker near the wall.
“Damon!””
I grabbed it.
“Victor?””
His breathing was heavy.
“Listen carefully. You need to leave immediately.””
“What happened?””
“They found the old headquarters.””
My heart dropped.
“How?””
A pause.
Then Victor said:
“Because someone gave them the location.””
I looked at Ethan.
Then at Lily.
“Who?””
Victor’s voice became quieter.
“The only person who knew where it was.””
The silence felt endless.
“Who?””
Victor answered:
“Me.””
I froze.
Before I could speak, the connection cut.
Ethan looked at me.
“You see why your father warned you.””
I stared at the speaker.
Victor.
The man who saved Lily.
The man who protected her.
The man who knew every secret.
And maybe the man who betrayed us.
Then my phone rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
No one spoke for several seconds.
Then a familiar voice whispered:
“Damon.””
I froze.
Because I knew that voice.
I had heard it only once.
Ten years ago.
On the night my father died.
“Mom?””
Silence.
Then the woman who was supposed to be dead said:
“Yes.””
My knees nearly gave out.
“My son…”
I couldn’t breathe.
“My son, you need to listen to me.””
The voice trembled.
“Your father didn’t die alone.””
I closed my eyes.
The room disappeared.
The world disappeared.
There was only one sentence.
One impossible sentence.
“Damon…”
May you like
Her voice broke.
“I was there when he was murdered.””
