Chapter 20 - The Sister Who Was Worth Ninety Million Dollars

# Chapter 20 - The Sister Who Was Worth Ninety Million Dollars

The woman in the photograph was twenty years old, but her eyes looked as though they had already witnessed a lifetime of suffering.

Her name was Amelia Vale.

And according to the anonymous message on my phone, she was my sister.

I stared at her face.

Dark blonde hair. Gray eyes. A narrow jaw. The same crooked smile I had seen in the photograph of Thomas Vale, the man my mother claimed was my biological father.

Around Amelia's neck hung a silver crescent-moon pendant.

I had seen that symbol too many times to believe it was a coincidence.

Natalie Cross had worn one.

The mysterious woman outside the maternity ward had worn one.

Sophie had been photographed wearing a matching bracelet.

And now Amelia wore the same symbol.

Someone had been marking the women and children connected to Project Meridian.

Or perhaps the pendant represented something older.

Something that existed before the project began.

My phone vibrated again.

You have until midnight tomorrow.

Then another message appeared.

Come to Ashcroft House alone.

I stared at the screen.

The sender wasn't merely asking for the Riverside file.

They were offering me the chance to meet a sister whose existence had been hidden from me for twenty years.

And they knew exactly how desperate I was for answers.

I called Detective Harris.

"We need to talk about Amelia."

Harris arrived at the hospital within thirty minutes.

I showed him the photograph and the messages.

He studied them carefully.

"Do you recognize the woman?"

"No."

"Have you ever heard Amelia's name before yesterday?"

"No."

He enlarged the photograph.

"Where was this taken?"

"I don't know."

The background showed a hospital room.

A narrow bed.

Pale walls.

A medical monitor.

But no visible identifying information.

Harris examined the pendant.

"That's familiar."

I nodded.

"Natalie Cross wore one like it."

"And Sophie had a bracelet with the same symbol."

"Yes."

Harris made a note.

"Do you know what it represents?"

"No."

He looked at me.

"Daniel, whoever sent this photograph is trying to make you believe Amelia is connected to your family."

"She looks like Thomas."

"That isn't proof."

"I know."

"Then we need to verify her identity before you make any decisions."

I leaned forward.

"What about the Riverside file?"

"It's secured as evidence."

"Can someone make a copy?"

"We already have forensic copies of the relevant records."

I felt my pulse quicken.

"Then why does the sender want the original?"

Harris hesitated.

"Possibly because it contains something we haven't recognized."

I stared at him.

"Or because they want to destroy it."

"That's another possibility."

I looked toward Claire's room.

"Detective, the message says Amelia is alive."

"Yes."

"And that she'll die if I don't bring the file."

Harris shook his head.

"The message doesn't explicitly say that."

I looked back at my phone.

He was right.

The sender had threatened that I would never meet Amelia.

Not that she would be killed.

It was a carefully worded threat.

Designed to frighten me without revealing exactly what they intended.

"Then what do they want?" I whispered.

Harris closed his notebook.

"That's what we're going to find out."

At nine the following morning, I visited Eleanor.

She was sitting beside a window, wrapped in a dark green shawl.

Her face looked pale.

When she saw me, she smiled weakly.

"Daniel."

I remained standing.

"Who is Amelia Vale?"

The smile disappeared.

For several seconds, she didn't speak.

Then she closed her eyes.

"Where did you hear that name?"

I felt anger rise.

"Answer me."

Eleanor looked down.

"Amelia is Thomas's daughter."

My heart accelerated.

"With whom?"

She hesitated.

"Another woman."

I stared at her.

"Then she's my half-sister."

Eleanor nodded slowly.

"Yes."

I took out my phone.

"Is this her?"

She looked at the photograph.

Her face changed.

"Oh, Amelia."

Tears filled her eyes.

I sat opposite her.

"She's alive?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"Mom."

"I'm telling you the truth."

I studied her.

"Did you know Project Meridian was created for her?"

Eleanor closed her eyes.

"Yes."

My stomach tightened.

"Then explain."

She took a shaky breath.

"Amelia was born with a serious medical condition."

"What condition?"

"A disorder affecting her blood and immune system."

"Was it inherited?"

"Partly. The doctors believed genetics played a role."

I leaned forward.

