Chapter 9 - The Inheritance Nobody Expected
Gabriel watched the video four times.
Each time, he heard something new.
The weakness in his father's voice.
The determination beneath it.
The way Thomas paused before mentioning his first grandchild.
But one question troubled Gabriel more than anything else.
Izzy hadn't been born when his father supposedly died.
How could Thomas have known about her?
He looked at Elena.
"When was this recorded?"
"March of last year."
"Who made it?"
"A caregiver named Ruth Daniels."
"Did my father know about Isabelle?"
Elena nodded.
Gabriel sat down.
"How?"
Elena looked toward Marta.
"Your aunt wasn't the only person watching over that child."
Marta pressed a hand against her mouth.
Elena continued.
"Olivia managed to send word through a nurse who was sympathetic to her."
"To my father?"
"Yes."
Gabriel closed his eyes.
Thomas had known.
His father had known about the little girl while Gabriel remained in the dark.
Elena leaned closer.
"He wanted to find you."
Gabriel looked up.
"But he couldn't."
"No."
"He tried."
"Every chance he got."
Elena's voice softened.
"He kept asking whether you'd received his letters."
Gabriel stared.
"What letters?"
Elena opened another folder.
There were handwritten notes.
Dozens of them.
Some were nearly illegible.
Others were clearly written.
All were addressed to Gabriel.
He opened the first.
Son, I am alive.
His vision blurred.
He opened another.
Please don't believe everything Helena tells you.
A third.
If you have a daughter, tell her I love her.
Gabriel bent forward.
Daniel placed a hand on his shoulder.
For almost a minute, Gabriel couldn't speak.
Then he whispered, "He thought I didn't want him."
Elena shook her head.
"He knew you loved him."
Gabriel looked at her.
"How?"
"Because he told me what you did when you were little."
Gabriel frowned.
Elena smiled through tears.
"He said you used to wait at the front window every evening."
Gabriel remembered.
His father worked long hours.
Gabriel would sit beside the window with his toy trucks, watching the driveway until Thomas came home.
When he saw the headlights, he would run to the door.
"He said no matter how tired he was, you always made him feel like he mattered."
Gabriel closed his eyes.
"He never stopped talking about you."
For the first time since the gala, Gabriel allowed himself to cry without trying to stop.
He cried for his father.
For Olivia.
For the child who had spent six years drawing a man without a face.
And for the years that no amount of wealth could ever restore.
When he finally looked up, Daniel was studying the legal documents.
"Gabriel, there's a serious complication."
Gabriel wiped his cheeks.
"What?"
"If Thomas changed his will after he was declared dead, we have to establish his legal identity, capacity, and the authenticity of the documents."
"Can we?"
"Possibly."
Daniel looked at the papers.
"But that's not the biggest issue."
"What is?"
"Your mother has already begun transferring assets."
Gabriel straightened.
"Where?"
"Through several companies tied to Nathaniel Cross."
"How much?"
Daniel hesitated.
"Approximately one hundred and eighty million dollars."
Gabriel stared.
"She stole from the family?"
"That may be what the records show, but we'll need a forensic accounting."
Gabriel rose.
"Then freeze everything."
Daniel nodded.
"I'm preparing emergency court filings now."
Gabriel walked toward the window.
Outside, Izzy was chasing fallen leaves across the lawn while Marcus watched from a respectful distance.
She laughed when the wind sent a handful swirling around her feet.
Gabriel watched her.
The money suddenly seemed ridiculous.
Three hundred million.
One hundred and eighty million.
Numbers large enough to change entire cities.
Yet the thing he wanted most was standing barefoot in the grass, holding a red leaf.
He turned back.
"Daniel."
"Yes?"
"I don't care who inherits what."
Daniel looked surprised.
Gabriel pointed toward the window.
"I care that my daughter is safe."
"I know."
"And Olivia."
"Yes."
"And my father."
Gabriel looked at Elena.
"We find him."
Elena nodded.
"There's an address."
She placed a handwritten note on the table.
"The caregiver who sent the photograph wrote this down."
Gabriel read it.
A private estate outside Newport, Rhode Island.
Sea Glass Point.
Daniel frowned.
"That's a restricted residential property."
Gabriel looked up.
"Who owns it?"
Daniel searched the address.
His expression darkened.
"Nathaniel Cross."
Gabriel felt his jaw tighten.
"Of course."
Elena leaned forward.
"There's another problem."
He looked at her.
"The woman who sent me the photograph stopped responding two months ago."
Gabriel looked toward Daniel.
"Call the authorities."
Daniel nodded.
"We should provide this evidence and request an immediate welfare check."
Gabriel turned toward the window again.
Izzy was waving at him.
He lifted his hand.
She grinned.
Then Marcus said something that made her laugh.
Gabriel smiled despite the heaviness in his chest.
He was still watching her when his phone rang.
The hospital.
He answered immediately.
"Dr. Shaw?"
"Mr. Whitmore, Olivia is awake."
His heart jumped.
"How is she?"
"Stable enough to speak for a short period."
Gabriel reached for his jacket.
"I'm coming."
Dr. Shaw hesitated.
"There's something you need to know."
Gabriel stopped.
"What happened?"
"She became extremely distressed when she heard the name Nathaniel Cross."
Gabriel gripped the phone.
"Why?"
"She said he threatened her."
Gabriel closed his eyes.
"What else did she say?"
The doctor lowered her voice.
"She said he was going to take Isabelle."
Gabriel turned toward the garden.
Izzy was still standing beneath the trees.
Safe.
For now.
"Take her where?"
Dr. Shaw paused.
"Olivia said Nathaniel believes the child is worth more alive than any amount of money."
Gabriel felt a cold wave of fear.
He watched Marcus kneel beside Izzy to examine a leaf.
Then a white delivery van appeared at the far end of the private road.
Gabriel frowned.
He hadn't authorized any deliveries.
The van slowed near the service gate.
A man stepped out.
He wore a maintenance uniform.
Gabriel watched him approach Marcus.
The stranger handed over a clipboard.
Marcus studied it.
Then he reached for his radio.
The man suddenly struck him with something hidden in his hand.
Marcus collapsed.
Gabriel's blood turned to ice.
"IZZY!"
His scream echoed through the house.
He ran toward the terrace.
The little girl turned at the sound of his voice.
A second man emerged from behind the van.
He grabbed her.
Izzy screamed.
"DADDY!"
Gabriel hit the terrace doors at full speed.
May you like
But before he reached the lawn, the white van sped away.
And his daughter was gone.
