Chapter 159 Blood Ties

Chapter 159 Blood Ties
Michael POV

Something about Ashley's story didn't add up. "Sarah, take Ashley to the hospital now," I said with the same authority I used in boardroom emergencies.

"But Michael, we need to find Lily—"

"I'll find her." I gripped Sarah's shoulders, looking directly into her worried eyes. "I promise you, I will bring our daughter home. Safe and sound."

Sarah hesitated, clearly torn between Ashley's immediate needs and Lily's unknown fate. Ashley remained unconscious in her arms, her small frame disturbingly limp.

"Please," I urged. "Ashley needs medical attention, and I can move faster alone."

Finally, Sarah nodded. "You better keep that promise."

As soon as they disappeared, I plunged back into the darkness. If Ashley and Lily had been taken together, and Ashley managed to escape, then Lily had to be nearby. The fact that Ashley claimed not to have seen her only made me more certain she was lying.

I followed the sound I'd heard earlier—a metallic echo. My flashlight beam led me to a heavy iron door. I pulled it open and discovered a staircase leading upward, its concrete steps streaked with dark stains.

Blood.

From somewhere above came the unmistakable sound of a woman's voice, harsh and vindictive, punctuated by the crack of something striking flesh and a child's terrified sobs.

I took the stairs three at a time, my fury building with each step. The door at the top was partially open, and what I saw inside made my blood freeze.

Lily lay crumpled on the concrete floor, her small body motionless. Carmen stood over her, raising what looked like a leather belt.

"Carmen?" The word came out as a growl. "You're supposed to be in prison."

She whirled around, the belt still clutched in her hand. For a moment, pure hatred flashed across her features before she smiled—a cold, twisted expression that chilled me more than her anger had.

"Well, well. The mighty father finally shows up." She turned back toward Lily, raising the belt again. "Too bad you're too late. This little brat is going to pay for what you did to me. You destroyed my life, took my son away, and sent me to rot in that hellhole. Now I'm taking your daughter's life as payment!"

The belt whistled through the air toward Lily's defenseless form.

I moved faster than I'd ever moved in my life, catching Carmen's wrist mid-swing. The force of my grip made her cry out, and the belt clattered to the floor.

"Don't you dare touch her again," I snarled, twisting her arm until she released her grip entirely.

Carmen stumbled backward, clutching her wrist. "You have no idea what you put me through! I lost everything!"

I didn't waste time arguing. I lunged forward, grabbing her by the collar and slamming her against the concrete wall. Her head struck the surface with a sickening thud, her eyes glazing over before she crumpled to the ground, unconscious. I immediately dropped to my knees beside Lily, my hands shaking as I gently checked for signs of life.

"Daddy?" she whispered, her voice barely audible through swollen lips.

"I'm here, sweetheart. You're safe now."

As I carefully lifted her from the cold concrete floor, I noticed something that confirmed my suspicions. Two chairs. Scattered rope on the floor around both. Someone else had definitely been here, tied up alongside Lily. And on the table sat an open black bag—our ransom money.

Ashley had been in this room. She'd escaped while leaving Lily behind to suffer Carmen's rage.

I pulled out my phone with one hand. "Chris, I need you and a security team at my location immediately. Bring medical personnel and call the police."

"On our way," came my brother's immediate response.

I carried Lily toward the exit, her small body so light it terrified me. As we emerged from the abandoned subway entrance, Chris's cars were just pulling up.

"One perpetrator," I told him tersely, "needs to be secured before the police arrive."

Chris nodded, gesturing for his team to follow him into the tunnels.

I settled Lily into Chris's sports car. During the drive to the hospital, I found myself experiencing the same paralyzing fear I'd felt when Sarah had been in that car accident. The thought of losing Lily made it hard to breathe.

By the time we reached Star City General, I realized something that should have been obvious from the beginning: somewhere along the way, Lily had stopped being an adopted daughter and had simply become my daughter.

