Chapter 9: The Truth Hidden in My Blood
*DNA VERIFICATION REQUIRED.*
The words glowed on every screen in the penthouse.
Red.
Cold.
Impossible to ignore.
I stared at them while holding Mia tighter against my chest.
For the first time since this nightmare began, I understood something clearly.
Marcus had never been chasing a document.
He had never been chasing money.
He had been chasing proof.
Proof that I existed.
Proof that Mia existed.
Proof that the part of the Duca family he tried to erase had survived.
Alessandro stepped toward the security panel.
“Unlock the doors.””
Nothing happened.
He tried again.
Still nothing.
Marcus watched him with a calm expression.
“You always believed technology gave you control.””
Alessandro turned.
“You hacked my system?””
Marcus smiled.
“No.””
He looked around the penthouse.
“I built half the systems you use.””
The anger on Alessandro’s face was immediate.
But controlled.
“What do you want?””
Marcus looked at me.
“The truth.””
I almost laughed.
“The truth?””
My voice shook.
“You’ve spent my entire life hiding the truth.””
His expression remained unchanged.
“I hid information.””
“No.””
I stepped forward.
“You stole my life.””
The room became silent.
Even Marcus seemed to pause.
“You don’t know what you’re saying.””
“Yes, I do.””
My fear had been replaced by something stronger.
Anger.
“My mother died carrying secrets she should never have had to carry.””
I looked at Daniel.
“I spent months believing the person I loved was gone.””
Then Alessandro.
“I worked every day thinking one mistake would leave my daughter with nothing.””
My eyes returned to Marcus.
“You don’t get to call that protection.””
For a moment, nobody spoke.
Then Marcus said quietly:
“You sound exactly like Clara.””
I hated that.
I hated that every person compared me to my mother when I was trying so hard to become myself.
“I’m not her.””
“No.””
His eyes moved to Mia.
“But she is why you’re standing here.””
The screen changed.
A countdown appeared.
*05:00*
My stomach tightened.
“What happens in five minutes?””
Marcus answered calmly.
“The system will verify your bloodline.””
“And if it doesn’t?””
A faint smile.
“Then you walk away.””
Nobody believed him.
Not even him.
Alessandro moved closer to me.
“Don’t do it.””
I looked at him.
“What choice do I have?””
“We find another way.””
“There is no another way.””
I touched the necklace.
The tiny chip inside it.
The secret my mother hid.
The truth she died protecting.
“I need to know.””
Alessandro’s expression softened.
“Emily.””
“I spent my whole life not knowing.””
My voice cracked.
“I deserve at least that.””
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then nodded.
Not because he agreed.
Because he understood.
Daniel stepped forward.
“I’ll do it.””
I looked at him.
“What?””
“The DNA test.””
Marcus laughed.
“No.””
Daniel ignored him.
“If this is about blood, test me too.””
Marcus’s expression changed slightly.
“You’re not the one I need.””
“I’m her father.””
The words surprised me.
They surprised him too.
Daniel looked at Mia.
“I know I failed her.””
His voice became quieter.
“But she’s my daughter.””
Marcus stared at him.
Then looked away.
“Still emotional.””
Daniel’s jaw tightened.
“Still empty.””
The insult landed.
And for the first time, Marcus looked affected.
Only briefly.
But enough.
The countdown continued.
*03:42*
A small machine emerged from the wall.
Advanced.
Silent.
Waiting.
A scanner.
Alessandro stepped in front of it.
“I’ll go first.””
Marcus looked at him.
“Why?””
“To prove your system is not above me.””
Marcus smiled.
“You always did misunderstand power.””
Alessandro placed his hand on the scanner.
The machine activated.
A small light moved across his skin.
Seconds passed.
Then the screen changed.
*VERIFIED.*
A quiet sound filled the room.
Everyone stared.
“What does that mean?”” I asked.
Eleanor answered.
“It recognizes Duca blood.””
My stomach tightened.
Then the screen changed again.
