Chapter 6: The Brother I Never Knew Existed
For fifteen seconds, I said nothing.
I just stood there with the phone against my ear, listening to the sound of Rebecca breathing.
Waiting for her to tell me she had made a mistake.
Waiting for her to laugh and say it was a misunderstanding.
She didn’t.
“Dorian?””
I finally spoke.
“You’re sure?””
“Yes.””
“Completely sure?””
“I wouldn’t tell you this if I wasn’t.””
I looked across the kitchen.
Genevieve was watching me.
She could tell something had changed.
Whatever anger existed between us had been replaced by something else.
Fear.
“Who is he?”” I asked.
Rebecca answered carefully.
“His name is Julian Mercer.””
The name meant nothing.
But my body reacted before my mind did.
Because there was something familiar about it.
“Mercer?””
“Yes.””
“My father’s last name wasn’t Mercer.””
“No.””
Rebecca paused.
“Because he was born before your grandfather recognized him.””
I felt a strange pressure in my chest.
“My grandfather?””
“Dorian, I need you to understand something. This information is incomplete. We have not verified every detail yet.””
“But you believe it?””
“I believe someone spent a significant amount of money hiding Julian Mercer’s existence.””
I walked toward the window.
The garden outside looked exactly the same.
The same flowers.
The same trees.
The same place where my father used to take me when I was a child.
Except now I wondered how much of my family history had been carefully edited.
“What does Julian want?””
“That’s what we need to find out.””
“Rebecca.””
“Yes?””
“Did my mother know?””
Silence.
A painful silence.
Then:
“I think so.””
I closed my eyes.
Of course she knew.
My mother always knew.
She had built her entire life around knowing things other people didn’t.
“What else?””
“Dorian…”
“Tell me.””
“I found a document in your father’s old files.””
“What document?””
“A letter.””
“From who?””
“Julian’s mother.””
The room felt smaller.
“What did it say?””
Rebecca hesitated.
“It claimed your father promised to acknowledge Julian.””
I gripped the phone tighter.
“And?””
“And your grandfather prevented it.””
I stared at the floor.
My family had always told me my grandfather was a brilliant businessman.
A visionary.
A man who built an empire from nothing.
Nobody ever told me he destroyed people along the way.
“What happened to Julian?””
“We’re still investigating.””
“And Adrian?””
“He may have known about him.””
My eyes narrowed.
“Why?””
“Because the financial records show Adrian accessed old family archives six weeks before he began helping Genevieve.””
Six weeks.
The exact time Genevieve and I became engaged.
The exact time everything started changing.
This was no longer a series of random betrayals.
It was a plan.
A coordinated one.
I ended the call.
For a moment, I forgot Genevieve was still there.
Then she spoke.
“Dorian.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
“Who was that?””
“Rebecca.””
“About what?””
I studied her face.
I wanted to believe she didn’t know.
I wanted to believe she was only a person who had been manipulated.
But trust was fragile now.
“I found out there are more secrets in my family.””
She swallowed.
“More?””
“Yes.””
She looked nervous.
“What kind of secrets?””
I almost answered.
Almost.
Then I stopped.
Because I remembered something.
Genevieve had known about my trust.
She had known about my family.
She had talked to Adrian.
And now I had discovered someone else was trying to access my family’s power.
I didn’t know who was telling the truth anymore.
“I need some time,” I said.
Her expression fell.
“Time?””
“Yes.””
“Dorian, are you ending this?””
I looked toward the stairs.
Toward where my sons were sleeping.
“I don’t know.””
The answer hurt her.
I saw it.
But I couldn’t apologize.
Not yet.
Not while I was still trying to understand how close danger had come to my children.
At that moment, Clara appeared at the top of the stairs.
Her face was pale.
“Mr. Ashcombe?””
I immediately moved toward her.
“What happened?””
She looked between me and Genevieve.
“I didn’t want to interrupt.””
“What is it?””
