Chapter 11 - Four Children, One Impossible Choice
We didn't go alone.
We went with federal agents.
Daniel.
Edward.
Sloane.
And every trustworthy security officer we could find.
My grandfather had spent decades believing he controlled every room.
Tonight, I intended to take the room away from him.
The location he sent was an abandoned warehouse near the harbor.
We entered through the rear.
Silence.
Then a child's voice echoed.
"Dad?"
My heart stopped.
Noah.
I ran toward it.
"Adrian!"
Mara grabbed me.
"Wait."
Lights came on.
Four chairs.
Four empty chairs.
A speaker hung from the ceiling.
My grandfather's voice filled the warehouse.
"You came."
I looked around.
"Where are they?"
"You'll see them soon."
"Show me."
A screen appeared.
The boys were inside a room.
Alive.
Scared.
But together.
Mara covered her mouth.
"They're okay."
For now.
My grandfather appeared on another screen.
"Sign the documents."
A table descended from the ceiling.
Legal papers.
Pen.
Notary.
Everything prepared.
Edward whispered:
"Don't sign."
My grandfather smiled.
"You have thirty seconds."
I picked up the pen.
Mara grabbed my arm.
"Adrian."
I looked at her.
"If I sign, they let them go."
"That's what he wants."
"I know."
"Then why?"
"Because I have another plan."
I signed.
My grandfather smiled.
"Good."
I put down the pen.
"Now release them."
"Not yet."
"What?"
"You've only signed the first document."
Another document appeared.
"Transfer control of Whitmore Holdings."
I signed.
Then another.
"Renounce all inheritance rights."
I signed.
Another.
"Relinquish all claims concerning the Whitmore Trust."
I signed.
My grandfather watched.
Then laughed.
"You really would give up everything for them."
I looked at the camera.
"Everything."
His smile faded.
Then Daniel stepped forward.
"Except the evidence."
My grandfather froze.
The warehouse doors opened.
Federal agents flooded inside.
The screens went black.
For three seconds, nobody moved.
Then a side door opened.
My father emerged.
He held a gun.
Mara screamed.
Richard pointed it at me.
"You ruined everything."
I stepped forward.
"No."
I looked at him.
"You did."
He raised the gun.
Then a small voice came from behind him.
"Dad?"
Lucas.
Richard turned.
That was enough.
An agent tackled him.
The gun hit the floor.
Mara ran toward the boys.
I followed.
We found them locked in a storage room.
All four were unharmed.
Noah ran into my arms.
"I knew you'd come."
I held him tightly.
"Always."
Lucas wrapped his arms around Mara.
Then he looked at me.
"Are you staying?"
The question nearly broke me.
"Yes."
"Forever?"
I swallowed.
"Forever."
For the first time, all four boys smiled.
But the victory lasted less than a minute.
Daniel entered holding another document.
His face was grim.
"We have a problem."
I looked at him.
"What?"
He handed me the paper.
It was an old hospital record.
At the bottom was a handwritten note.
Child #4 — biological father unknown.
I looked at Owen.
My youngest.
He stared back at me.
Then Daniel whispered:
"The DNA results were all real."
I frowned.
"Then what's the problem?"
He pointed to the date.
"The boys were born six years ago."
"So?"
Daniel looked at me.
"Your DNA wasn't collected until today."
I went still.
"That's impossible."
He nodded.
"Exactly."
He turned the page.
"Someone had your DNA before you knew you had sons."
The warehouse became silent.
Someone had collected my DNA six years ago.
Someone had planned for this.
Someone had known.
Long before I did.
And suddenly, the question wasn't whether the boys were mine.
May you like
It was:
Who knew they existed before they were born?
