Silence.

Then Edward smiled.

“You've learned quickly.”

“I've had good teachers.”

“Your father?”

“No.”

I looked at Adrian.

“Your son.”

Edward's eyes narrowed.

Adrian stepped forward.

“I have something for you.”

He placed the black device on the desk.

Edward stared.

Then his face changed.

“You stole that.”

“Yes.”

“You have no idea what you've done.”

Adrian smiled.

“I know exactly what I've done.”

He pressed a button.

The screen behind Edward changed.

Documents appeared.

Transfers.

Accounts.

Payments.

Names.

Dates.

Meridian symbols.

I stared.

There were hundreds.

Millions.

Billions.

Money moving between Vale companies, Blackwell Holdings, Ashford Capital and dozens of shell corporations.

Daniel stepped closer.

“Record everything.”

I pulled out my phone.

But before I could photograph the screen, the system changed.

A single document appeared.

A transfer authorization.

My name.

My signature.

And another signature.

Victoria Ashford.

I froze.

The document was dated three months ago.

Before I had ever met Victoria.

Before I knew she was alive.

“What is that?”

Edward smiled.

“The agreement your grandfather created.”

I stared.

“That's impossible.”

“No.”

He leaned toward the camera.

“You simply forgot.”

My stomach dropped.

“What?”

“You signed it.”

“I never signed anything.”

“You were five.”

I stared.

Edward continued.

“Your grandfather didn't need your adult signature.”

“What did he use?”

“Your blood.”

The room went silent.

Daniel's face changed.

“Blood authentication.”

Edward smiled.

“Exactly.”

I looked at Adrian.

He looked horrified.

“What does that mean?”

Edward answered.

“The original Vale trust was created through a bloodline verification system.”

“That doesn't make sense.”

“It doesn't need to.”

He pressed a button.

The document expanded.

At the bottom was a fingerprint.

Mine.

Not a normal fingerprint.

A child's.

I stared.

I remembered the day.

A locked room.

My grandfather.

A needle.

A drop of blood.

I had forgotten.

No.

I had been made to forget.

My grandfather had taken my blood when I was five.

The trust had been sealed.

The heir had been registered.

And Victoria had been registered beside me.

Edward's voice became quieter.

“You were never supposed to know.”

I looked at the screen.

“Why?”

“Because the moment you learned you had a sister, the trust would become contested.”

“And you needed one heir to disappear.”

“Yes.”

“Victoria.”

Edward smiled.

“Victoria was never supposed to disappear.”

I felt cold.

“What?”

“She was supposed to rule.”

“Then why did she become an Ashford?”

“Because your father took her.”

I stared.

“My father?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To save you.”

I shook my head.

“No.”

Edward's expression hardened.

“Jonathan discovered what your grandfather had done.”

“What?”

“That the trust could be broken.”

“How?”

“By eliminating one heir.”

Silence.

“Your father chose you.”

I couldn't breathe.

Daniel grabbed my arm.

“Claire.”

Edward continued.

“Jonathan took Victoria and gave her to the Ashfords.”

“Why?”

“To remove her from the Vale succession.”

I felt sick.

“My father gave away his own daughter?”

“He believed he was protecting the other.”

I looked at Adrian.

“Is that why the Ashfords joined Meridian?”

Edward nodded.

“They wanted compensation.”

“For Victoria?”

“For control.”

My mind raced.

Then something didn't fit.

“If my father gave Victoria to the Ashfords…”

“Why does she hate him?”

Edward laughed.

“Because he lied to her too.”

I stepped closer to the screen.

“Where is my mother?”

Edward didn't answer.

“Where is she?”

His expression became unreadable.

Then the screen went black.

The office doors slammed shut.

Locks engaged.

Daniel spun around.

“Trap.”

The lights went out.

A red emergency light came on.

Adrian moved toward the door.

“It's locked.”

I looked at the screen.

A message appeared.

WELCOME, CLAIRE.

Then another.

YOU FOUND THE TRUTH.

And finally:

NOW FIND YOUR WAY OUT.

Gas began pouring through the vents.

Daniel covered his mouth.

“Gas!”

Adrian pulled his jacket over his face.

I grabbed the maintenance device.

“Can you shut it off?”

“I'll try.”

He rushed toward the control panel.

I looked around.

There had to be another exit.

There always was.

My eyes moved across the room.

Desk.

Bookshelf.

Painting.

Window.

Then I saw it.

A small brass plate.

Seventeen.

