Chapter 2: The Missing Heiress
Adrian answered the phone without taking his eyes off me.
For five seconds, nobody spoke.
Then a calm older man’s voice filled the salon.
“Adrian.””
The way Adrian’s face changed scared me more than the guns in the alley.
He looked angry.
But underneath that anger was something else.
Fear.
“Vincent,” he said.
The man laughed softly.
“I hear you found someone interesting.””
Adrian’s grip tightened around the phone.
“Why are you calling?””
“Because I’m family.””
The word sounded like a threat.
I watched Adrian walk toward the window.
“Where did you hear about her?””
Another laugh.
“Your mistake was thinking New York keeps secrets.””
The salon employees stood frozen, pretending not to listen.
Vincent continued.
“Tell me, nephew… did you recognize your little sister?””
My stomach dropped.
Adrian ended the call.
Immediately.
“Who is Isabella?”” I asked.
He didn’t answer.
“Adrian.””
Finally, he turned around.
“My mother had a sister. Evelyn Whitmore.””
He picked up the photograph.
“She married Alexander Whitmore. They built one of the biggest financial empires in America.””
“And their daughter?””
His silence answered first.
Then he said:
“She was eight years old when their mansion burned down.””
I touched the photograph.
“That girl was me?””
“We need proof.””
Adrian looked at the stylist.
“Can you finish?””
The man nodded quickly.
Within hours, my hair was shorter than it had been since childhood.
For the first time, I saw my own reflection clearly.
I almost didn’t recognize myself.
The woman in the mirror looked scared.
But alive.
Adrian noticed.
“You okay?””
I touched my face.
“I forgot what I looked like.””
Something shifted in his expression.
Then his bodyguard entered.
“Boss.””
The man carried a tablet.
“Marco,” Adrian said.
“Tell me everything.””
Marco looked at me.
Then back at Adrian.
“Is this…”
“Yes,” Adrian interrupted.
“Possibly.””
Marco swallowed.
“I found the Whitmore records.””
He placed the tablet down.
“The official story says Isabella died in the fire.””
I leaned closer.
“But?””
Marco hesitated.
“But there was never a confirmed body.””
The room went quiet.
Adrian stared at him.
“Explain.””
“The investigators found remains belonging to two adults.””
Marco tapped the screen.
“Alexander and Evelyn Whitmore.””
My heartbeat increased.
“And the child?””
“Missing.””
Adrian looked at me.
“So someone lied.””
Marco nodded.
“More than that.””
He opened another file.
“The inheritance was transferred after their deaths.””
A name appeared.
Vincent Kane.
Adrian’s uncle.
The man who called him minutes earlier.
The man who apparently knew exactly who I was.
I backed away.
“Why would your uncle want me dead?””
Adrian looked at the screen.
“Because if you’re Isabella…”
He didn’t finish.
He didn’t have to.
I understood.
Money.
Power.
Everything someone would kill for.
That night, Adrian took me to a private apartment overlooking the city.
I stood by the window, staring at New York lights I had only seen from sidewalks.
“This doesn’t feel real,” I whispered.
Adrian sat across the room.
“I know.””
“Why are you helping me?””
He looked surprised.
“You saved me.””
“That’s not enough.””
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then:
“My little sister died when I was fourteen.””
I turned.
He looked down.
“I remember her laughing. She used to steal my jackets because she said they made her look older.””
A sad smile crossed his face.
“When the fire happened, I lost her.””
His eyes met mine.
“If there’s even a chance you’re her, I won’t walk away.””
I wanted to believe him.
But trusting people had always been dangerous.
Before I could answer, Marco rushed into the room.
“Boss.””
Adrian stood.
“What happened?””
Marco held a folder.
“We found something from the night of the fire.””
He handed it over.
Inside was a police report.
My childhood photograph was attached.
And beneath it was a handwritten note.
“Do not recover the girl. Confirm her death.””
My hands began shaking.
Adrian looked at the signature.
His face changed.
“Impossible.””
“What?””
He slowly turned the paper toward me.
The signature belonged to Vincent Kane.
Then Marco spoke again.
“Boss…”
He looked nervous.
“There’s one more thing.””
Adrian stared at him.
“What?””
Marco opened another file.
“The person who reported Isabella missing…”
He paused.
“Was Adrian Kane.””
I looked at Adrian.
The room went silent.
“Why was your name on my missing-child report?””
Before Adrian could answer, the lights suddenly went out.
A sound came from the hallway.
A door unlocking.
May you like
Then a familiar voice whispered through the darkness.
“Because he was the last person to see her alive.””
