Chapter 17
In his inbox sat a single unread message from an unknown encrypted email address registered in Zurich, Switzerland.
The subject line of the email was completely blank, containing only a single high-resolution attachment.
Ethan clicked on the attachment with mild curiosity, expecting a routine spam notification or system update.
The file opened to reveal an official medical birth certificate issued by a private hospital in Boston seven years ago.
Ethan leaned closer to the monitor screen, his eyes widening in sudden, profound shock as he read the text.
The document listed Clara Sterling as the birth mother, but the child listed was not Lily.
It recorded the live birth of fraternal twins—a baby girl named Lily and a baby boy named Oliver.
Ethan felt his heart stop in his chest as he stared at the official hospital stamp and physician's signature.
Clara had never mentioned having twins; she had always maintained that Lily was her only child born that night.
Below the birth certificate was a brief, scanned handwritten note written in Clara's distinct cursive penmanship:
'If you are reading this, Ethan, it means they found out about Oliver.'
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'I hid him where Victoria and her family could never reach him.'
'Find him before they realize he holds the true key to the Sterling legacy.'