Lily was immediately rushed into the emergency room. I waited anxiously until Sarah arrived, her face etched with worry as she hurried toward me.

"How is she?" Sarah asked breathlessly.

"She's going to be okay," I assured her.

"Thank God." Sarah's shoulders sagged with relief. "Ashley's been cleared by the doctors and is resting in a room. Just some scrapes and shock from the ordeal. Did you see the kidnapper? Was it Natalie?"

"No." I took her hands, preparing her for what she needed to hear. "It was Carmen."

"Carmen? But she's supposed to be in prison. How could she already be released?"

"That's a question for the police, and I promise you, I'll get to the bottom of it. But right now, Lily is safe, and we need to understand what happened in that room."

Sarah looked confused. "What do you mean?

"I found two chairs in Carmen's makeshift prison. Rope scattered around both locations. Someone else was definitely held there alongside Lily." I kept my voice low but firm. "Ashley was right there with her."

Sarah blinked. "You're saying Ashley was tied up, too? But then why would she say she never saw Lily?"

"That's exactly what I'm wondering. She might do this on purpose. She wanted Lily..." I left my sentence unfinished.

Sarah's face grew pale. "A five-year-old child... how could someone that young be so calculating?"

"Let's find out."

We went to Ashley's room. She was sitting up in the bed, looking remarkably composed for someone who'd supposedly just escaped a traumatic kidnapping.

I crouched down to her eye level. "Ashley, we need to ask you some questions about what happened."

"Okay," she said simply, looking up with wide, innocent eyes.

Sarah sat beside her. "Honey, why did you tell us you didn't see Lily? We know you were both tied up together."

Ashley's composure cracked slightly. She was quiet for a long moment, then said in a small voice, "I was scared. Everything happened so fast, and that mean lady was yelling... I guess I just got confused about what I remembered."

"Confused?" Sarah pressed gently. "Ashley, why did you take Lily out of the apartment in the first place?"

"She wanted to go play outside," Ashley said quickly. "I told her we should ask permission first, but she said it would be okay. I was just trying to be a good big sister."

Before we could press further, my mother-in-law Linda appeared in the doorway, her face etched with worry.

Sarah quickly filled her in on what had happened and Ashley's explanation. Linda listened with growing disbelief.

"Do you believe her?" I asked Sarah quietly as we stepped aside.

Sarah looked back at Ashley, who was now fidgeting with the hem of her torn dress. "If it were any other child, I might give her the benefit of the doubt. But coming from Ashley..." She shook her head. "I'm having trouble believing much of anything she says anymore."

Just then, a doctor approached us. "Are you the family of Lily Johnson?"

"Yes," Sarah and I said simultaneously.

"I need to speak with you about her condition. She's suffered some significant trauma and has developed a subdural hematoma—bleeding in her brain. We need to operate immediately, but we're going to need blood for transfusion. Our blood bank is running low on her type, and we'd prefer to have family members donate if possible."

"Actually," I said carefully, "we're not blood relatives of Lily."

The doctor paused, clearly taken aback. "Oh, I see. Well..." He considered for a moment. "We can run compatibility tests first to see if either of you would be suitable donors. It's not ideal, but given the urgency..."

"Let's do whatever's fastest for Lily." Sarah started to step forward. "Let me—"

"No," I interrupted, "given your pregnancy, it would be better if I donate."

The doctor agreed, and within minutes they'd drawn my blood for testing. As we waited for the results, I held Sarah close, both of us focused entirely on Lily's well-being.

Twenty minutes later, the doctor returned with a puzzled expression.

"Mr. Johnson, your blood is definitely compatible for transfusion. But I found something unexpected in our analysis." He paused, glancing between Sarah and me. "During the genetic compatibility screening, we discovered that you and Lily share some similar markers."

Sarah and I stared at each other, the implications of his words slowly sinking in.

"What exactly does that mean?" I asked.

"It means," the doctor said carefully, "you and Lily appear to be related by blood."