Chapter 91 Chapter 91
Maxwell
“I think I know someone,” Amelia said, her voice shaking. The room went silent immediately. Every single person turned to look at her.
My heart started pounding so hard it felt like it was trying to break out of my chest. My jaw tightened. My hands curled into fists at my sides. I didn’t even realize I was holding my breath until my lungs began to burn.
“Who?” I asked.
My voice came out low and sharp. I didn’t shout, but the anger in it was clear. Amelia swallowed. She looked down at the floor for a second, like she was trying to gather courage. Then she slowly raised her eyes to meet mine.
“I’m not sure if he could kidnap them but I think—”
I cut her off, my patience was hanging by a thread. “Why are you beating around the bush?” I snapped. “Just speak.”
Everyone in the room flinched at my tone. I could see it. Even the officers shifted slightly. “Now!” I barked. My blood was boiling. Our daughters were missing and she was hesitating.
“Mr. Sinclair,” Officer Daniel said calmly, stepping slightly forward. “We understand that you are angry, but please let us do our job.”
I turned to him slowly. “No,” I said through clenched teeth. “No, I will not stand here and wait while she finds another way to twist the story with more lies and secrets. I won’t let her protect whoever this is. Not for one second.”
My voice cracked at the end, but I didn’t care. Fear was creeping into my anger now. Fear of what might be happening to my girls.
Officer Daniel’s voice softened, but it stayed firm. “We need to move fast. But we also need clear information. Any detail you have,” he said, looking at Amelia, “names, history, arguments, threats — even if you think it’s small, say it. Do not leave anything out. It can help us find them.”
I turned to Amelia slowly.My eyes locked on hers, hard and unblinking. “Every detail,” I said, my voice cold. “Right now. If you value your life or mine, you tell us everything you know. No more hiding.”
Her lips trembled. She nodded weakly. “I think it’s Declan,” she whispered.
For a second, I just stared at her. Declan? My mind struggled to catch up. “What does Declan have to do with this?” I asked, my voice dangerously quiet.
Before she could answer, her father cleared his throat nervously. “Honey, I don’t think that’s right,” he said gently. “I don’t think he could do something like that.”
Her mother stepped in quickly. “Declan has been nothing but kind to the girls,” she said. “Even though he knows he isn’t their father. He even attended their last game.”
Her words hit me like a punch. My brother knew about my daughters before I did.He showed up for them while I was completely in the dark. Something inside me snapped. Rage tore through my chest so violently I could barely breathe. My fists clenched so tight my knuckles hurt.
I dragged my hands down my face, trying to steady myself, but my thoughts were spinning too fast, anger, betrayal and humiliation.
If I stayed in that room one second longer, I was going to lose control. “I think I have to go,” I said stiffly. My voice was tight, barely restrained. “I will come to the station tomorrow for more details.”
I paused, my eyes sliding back to Amelia, I narrowed them at her. “If I stay here any longer,” I added quietly, “I might smash someone’s head against the wall.”
The detectives exchanged looks but nodded. I stood up and stormed out of the house without looking back.
The night air hit my face, but it did nothing to cool the fire burning inside me. I ordered the driver the second I stepped outside. “Take me home. Now.”
As the car pulled away, I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes. My blood wouldn’t cool. My own brother knew about my daughters before I did.
No wonder he had walked into my office that day with that look on his face. Like he had something over me. Like he knew something I didn’t. He wasn’t bluffing.
I sat alone in the living room, the lights dim, a glass of whiskey hanging loosely in my hand. My head was pounding so hard it felt like it would split open. I had been sitting there for hours, staring at nothing, replaying every conversation, every memory, trying to find the moment I missed.
I knew Amelia might not come back tonight. Fear would probably keep her away. But a part of me was waiting.
I had already set things in motion. Every private investigator with a reputation had been called. I didn’t care about the cost, I reached out to old contacts too — men who owed me favors they could never repay. My Mafia allies were already making calls, watching ports, roads, airports. No one moves five children without leaving a trace.
And my personal security team? They were on Declan, watching him and following every move.
The front door opened, then the sound of heels against the floor. Amelia walked in and stopped in front of me. Her face was pale, guilt written all over it but It didn’t move me. If I hadn’t forced myself into that room earlier, I would still be living like a fool.
“Max…” she said softly. That nickname almost made me laugh. “I’m so sorry. I was scared.”
Something inside me snapped. I hurled the glass in my hand straight at the wall. It shattered on impact, whiskey splashing down like spilled blood. She flinched hard, I stood up slowly.
I walked towards her slowly, She didn’t move. “You say sorry,” I began, my voice low but shaking with fury, “as if you broke my favorite vase.” I took another step. “As if you forgot my birthday, as if you stepped on my toes.”
I was in front of her now. “But no,” I roared. “You are saying sorry because you forgot to tell me about the existence of my children. Five girls, for over five years. Almost six.”
I stepped back abruptly. I didn’t trust myself to be close to her. Not with the rage tearing through me.
“Explain to me,” I demanded, dragging my hands through my hair. “What were you thinking?”
My voice broke into a shout. “My own fucking brother knew about them all these years while I was in the dark. In the dark!” I yelled, gripping my head like I could squeeze the anger out of it. “Shiit!”
“How could you do that?” My voice dropped. “How can you be so cruel?”
Tears streamed down her face but I didn’t believe them. I had known Amelia long enough to recognize when she was performing. And right now, that was exactly what this looked like. Nothing about her felt real anymore.
She was a master at this. “Declan didn’t know until after I returned to New York,” she said quickly, like that would soften the blow.
“He saw us at the mall one day. He saw the girls and he knew they were related somehow.”
Of course he did. They looked exactly like my mother. Anyone who knew my family would see it instantly.
“He did a DNA test,” she continued. “He found out they were yours.”
My jaw tightened. “He’s been threatening me ever since,” she said. “That’s why I showed up at your parents’ dinner with him. I’ve been paying him to stay quiet. I was scared. If you found out about the girls, you would have thrown me into an asylum and taken full custody.”
She said it like she was the victim.
“You believed him?” I asked quietly. “You believed my brother, and that was enough reason to hide my own children from me?”
She opened her mouth, but I didn’t let her speak. “And what makes you think,” I continued, my tone steady and terrifyingly calm, “that you would escape that asylum now?”
Her face went pale. Before I could take another breath, she dropped to her knees in front of me. “Please,” she sobbed, clutching at my trousers. “Don’t separate me from my kids. They’re my life. I’m begging you, Max.”
“I reserved it for Rhea, but it seems you are going there instead,” I said quietly.