CHAPTER 19 — The Son Hidden Between Two Families
Nobody moved.
The phone remained in Dominic's hand.
The call had ended.
But Adrian's words stayed.
Like a wound that refused to close.
"Your real father was Charles Ashcroft."
Dominic looked at my father.
Not Richard.
Not Elena.
Charles.
The man who had always been introduced as my father.
The man who had raised me.
The man who had spent decades hiding secrets.
"No."
Dominic shook his head.
"No, that's impossible."
My father didn't answer.
And that silence was more terrifying than any confession.
"Say something."
Dominic's voice broke.
"Tell me he's lying."
Charles Ashcroft stared at him.
I had never seen my father look so lost.
"I..."
He stopped.
A single hesitation.
But it changed everything.
Richard suddenly laughed.
A cold, bitter laugh.
"After all these years..."
"The truth finally comes out."
Dominic turned toward him.
"You knew?"
Richard smiled.
"Of course I knew."
"You raised me."
"You knew?"
Dominic's voice became louder.
"You knew who I was?"
Richard looked at him.
"I knew exactly what you were."
The words cut deeper than an insult.
Because Dominic finally understood.
His entire life had been a carefully constructed story.
Detective Harris stepped forward.
"We need answers."
He looked at Charles.
"Now."
My father closed his eyes.
Then slowly nodded.
"Yes."
Everyone froze.
"Yes?"
Detective Harris looked stunned.
My father looked at Dominic.
"Adrian is telling the truth."
The room exploded.
Chloe covered her mouth.
Eleanor stepped backward.
Victoria looked completely shocked.
And I...
I couldn't feel anything.
Because the man I had trusted most had just confirmed the impossible.
"You knew?"
I whispered.
My father looked at me.
"Vivienne..."
"No."
My voice shook.
"You knew Dominic was your son?"
He lowered his head.
"Yes."
The pain in his face was real.
But it didn't erase the betrayal.
"When?"
My father swallowed.
"Before you were born."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"Your mother and I..."
He stopped.
"Before you came into our lives..."
"There was another child."
Dominic looked away.
"Me."
My father's eyes filled.
"Yes."
The room went quiet.
"My father..."
Dominic whispered.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
Charles answered honestly.
"Because I didn't know how."
That answer wasn't enough.
Not anymore.
Elena stepped forward.
"I can explain."
Everyone looked at her.
"After Dominic was born..."
"Project Orion became more dangerous."
"Someone wanted access to the Ashcroft bloodline."
"They believed the future of the company depended on the next heir."
She looked at Dominic.
"When Richard found out about Dominic..."
"He used him."
Richard's expression hardened.
"I saved him."
"No."
Elena replied.
"You stole him."
Dominic looked between them.
"Why?"
Nobody answered.
Until Charles finally spoke.
"Because I was afraid."
The room went silent.
"I thought keeping Dominic away from Ashcroft would protect him."
"I thought giving him another family would hide him."
"But I underestimated how far Orion had spread."
Dominic laughed quietly.
A painful laugh.
"So everyone decided my life for me."
Charles looked devastated.
"I was trying to save you."
"No."
Dominic looked at him.
"You were trying to save the empire."
The words hit my father.
Because they sounded familiar.
I had said almost the same thing.
A notification suddenly appeared on the archive screen.
A new file.
Everyone turned.
Victoria stepped closer.
"What is that?"
The file opened automatically.
A name appeared.
ORION FINAL SUCCESSION TEST
My stomach tightened.
"What does that mean?"
Elena looked terrified.
"No."
"What?"
She stared at the screen.
"That file was never supposed to activate."
The document began loading.
A series of names appeared.
Charles Ashcroft.
Elena Ashcroft.
Adrian Ashcroft.
Dominic Bennett.
And finally...
Vivienne Ashcroft.
Detective Harris frowned.
"Why are all of you listed?"
Elena answered quietly:
"Because Orion was never about one heir."
"It was a test."
"A test for what?"
She looked at me.
"For who deserved control."
The screen changed.
A final message appeared.
SUCCESSION DECISION REQUIRED
Then below:
SELECT THE FUTURE OF PROJECT ORION
Three options appeared.
PRESERVE
DESTROY
TRANSFER
Nobody spoke.
Then a countdown began.
09:59
09:58
09:57
Victoria looked horrified.
"The system is forcing a decision."
"Who controls it?"
Nobody answered.
Then...
Dominic's hand began glowing faintly.
Everyone froze.
"What is happening?"
He looked terrified.
"I don't know."
The archive scanner activated.
A red light moved across his palm.
Then the screen changed.
GENETIC AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMED
My heart stopped.
The system had recognized him.
Richard smiled.
"There it is."
Dominic looked at him.
"What?"
"The reason you were created."
Dominic's face hardened.
"I wasn't created."
Richard smiled.
"Wasn't he?"
I stepped forward.
"Stop."
Everyone looked at me.
"We are not doing this."
I looked at the screen.
"Orion doesn't decide who we are."
"We decide."
The countdown continued.
05:00
04:59
Adrian's voice suddenly came through the speakers.
"You finally understand, sister."
Everyone looked up.
The screen turned on.
Adrian appeared.
But this time...
He wasn't hiding.
He looked exhausted.
Broken.
"I didn't start this."
"I was trying to end it."
My father stared.
"Then why destroy everything?"
Adrian looked at him.
"Because nobody listens until everything burns."
The countdown continued.
03:00
Adrian looked at me.
"Vivienne."
"Only you can stop this."
I frowned.
"Why me?"
"Because the system was never built for power."
A pause.
"It was built for judgment."
The screen displayed one final line:
FINAL AUTHORITY: VIVIENNE ASHCROFT
Everyone looked at me.
My father.
My mother.
My brother.
My husband.
The two families that had destroyed each other for decades.
All waiting for my decision.
Then another message appeared.
A hidden file opened.
A final recording.
From Elena.
But this one was different.
She looked older.
Tired.
Like it was recorded recently.
She looked directly at the camera.
"If you are seeing this..."
"Then I am gone again."
My blood ran cold.
Gone again?
Her voice continued.
"And if Orion has reached this stage..."
"It means someone has already betrayed us."
The room became silent.
She looked at me.
"Vivienne..."
"Before you choose..."
"You must know one final truth."
A pause.
"The person who caused Elena Ashcroft's disappearance..."
"...is not the person you think."
The screen glitched.
Then showed a name.
A name that made everyone freeze.
Because it was someone nobody had suspected.
May you like
Someone who had been helping all along.
Someone who had been standing beside Vivienne from the beginning.
