Chapter 7 - The Woman Who Had Been Declared Dead Was Alive in Europe, and She Knew Why My Father Was Afraid of MeMy mother's location was Prague.
We flew there.
Jericho came.
Rosie stayed with security.
I hated leaving her.
But we had no choice.
My mother lived under another name.
Elena Pierce.
When she opened the door, I froze.
She looked older.
Tired.
But her eyes were the same.
“Evelyn.”
I ran to her.
She held me.
I cried.
“You're alive.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“To protect you.”
I almost laughed.
“Everyone says that.”
She smiled sadly.
“You're finally remembering.”
“What happened?”
“Your father created the Shadow Crown.”
“How?”
“He wanted power.”
“He wanted control.”
“He started experimenting.”
“I was one of the subjects.”
“You were the first.”
I felt sick.
“Why me?”
“Because you had an extraordinary memory.”
“What does that mean?”
“You could remember patterns.”
“Codes.”
“People.”
“Events.”
“You could connect information others couldn't.”
She touched my face.
“That's why they wanted you.”
My father wanted to use me to build the Crown's ultimate archive.
A living database.
Someone who could memorize secrets.
I shook my head.
“That isn't possible.”
“It was.”
“Then why did you let them?”
“I didn't.”
She cried.
“I fought.”
She showed me scars.
Years of escape.
Pain.
Fear.
“I tried to save you.”
“Rafael helped.”
“Yes.”
“Gabriel.”
“Yes.”
“Jericho.”
“Yes.”
I looked at Jericho.
“My father saved you too.”
He nodded.
“Why didn't he tell me?”
“Because he wanted to keep you away from the Crown.”
I looked at my mother.
“Where is Gabriel?”
She hesitated.
“He may be alive.”
My heart stopped.
“What?”
“He disappeared.”
“I saw him die.”
“You saw a staged death.”
“Why?”
“To make your father believe he was gone.”
“Where is he now?”
“We don't know.”
Then the house shook.
Gunfire.
Jericho pulled me down.
My mother disappeared into a hidden room.
We fought.
Men entered.
One of them shouted:
“Get the girl!”
Jericho shot the first.
I ran.
My mother grabbed my hand.
“There's a tunnel.”
We escaped.
The attackers burned the house.
But my mother had one thing.
A second archive.
She gave it to me.
Inside was proof that Victor Blackwood had been running the Shadow Crown after Rafael's death.
Jericho's uncle.
His own family.
“Why didn't you tell him?”
“I tried.”
“He wouldn't listen.”
“Why?”
“He was too young.”
Jericho looked away.
He was nineteen when his father died.
He had inherited fear instead of answers.
We returned to Miami.
Jericho confronted Victor.
Victor denied everything.
Then my mother walked in.
Victor froze.
“You.”
She smiled.
“Surprised?”
Jericho stepped forward.
“You knew she was alive.”
Victor shook his head.
“I knew Elena was alive.”
“She protected Evelyn.”
“Yes.”
“You worked with Daniel.”
“No.”
Victor looked at me.
“I worked against him.”
“What?”
“He controlled the Crown.”
“I tried to take it from him.”
“You failed.”
He smiled.
“Until now.”
He revealed one final truth.
The Shadow Crown was not controlled by Daniel.
There was someone above him.
An organization called The Circle.
The Circle had funded everything.
Daniel was merely their servant.
Victor had tried to break away.
Now they wanted me.
Because I possessed the archive.
And because I could expose them.
Then Jericho received a call.
Rosie had disappeared.
I screamed.
“My daughter?”
May you like
He looked at me.
“She was taken.”
Related Stories