I ran toward it.

Pressed it.

Nothing.

Again.

Nothing.

Daniel shouted.

“Claire!”

The gas was getting thicker.

I pulled out the black key.

Inserted it.

Click.

The wall opened.

A narrow passage appeared.

“Here!”

We ran.

The door slammed behind us.

The passage led downward.

We stumbled through darkness.

Then the lights came on.

A familiar voice spoke from the speakers.

“Good.”

I stopped.

Victoria.

“You found the first door.”

I looked around.

“Victoria!”

Her voice echoed.

“You always were clever.”

“Where's my mother?”

“Safe.”

“Bring her to me.”

“No.”

“You're afraid.”

Silence.

Then laughter.

“No, Claire.”

Her voice became colder.

“I'm not afraid of you.”

The lights flickered.

A screen appeared.

Victoria stood in a room.

My mother was behind her.

Bound to a chair.

Alive.

Evelyn looked at the camera.

“Claire!”

Victoria placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Do you know why your father chose you?”

I stared at the screen.

“No.”

“Because he thought you were the weaker heir.”

My mother shook her head.

“Don't listen to her.”

Victoria smiled.

“He was wrong.”

She looked directly into the camera.

“That's why I'm giving you one final choice.”

The screen changed.

A document appeared.

A renunciation agreement.

My name.

My signature line.

And beneath it:

TRANSFER OF ALL VALE TRUST ASSETS TO VICTORIA ASHFORD.

Victoria spoke softly.

“Sign it.”

“No.”

“Then your mother dies.”

I felt something inside me go cold.

“You think that's enough?”

“Yes.”

“You think I'll surrender because you have her?”

“Yes.”

I looked at the screen.

Then smiled.

Victoria's expression changed.

“What's funny?”

“You made another mistake.”

“What?”

“You showed me where you are.”

Silence.

I looked at Adrian.

He understood.

The maintenance device.

The network.

The signal.

Everything.

I turned back toward the screen.

“You wanted me to find the trap.”

Victoria stared.

“And now you're trapped with me.”

The screen flickered.

Her smile disappeared.

I held up the device.

“Your private network is still connected.”

Daniel looked at me.

“What are you doing?”

I smiled.

“Taking control.”

I pressed the button.

Every screen in the corridor lit up.

Files began copying.

Meridian accounts.

Ashford transfers.

Blackwell payments.

Everything.

Victoria's face appeared on every monitor.

Her eyes widened.

“You wouldn't.”

“I would.”

“You'll destroy your own inheritance.”

“Yes.”

“You'll destroy your family.”

I looked at the screen.

“They did that years ago.”

I pressed another button.

The files began uploading.

Not to the police.

Not yet.

Somewhere else.

A secure server.

One my grandfather had built.

The progress bar reached twelve percent.

Twenty-eight.

Forty-three.

Victoria screamed.

“Stop!”

I smiled.

“Make me.”

The lights suddenly went out.

The network disconnected.

The upload froze at seventy-one percent.

I stared.

“No.”

Adrian looked at the device.

“They cut the connection.”

Daniel cursed.

Then a new voice came through the speakers.

A man's voice.

Calm.

Older.

Familiar.

I knew it immediately.

Victor Ashford.

“You've learned the first rule of the Circle.”

I looked up.

Victor appeared on the screen.

“Never reveal your entire hand.”

I stared.

“You're behind this.”

“Yes.”

“You took my mother.”

“Yes.”

“You manipulated Victoria.”

“No.”

He smiled.

“She doesn't need manipulating.”

The screen changed.

Victoria stood beside him.

I froze.

Victor placed a hand on her shoulder.

“My daughter knows exactly what she wants.”

Victoria looked at me.

“Your house.”

Victor corrected her.

“No.”

He looked directly into the camera.

“Her place in the world.”

I felt the room go cold.

Then Victor said the words that finally made everything clear.

“The Vale family made one mistake thirty years ago.”

He smiled.

“They thought there were only two heirs.”

The screen went black.

A final message appeared.

THERE IS A THIRD.

I stared.

Daniel whispered:

“That's impossible.”

Adrian looked at me.

“Apparently not.”

I looked at the frozen upload.

Seventy-one percent.

Then at my mother's photograph.

Then at Victoria.

And finally at the words on the screen.

There was another heir.

Another child.

Another secret.

But this time, I wasn't going to wait for someone else to tell me the truth.

I was going to find it.

Even if I had to tear the entire Circle apart to do it.

::