"Was she dying?"

Eleanor looked away.

"At times, we feared she would."

I felt a chill.

"And Thomas created Project Meridian to find a donor?"

She nodded.

"That was the original purpose."

I stared at her.

"Using my genetic material?"

Eleanor began crying.

"I didn't know he would involve you."

I laughed bitterly.

"That's what everyone says."

"Daniel—"

"You knew the project existed. You knew Amelia needed treatment. You knew Thomas was involved."

"Yes."

"And you expect me to believe you didn't know he used my DNA?"

She lowered her head.

"I suspected it later."

My stomach turned.

"Later?"

"After the first child was born."

"Olivia?"

Eleanor nodded.

"Yes."

I stared at her.

"Then Olivia was created as a potential donor for Amelia."

She looked away.

"That was Thomas's intention."

I felt sick.

A child.

Created to help another child survive.

Not because someone wanted to raise her.

Not because a family was ready to love her.

But because adults believed her genetic compatibility might save someone else.

"And Sophie?" I asked.

Eleanor's expression darkened.

"That came later."

"Lily?"

She began trembling.

"Daniel, I tried to stop the program."

I leaned closer.

"When?"

"After I realized they were continuing it."

I stared at her.

"Continuing it?"

She nodded.

"Thomas wouldn't accept that Amelia's condition might not be cured."

I felt my chest tighten.

"So he kept creating children?"

Eleanor covered her face.

"I didn't know how far it had gone."

At noon, Detective Harris called with news about the financial records.

"We've identified where much of the missing money went."

I stood.

"The ninety million?"

"Yes."

"Where?"

"Through Northbridge-linked entities into medical research companies, private care facilities, and offshore trusts."

I closed my eyes.

"Project Meridian."

"That's what the records suggest."

"How much?"

Harris hesitated.

"Approximately sixty-eight million can currently be linked to medical and residential operations."

My stomach tightened.

"And the rest?"

"Still under investigation."

I stared at the wall.

"Ninety million dollars."

"Yes."

"To fund a program involving children."

Harris remained silent.

I thought of Lily.

Sophie.

Olivia.

Amelia.

Four girls whose lives had become entangled in a secret medical project.

"Detective, did the program actually help Amelia?"

"We're reviewing her medical history."

"Did she receive a transplant?"

"Possibly."

I frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"The records suggest she underwent several treatments, but we haven't verified all of them."

I felt a chill.

"From whom?"

Harris hesitated.

"That's what concerns us."

My pulse quickened.

"What?"

"One procedure appears to have involved a donor identified as O-14."

I stopped breathing.

"Olivia?"

"We haven't confirmed the identity."

I closed my eyes.

Fourteen.

Olivia's age.

The first donor.

Phase Three.

Everything was beginning to connect.

"Detective," I whispered, "what happened to Olivia?"

Harris took a breath.

"We're trying to find her."

At two thirty, I returned to Claire's room.

She was sitting beside the window, holding a photograph of Lily.

When she saw me, she smiled faintly.

"How is she?"

"Safe."

"Did you speak to her?"

"This morning."

Claire looked relieved.

"What did she say?"

"She asked whether you could come home for her birthday."

Tears filled Claire's eyes.

"I want that more than anything."

I sat beside her.

"Claire, I met Eleanor again."

Her smile vanished.

"What did she say?"

"Project Meridian began because Amelia needed medical treatment."

Claire looked down.

"I suspected that."

I stared at her.

"You knew about Amelia?"

She hesitated.

"Not by name."

"What did you know?"

"Vanessa sometimes talked about a girl who had been sick for years."

My stomach tightened.

"What did she say?"

"That the family had spent a fortune trying to save her."

I leaned forward.

"Did she mention donors?"

Claire nodded.

"Sometimes."

I felt sick.

"What exactly?"

"She said the first donor hadn't worked."

I stared at her.

"Olivia?"

"I don't know."

"And the second?"

Claire looked frightened.

"She said the second was more promising."

My pulse accelerated.

"Sophie?"

Claire hesitated.

"Possibly."

I looked away.

Then she whispered, "Dan, there was something else."

I turned.

"What?"

"Vanessa once said the wrong child had been released."

My stomach tightened.

"Lily."

Claire nodded slowly.