She held out a small envelope.
“I found this in the boys’ room.””
My heart tightened.
“Where?””
“Under Nico’s pillow.””
I took the envelope.
There was no name.
No address.
Just three words written on the front.
*For Dorian.*
I opened it carefully.
Inside was a single piece of paper.
The handwriting was unfamiliar.
*You are looking in the wrong direction.*
I read the next line.
*Genevieve is not the person you should fear most.*
My eyes moved down.
*Ask your mother why she paid to hide the truth about your father.*
I stopped.
Then I saw the final sentence.
*And ask her why Julian Mercer was never allowed to meet his brother.*
My fingers went cold.
Brother.
The word felt impossible.
But it was there.
Written clearly.
I looked at Clara.
“Who found this?””
She shook her head.
“I don’t know.””
“Who had access to the room?””
“No one except me, Ms. Sutter, and the cleaning staff.””
My eyes moved toward Genevieve.
She looked shocked.
Actually shocked.
For once, I believed her.
Because this was bigger than her.
Someone had entered my home.
Someone had gone into my children’s room.
Someone had placed a letter under my son’s pillow.
That was not manipulation.
That was a warning.
Or a threat.
I called Marcus immediately.
“Lock down the property.””
His response was instant.
“Yes, sir.””
“No one enters or leaves without approval.””
“Understood.””
I looked at Genevieve.
“Where were you last night?””
Her expression changed.
“What?””
“Answer me.””
She stared at me.
“I was here.””
“Alone?””
She looked hurt.
“You think I did this?””
“I think someone did.””
“That’s not an answer.””
I looked away.
“I don’t know who to trust.””
The words seemed to hurt her more than anger would have.
“I loved you.””
I closed my eyes.
“Maybe.””
Her face fell.
“Maybe?””
“I don’t know anymore.””
A tear rolled down her cheek.
“I made mistakes, Dorian.””
“Yes.””
“But I never wanted anyone to hurt your children.””
I looked at her.
“Then help me.””
She froze.
“What?””
“Help me find out who did.””
For a moment, she looked confused.
Then afraid.
“Dorian…”
“What?””
“There’s something I never told you.””
My instincts immediately warned me.
“What?””
She looked toward the hallway.
Then lowered her voice.
“Adrian wasn’t the first person who approached me.””
I waited.
“Who was?””
She swallowed.
“Your mother.””
I stared at her.
“You already told me my mother contacted you.””
“No.””
Her voice shook.
“This was different.””
“How?””
“She didn’t ask questions.””
“What did she do?””
“She offered me money.””
The room went silent.
“How much?””
“Five hundred thousand dollars.””
I stared at her.
“For what?””
“She said she needed me to marry you.””
The world seemed to tilt.
“Why?””
Genevieve looked at me with tears in her eyes.
“She said you were making dangerous decisions.””
“What dangerous decisions?””
“She said you were going to destroy the Ashcombe legacy.””
I laughed once.
A hollow sound.
“By loving my children?””
“No.””
She looked down.
“By giving everything to them.””
My heart stopped.
Because suddenly the pieces formed a different picture.
Maybe Genevieve wasn’t the beginning.
Maybe she was only a piece on someone else’s board.
My mother.
Adrian.
Julian.
The trust.
The marriage.
The lies.
All connected.
My phone rang again.
Rebecca.
I answered.
“Dorian.””
Her voice was urgent.
“What happened?””
“I found another record.””
“What record?””
“Your mother’s private account.””
I frowned.
“What about it?””
“She made a payment six months ago.””
“To who?””
A pause.
Then:
“To Julian Mercer.””
I felt the blood leave my face.
“Why?””
Rebecca’s voice dropped.
“Because she wasn’t trying to hide him.””
I waited.
“She was paying him.””
“For what?””
Another pause.
Then she said the words that changed everything.
“According to the transaction notes…”
May you like
I held my breath.
“She was paying him to stay away from you.””
