She Forged His Birthright, But the Wax Seal Revealed a Truth That Destroyed Her

The Name She Screamed

Victoria's scream echoed in my ears long after the officers dragged her out. "Ask your father about Elena!" she shouted, her voice cracking with desperation. "Ask him what really happened to her!"

The name hit me like a physical blow. Elena. My mother. The woman I'd been told died in a car accident when I was just a baby. But the way Victoria spat her name—like a curse, like a threat—made my blood run cold.

My father stiffened beside me. His arm, which had been wrapped protectively around my shoulders, dropped to his side. "Ignore her," he said, his voice flat. "She's grasping at straws."

But I saw the flicker in his eyes. Guilt. Fear. Something he'd been hiding for years.

"Dad," I said, looking up at him, "what did she mean? What happened to Mom?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he turned to the polished walnut desk and picked up the wax-sealed envelope again. His fingers traced the gold seal, and I saw his hand tremble.

"This seal," he murmured, almost to himself. "I've seen it before. It belonged to your mother."

My heart pounded. "What?"

He opened a drawer and pulled out a small, dusty box. Inside was a matching blue envelope, the wax seal broken. He handed it to me with shaking hands. "I found this after she died," he said. "I never had the courage to open it."

I took the envelope, my fingers brushing against the fragile paper. The wax seal was stamped with the same intricate design as the one I'd brought—a phoenix rising from flames, the Thorne family crest.

"Open it," my father said, his voice barely a whisper.

I broke the seal and pulled out a single sheet of paper. The handwriting was elegant, feminine—my mother's handwriting. The letter was short, but every word seared into my brain.

"If you're reading this, Sebastian, it means I'm gone. I'm sorry for the secrets, but I couldn't risk Victoria finding out. She's not who she appears to be. She's been working with the Marlowe family—our rivals. And she's been poisoning you against our son. The DNA test she showed you? It was a lie. Lucas is yours, one hundred percent. But that's not the worst of it. She's planning to take over Thorne Industries. And she'll do anything to make it happen. Protect Lucas. Protect our legacy. And whatever you do, don't trust the sealed cylinder she gave you. It's a trap."

I looked up at my father, my eyes wide. "The sealed cylinder?"

His face went pale. "Victoria gave me a sealed cylinder last week," he said slowly. "She said it contained the original will from my father. I was supposed to open it tonight."

My blood ran cold. "She wants you to open it," I said. "But Mom said it's a trap."

My father grabbed the phone on the desk, his fingers flying over the keys. "I'm calling the police," he said. "And I'm having the cylinder examined by a forensic lab."

But before he could press the final number, the lights in the suite flickered and died. A low hum filled the room, and the doors slammed shut with a deafening clang.

"What's happening?" I cried.

My father's jaw tightened. "She's not done," he said. "She's locked us in."

In the darkness, I heard a faint sound—a soft, rhythmic ticking. It was coming from the sealed cylinder on the desk.

"Dad," I whispered, "what is that?"

He pulled me close, his voice shaking. "We need to get out of here. Now."