"She said someone had ruined years of planning."

I stared at her.

"Who?"

"She never said."

I closed my eyes.

The identification bands.

The emergency delivery.

The conflicting records.

Claire holding Sophie.

Someone changing the plan at the last moment.

The question had haunted me for days.

Who decided which child would come home with us?

And why?

At four, Harris called again.

"We have an update from Dr. Samuel Keene."

I stood.

"What did he say?"

"He confirmed that Project Meridian involved multiple embryo transfers."

My pulse quickened.

"And?"

"He says the program was designed to produce genetically related children with potentially useful compatibility profiles."

I felt sick.

"Useful for Amelia."

"That appears to have been the original objective."

I stared at the wall.

"Did he know the children would be separated?"

Harris hesitated.

"He claims the placement decisions were made by the program's legal administrators."

"Evelyn."

"Her name appears."

I closed my eyes.

"Did he know Claire was involved?"

"Yes."

My pulse accelerated.

"How?"

"He says Claire was initially listed as a gestational carrier."

I stared at him.

"Without her knowledge?"

"That's what we're investigating."

I felt anger rise.

"She believed she was undergoing fertility treatment to have a child."

"Yes."

"And they used her pregnancy for this program?"

"The records suggest her treatment was incorporated into Meridian."

I looked toward Claire.

She was sleeping.

For years, she had blamed herself for struggling to conceive.

She had endured medical examinations.

An emergency delivery.

And later, eighteen months of imprisonment.

All while people around her manipulated her life.

I felt sick.

"Detective, who authorized the final placement?"

Harris paused.

"There's a document."

My heart accelerated.

"What document?"

"A neonatal allocation order."

"Who signed it?"

"Three people."

I closed my eyes.

"Names."

"Dr. Adrian Bell. Evelyn Shaw."

I waited.

"And?"

Harris hesitated.

"Claire Mercer."

I stopped breathing.

"No."

"The signature appears on the document."

"She was recovering from surgery."

"I know."

"She couldn't have authorized that."

"We haven't established that she did."

I stared at the wall.

"Then why is her name there?"

Harris took a breath.

"That's what we need to determine."

At six thirty, I visited Richard.

He was sitting beside a window, reading a newspaper.

When I entered, he lowered it.

"Daniel."

I remained standing.

"How much money did you spend on Project Meridian?"

His expression changed.

"What?"

"Ninety million dollars disappeared from the trust."

Richard closed his eyes.

"Not all of it went to Meridian."

"How much?"

He hesitated.

"More than I should have allowed."

I stared at him.

"You funded a program that used children as potential donors."

His face tightened.

"I funded research intended to save a sick child."

"By creating other children?"

Richard looked away.

"I didn't know the full extent of Thomas's plans."

I laughed bitterly.

"You keep saying that."

"Because it's true."

I stepped closer.

"Did you know Olivia existed?"

"Yes."

"Did you know Sophie existed?"

"Not until recently."

"Did you know Lily was involved?"

Richard hesitated.

"I suspected it."

My stomach tightened.

"And you did nothing?"

"I tried to stop Thomas."

"How?"

Richard looked at me.

"I threatened to expose the program."

I stared at him.

"And?"

"He threatened to expose my financial crimes."

I felt sick.

"So you protected yourself."

Richard lowered his eyes.

"Yes."

The admission stunned me.

For once, he didn't offer an excuse.

He didn't claim he had been protecting the family.

He simply admitted the truth.

His fear of losing everything had mattered more than the children.

I turned toward the door.

"Daniel."

I stopped.

Richard's voice trembled.

"There's something you need to know about Amelia."

I looked back.

"What?"

He swallowed.

"She doesn't want the program to continue."

I frowned.

"How do you know?"

"She contacted me."

My pulse accelerated.

"When?"

"Three weeks ago."

I stared at him.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know."

"Richard."

"She called from an unknown number."

"What did she say?"

He looked down.

"That she wanted to meet you."

My heart tightened.

"Why?"

Richard hesitated.

"Because she believed you could help her end Meridian."

At eight fifteen, Detective Harris called with urgent news.

"Daniel, we located Amelia."

I stood.

"Where?"

"At a private medical facility outside the city."

My pulse accelerated.

"Is she safe?"

