Chapter 15 - The Night Wasn’t an Accident
I wanted Roman to be lying.
That would have been easier.
“Why would my mother arrange for me to meet Stellan?”
Roman leaned against the desk.
“She didn’t arrange for you to meet him.”
My chest loosened slightly.
“She arranged for you to meet me.”
Stellan’s head snapped toward him.
“What?”
Roman’s calm cracked for the first time.
“The charity gala was supposed to be a handoff. Selene’s mother believed someone was using Cross Biomedical to collect genetic information on children connected to criminal families. She had evidence. Selene was carrying it without knowing.”
I stared.
“Carrying what?”
Roman looked at my old silver pendant.
The one my mother gave me before she “died.”
My hand moved to my throat.
“No.”
I had worn it for five years.
Darius brought a small tool kit.
I almost did not let him touch it.
Then the back plate popped open.
Inside was a microSD card.
I laughed because apparently my life had become a bad spy movie written by relatives with boundary problems.
Stellan put a hand on the desk beside me.
“You okay?”
“No.”
“Same.”
We loaded the card on an isolated laptop.
Encrypted folders appeared.
Medical contracts.
Hospital blood-bank agreements.
Private paternity reports.
Names of politicians, businessmen, union leaders, judges, and organized-crime families.
Roman said, “Someone had built a genetic leverage business. They could identify secret children, affairs, blood relationships, organ matches. Enough information to destroy marriages, inheritances, alliances.”
I thought of Fern’s blood draws.
“They were tracking her.”
“Yes.”
“Why keep making her sick?”
“To keep collecting updated samples and confirm she remained in your custody.”
Stellan’s face went murderous.
I put a hand on his arm.
“Not yet.”
He looked at me.
“Don’t do anything stupid until we know who.”
“That is a very broad restriction.”
“Live with it.”
Roman opened another folder.
One file was titled HART, SELENE — EVENT NIGHT.
My stomach turned.
There was the gala invitation.
My mother had paid for it.
There was a photograph of me entering the ballroom.
Another of Stellan arriving under his Adrian identity.
Then a third picture.
A waiter placing something in my drink.
Stellan leaned closer.
“That man.”
“You know him?”
“He worked for Cross Biomedical.”
Roman nodded.
“He was supposed to steal the pendant after you became disoriented.”
“Then Stellan interfered.”
“Yes.”
I looked at Stellan.
“So that part was real.”
“What?”
“You saving me.”
His expression softened.
“Yes.”
“And what happened after?”
“Yes.”
Roman made a face.
“I did not need confirmation.”
For one ridiculous second, I laughed.
Then Darius opened the final file.
A personnel list for the genetics program.
Program director: DR. MARCUS MERCER.
Every person in the room turned toward him.
Mercer stepped backward.
Stellan’s voice was almost a whisper.
“You told me you were my family doctor.”
“I was.”
“You told Selene you were trying to protect Fern.”
“I am.”
“You ran the program that targeted her.”
Mercer’s eyes filled.
“I built the first version.”
Stellan took one step forward.
Mercer raised both hands.
“Before you kill me, you need to know why I shut it down.”
Stellan stopped.
Mercer looked at Fern.
“Because the program was never really collecting blood for your family.”
“Then who?” I asked.
He swallowed.
“For people who planned to replace it.”
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