Chapter 19 Chapter 20
“Maria?”
“Yes, Madam?”
“Have Wesley bring her in and serve her dinner in the kitchen.”
“Yes, Madam,” she said with a smile.
It took two weeks before she broke. I had her kneel every day for five hours. I made Maria feed her just enough. I was sitting in the living room going over a file that Nikolai gave me when she rushed in holding a knife.
“You… you bitch, I’ll kill you,” she yelled, rushing towards me. I didn't even bother standing up. “Ares,” she stumbled back when Ares started growling, that low, deep growl that made his chest vibrate, and she dropped the knife. At the same time, Nikolai walked in.
“You, room now,” he said, looking at her. He came over and dropped a file onto the table in front of me.
“The house is finished. You can have him move in,” he said before walking out of the living room.
I opened the folder
INTELLIGENCE REPORT
ID: #V-0923-VALERIUS
SUBJECT: ISLA RHODES (BIRTH NAME: ISLA VALERIUS)
STATUS: THE GHOST HEIR
VALERIUS HOLDINGS
Father: Julian Valerius. A titan in global shipping. He was the quiet power behind the trade routes Alistair Rhodes now controls.
Mother: Elena Valerius. A high-society philanthropist from old European money.
The Secret: Julian was paranoid about his rivals. He never registered Isla’s birth. No social security, no digital footprint, nO records. She was a "ghost child," raised on a private 50-acre estate. To the world, Julian and Elena were childless.
THE BETRAYAL & THE MASSACRE
The Business Partnership: Alistair Rhodes was Julian’s junior partner. He was the "face" of the company, but Julian held the keys.
The Assassination: Fifteen years ago, the Valerius estate was hit. A "freak" electrical fire and a simultaneous security breach. Julian and Elena were killed in their beds.
The Theft: Alistair moved instantly. With no legal heir to challenge him, he used forged documents to claim the Valerius estate was actually his. He stole the wealth, the patents, and the life Julian had built.
THE UNKNOWN SURVIVOR
The Escape: Five-year-old Isla was hidden in a panic room by her mother before the fire took the house. She was found by local authorities unidentified and traumatized. With no records of her existence, she was processed as Isla Doe and dumped in a state-run orphanage three towns away.
The Adoption (The Irony): Three years later, Alistair’s daughter, Blair, was diagnosed with a rare genetic blood disorder. She needed a specific bone marrow match that was nearly impossible to find.
The Search: Alistair’s doctors scoured orphanages for a biological match. They found Isla. Alistair adopted her solely to use her as a "living medical bank" for Blair. He had zero clue he was adopting the daughter of the man he’d murdered. He thought he’d found a nameless stray; he actually found the girl whose inheritance he was currently spending.
MEDICAL EXPLOITATION
Over the next five years, the subject (Isla) underwent seven bone marrow extractions and dozens of high-volume blood transfusions. These were performed at a private Rhodes-owned clinic to keep Blair in remission.
Once Blair’s health stabilized at age 13, the subject was deemed "redundant." This is when she was moved to the basement, and the "Rhodes" name became her cage instead of her family.
I stared at the page, the words blurring together. They… I flipped the page and saw the picture, my parents. The rage I felt was unlike anything I had ever felt before. They killed my parents all for money; Alistair wanted my father’s chair, and he wanted the money and power.
When I looked up, he was standing on the other side of the room, his hands in his pockets and his eyes. The only way to describe it was danger.
“I’m heading out,” he said.
“Nikolai, I will do it myself,” I said, and he stopped and looked at me.
“Of course,” he replied, walking out.
I sat there for a while reading the file over and over. The company that was on the brink of collapse was rightfully mine. The house they were living in, the house they punished me in, was built on top of my own home. I would make them pay in such a way they never expected.
I walked towards where I thought his office was. I knocked on the door and then opened the door and walked in. His office was almost dark, the lighting was dim, and he was sitting in his chair with a focused look on his face, looking at the laptop as though it had wronged him.
When I closed the door, he looked up and nodded.
“There is more to this. If I were my parents’ only child, then they would have left something hidden, some clues, or someone would know of my identity and my origin.”
“I’ll have Brax dig for you.” He said in that same cold tone.
“Thank you. I’m heading to visit Jacob.”
“Whenn he is ready to move in, Wesley will take you to the house,” he said, his eyes back on his laptop. As I was about to open the door, I heard a knock, and then a woman walked in. She was tall, blonde, fair, and slim. She was wearing bright red lipstick. She walked around me and straight to him. She walked over and sat on the desk.
I left them there and walked out. That had nothing to do with me. His private life has nothing to do with me. I was halfway out when I heard a door open behind me and the footsteps, but I didn’t stop. I heard straight out, Wesley came over.
“Madam?”
"Take me to get Jacob and then to the house Master Ferro had constructed."
“Yes, Madam.” He replied.
I didn’t wait for him; I opened the car door and got in, and we left. When we got to the hotel, Jacob was sitting outside, in the parking lot on a bench. When I got out, he saw me right away.
“Ahh, Natalie, how are you?” he asked. He knew my new identity.
“I’m fine. Why don't you get your stuff? I'm taking you somewhere.”
It didn't take him long; he only had two suitcases. That was all his belongings. We got into the car, and Wesley drove us the two hours to the outskirts of Riverside City. When he stopped, we got out. In front of us was a small two-bedroom house with a white picket fence. I could see the backyard; there were flowers planted in the front.
“Where is this?” Jacob asked.
I took his hand in mine and walked him in. “This is home.” I opened the door, and we walked in. “This is your home; they took everything from me and you. This is where you can rest; no one will ever bother you.”
“You didn't have to do this,” he said weakly.
“I did. You were the only one that ever helped me; you tried as much as you could. In those dark days you were my only light, and I am grateful for you.”
“Oh dear, no. I just couldn’t just let them treat you that way,” he said.
“I know,”