"She's receiving treatment."

"Can I see her?"

"Not yet."

"Why?"

"Because she's under protective supervision while we verify the circumstances."

I rubbed my forehead.

"Does she know about me?"

"Yes."

My heart stopped.

"What?"

"She asked for you."

I stared at the wall.

"Then let me speak to her."

Harris hesitated.

"She's agreed to a recorded interview first."

I closed my eyes.

"What did she say?"

"That she has information about Project Meridian."

My pulse quickened.

"What information?"

"She claims the program continued after she asked for it to stop."

I felt sick.

"And?"

Harris paused.

"She says Olivia was never supposed to be involved."

I frowned.

"What?"

"According to Amelia, someone changed the donor selection criteria."

My stomach tightened.

"Who?"

"She hasn't identified the person yet."

I stared at the wall.

"Did she mention Sophie?"

"Yes."

My heart accelerated.

"What did she say?"

Harris hesitated.

"She says Sophie was selected because of a specific genetic profile."

I closed my eyes.

"And Lily?"

"She says Lily was originally intended for a different role."

I felt a chill.

"What role?"

Harris took a breath.

"Financial."

I stared at the wall.

"The trust."

"Yes."

"Then Sophie was the medical subject."

"That's what Amelia claims."

I closed my eyes.

One child for the money.

One child for the treatment.

The anonymous messages had been telling me that for days.

But now the implications were becoming clearer.

Someone had planned the girls' futures before they were born.

And when the identification bands were changed, the plan had collapsed.

At ten, I received another anonymous message.

A video.

Amelia sat in a hospital bed.

Her face was pale.

A medical line was visible near her arm.

She looked directly into the camera.

"Daniel."

My heart stopped.

Her voice was soft.

Weak.

But steady.

"I know you don't know me."

She swallowed.

"And I know you have no reason to trust anyone connected to this family."

I leaned closer.

"But I need you to understand something."

She paused.

"Project Meridian was supposed to end years ago."

My chest tightened.

"Olivia was never meant to be used again."

She looked away.

"And Sophie..."

Her voice broke.

"Sophie was never supposed to be taken from her mother."

I felt tears fill my eyes.

Amelia looked back at the camera.

"Someone changed the records."

I stopped breathing.

"Someone decided the children belonged to the program."

Her expression hardened.

"And that person is still controlling everything."

I leaned forward.

"Who?" I whispered.

Amelia took a shaky breath.

Then she said, "Daniel, the person responsible isn't Richard."

My stomach tightened.

"It isn't Eleanor."

I stopped breathing.

"And it isn't Thomas."

I stared at the screen.

Amelia's eyes filled with tears.

"It's someone you've trusted for years."

A long silence followed.

Then she whispered a name.

"Marcus Whitmore."

The video ended.

I stared at the blank screen.

Marcus.

My closest business associate.

The man who had helped build Mercer Hospitality.

The man who had arranged my medical appointment fourteen years earlier.

The man who had concealed Richard's survival.

The man whose signature appeared on financial transfers.

The man who had repeatedly claimed he was only trying to protect me.

I felt sick.

Then my phone vibrated again.

Another message.

Marcus knows where Sophie is.

A second followed.

He knows where Olivia is.

Then the final message appeared.

And he knows why Claire was really imprisoned.

I stared at the words.

For eighteen months, I had believed Vanessa acted out of jealousy and desperation.

But what if Claire had discovered something far more dangerous?

What if Marcus had been using my family for years?

And what if he had never intended to let any of us escape?

I called Detective Harris.

"Detective, I think we finally know who's behind this."

He was silent for a moment.

Then he said, "Daniel, there's something you need to hear before you accuse Marcus."

My pulse quickened.

"What?"

"We just received a confession."

I froze.

"From whom?"

Harris took a breath.

"Vanessa."

My heart hammered.

"What did she say?"

He hesitated.

"She admitted Marcus financed the concealed chamber."

I closed my eyes.

"Then he did it."

"Daniel, listen."

I stopped.

Harris's voice became grave.

"Vanessa says Marcus didn't order Claire's imprisonment."

I stared at the wall.

"Then who did?"

A long silence followed.

Then Harris said the words that made my blood run cold.

"According to Vanessa, Claire ordered the chamber built herself."