Chapter 6: The Daughter They Tried to Erase
“Call an ambulance!””
Adrian dropped beside Alexander.
For the first time, I saw panic in his eyes.
Not the controlled anger.
Not the cold confidence.
Real fear.
Marco pressed a cloth against Alexander’s wound.
“He’s alive.””
I stood frozen.
My entire life had changed in a single day.
I went from being nobody…
To being the missing daughter of a billionaire.
The sister of a mafia boss.
The target of people who wanted me erased.
Adrian looked at me.
“Wren.””
I couldn’t answer.
He walked closer carefully.
“You okay?””
I laughed once.
It sounded broken.
“My father appeared after ten years.””
I looked at Alexander.
“Then someone shot him.””
Adrian didn’t know what to say.
Because there was nothing to say.
Later that night, Alexander survived surgery.
The hospital room was guarded by Adrian’s people.
I sat beside the window.
Watching the city below.
Adrian entered quietly.
“You should sleep.””
“I don’t know how.””
He stood beside me.
“I understand.””
“No, you don’t.””
He looked at me.
“I lost my sister.””
I swallowed.
“And I lost myself.””
The words stayed between us.
After a moment, Adrian placed a folder on the table.
“What is that?””
“Everything Marco found.””
I opened it.
Inside were documents from the night of the fire.
Photographs.
Witness statements.
Financial records.
Then I saw something strange.
A name appeared repeatedly.
Not Vincent.
Not Alexander.
Someone else.
I looked up.
“Who is this?””
Adrian took the paper.
His expression changed.
“Where did you find this?””
“In here.””
He stared at the name.
“Rachel Voss.””
“Who is she?””
Adrian was silent.
That scared me.
“Adrian?””
He finally answered.
“She was my father’s lawyer.””
“And?””
“She handled the Whitmore estate after the fire.””
My stomach tightened.
“Why does that matter?””
“Because she disappeared the same week you did.””
I looked at the document again.
At the bottom was a handwritten note.
A note written ten years ago.
*The girl survived. Find her before Kane does.*
I looked at Adrian.
“Vincent knew.””
“Yes.””
“But someone else was looking for me.””
“Yes.””
The room became colder.
“How many people wanted me gone?””
Adrian didn’t answer.
His phone rang.
He looked at the screen.
His face changed.
“Who is it?””
He showed me.
Rachel Voss.
The missing lawyer.
Adrian answered.
“Where are you?””
A woman’s voice whispered.
“Adrian…”
Then silence.
Adrian stood immediately.
“Rachel?””
Her voice returned, trembling.
“You need to listen carefully.””
We all froze.
“Isabella is not the only secret from that night.””
Adrian’s eyes narrowed.
“What are you talking about?””
The woman breathed heavily.
“Your father’s death…”
A pause.
“Was also a lie.””
Adrian went completely still.
“What?””
Rachel continued.
“Vincent Kane didn’t start the fire.””
My heart raced.
“Then who did?””
The line crackled.
And before Rachel could answer, another voice came through her phone.
A man.
Calm.
Familiar.
A voice I had heard only once before.
Vincent Kane.
“Because, Adrian…”
A cold chill moved through the room.
“I wasn’t the person you should have been hunting.””
The call ended.
And on Adrian’s phone appeared a new message.
A photograph.
Of a man standing outside the hospital.
Watching us.
May you like
The caption underneath said:
*YOUR FATHER IS ALIVE.*