*SECOND SUBJECT REQUIRED.*
Marcus looked at me.
“Your turn.””
I stepped forward.
Every part of me wanted to run.
Not from Marcus.
From the answer.
Because sometimes the truth you want most is the truth you fear.
I placed my hand on the scanner.
The machine activated.
A cold sensation moved through my fingers.
I looked at Mia.
She was watching me.
Completely trusting.
Like she always did.
The machine beeped.
Then stopped.
Everyone waited.
The screen flickered.
*MATCH FOUND.*
Nobody breathed.
Then another line appeared.
*MATERNAL LINE VERIFIED.*
Victoria covered her mouth.
Eleanor closed her eyes.
My heart raced.
Another line appeared.
*PATERNAL LINE REQUIRED.*
Marcus smiled.
“Now we know.””
I looked at Adrian.
My father.
The man who disappeared.
The man who claimed he never abandoned me.
He stepped forward.
“Emily.””
I didn’t know what I wanted.
An apology?
An explanation?
A miracle?
He placed his hand on the scanner.
The machine activated.
The seconds felt endless.
Then:
*MATCH FOUND.*
I felt the world shift.
Not because I was surprised.
But because somewhere deep inside, a part of me had always wondered.
Maybe.
Maybe I wasn’t abandoned.
Maybe I had been loved.
The screen changed.
*PATERNAL LINE VERIFIED.*
A second later, something happened.
A new message appeared.
*ADDITIONAL RECORD UNLOCKED.*
Marcus’s expression changed.
“What?””
The screen displayed a file.
A hidden file.
One that had been locked inside the system.
Alessandro looked at it.
“That wasn’t part of the verification.””
Eleanor whispered:
“Clara.””
Marcus stepped forward.
“No.””
For the first time, he sounded afraid.
The file opened.
A video appeared.
My mother.
Clara.
Older than I remembered.
Sitting in a small room.
Looking directly into the camera.
My breath disappeared.
“Emily.””
Her voice.
My mother’s voice.
I covered my mouth.
“I don’t know when you will see this.””
Tears filled my eyes.
“But if you are watching, it means Marcus found you.””
Everyone went still.
My mother continued.
“I need you to know something.””
She looked down for a moment.
“I never abandoned my family.””
A tear rolled down my cheek.
“I left because I discovered the truth.””
The video paused briefly.
Then she said:
“Marcus Duca did not create the Duca empire alone.””
Marcus looked away.
“No.””
My mother continued.
“The money. The companies. The foundations.””
She leaned closer.
“They were built using stolen assets.””
Silence.
Alessandro stared at the screen.
“What?””
Daniel looked shocked.
My mother’s voice continued.
“Assets belonging to another family.””
Marcus’s face became darker.
I looked at him.
“What did you do?””
He didn’t answer.
The video continued.
“The reason Marcus wanted me silent was because I discovered the original ownership records.””
My heartbeat increased.
The chip.
The necklace.
The evidence.
“My daughter.””
My mother looked directly into the camera.
“If you are watching this, you need to understand.””
She took a breath.
“You are not a Duca because of blood.””
The room became completely still.
“You are a Duca because the law says the empire was never theirs to begin with.””
Marcus stepped toward the screen.
“Stop it.””
Nobody moved.
My mother continued.
“You are the rightful heir to what was stolen.””
My breathing stopped.
Not because of money.
Not because of power.
Because my mother had spent her whole life protecting something.
Protecting me.
The final message appeared.
*ORIGINAL OWNER IDENTIFIED: BENNETT FAMILY TRUST.*
Everyone stared.
“Bennett?””
I whispered.
My mother’s maiden name.
My name.
Marcus looked at me.
And for the first time…
He looked afraid.
Then the penthouse lights went out.
A gunshot echoed from somewhere outside.
The screen shattered.
And when the emergency lights turned on, Marcus was gone.
Along with the only person who knew how to unlock the final file.
May you like
Adrian.
My father.
