THE WOMAN IN THE PHOTOGRAPH
642 Words
Beyond the Silk Veil
Chapter Eight: The Woman in the Photograph
Seraphina stared at the image on her phone.
The woman standing on the front steps of Blackwood Manor had her eyes. Her smile. Even the slight curve of her jaw was almost identical.
It was like looking into a mirror.
Only this reflection wore an expression as cold as winter.
Her hands trembled.
"Meet your sister."
"No..." she whispered. "That's impossible."
She was an only child.
At least, that was what she had believed all her life.
The drive back to the Laurent Estate felt endless.
Questions swirled through her mind.
Had her father lied about more than her mother's death?
Who was the woman in the photograph?
And why had she appeared now?
She found Alexander in the conservatory, surrounded by orchids her late wife had loved.
He looked up as Seraphina entered.
"You look frightened."
Without a word, she placed the phone in front of him.
His face drained of color.
For several long moments, he couldn't speak.
"You know her," Seraphina said quietly.
Alexander closed his eyes.
"I prayed this day would never come."
"Who is she?"
He looked out through the glass walls at the gardens.
"Her name is... Celeste."
"Celeste who?"
Alexander hesitated.
"Celeste Laurent."
The words struck Seraphina like a blow.
"No."
"I'm sorry."
"You mean she's really my sister?"
Alexander nodded slowly.
"Your twin sister."
The room fell silent.
Seraphina struggled to breathe.
"A twin?"
"Yes."
"You told me Mother had only one child."
"I lied."
"Why?"
Alexander's voice was heavy with regret.
"Because the night you were born, someone came for both of you."
Seraphina stared at him.
"They wanted your mother to hand over something she possessed."
"The key?"
"Yes."
"When she refused, they threatened your lives."
Alexander sat heavily in a chair.
"We made an impossible choice."
"What choice?"
"We separated you."
Tears rolled down his cheeks.
"You came home with us."
"And Celeste?"
"She disappeared."
Before Seraphina could speak, the family butler entered hurriedly.
"Sir..."
"What is it?"
"Someone is at the gate."
Alexander frowned.
"Who?"
The butler swallowed nervously.
"A young woman."
"Does she have a name?"
"She said..."
The butler hesitated.
"She said she's your daughter."
Seraphina and Alexander looked at each other in stunned silence.
Without waiting another second, they rushed outside.
Beyond the iron gates stood a woman dressed in a black coat.
She looked almost exactly like Seraphina.
Only her hair was darker, and a thin scar crossed her left eyebrow.
As the gates opened, the woman smiled.
"So..."
Her voice was calm.
"This is what my family looks like."
Alexander whispered, "Celeste..."
She looked at him with icy indifference.
"You don't get to call me that."
Seraphina stepped forward cautiously.
"Are you really my sister?"
Celeste studied her for a long moment.
"I've waited twenty-six years to meet you."
Before Seraphina could answer, black SUVs screeched to a halt outside the estate.
Armed men in dark uniforms poured onto the driveway.
One of them shouted through a loudspeaker.
"Nobody move!"
Another stepped forward, holding a document.
"By order of the National Intelligence Directorate, Alexander Laurent is under investigation for conspiracy, fraud, and the murder of Isabella Laurent."
Seraphina gasped.
"My father... murdered my mother?"
Alexander's face was filled with shock.
"I didn't kill her."
A slow clap echoed from behind the officers.
Everyone turned.
A tall man in an expensive charcoal suit walked confidently through the crowd.
His silver cane tapped against the pavement.
He smiled at Seraphina.
"Good evening, Miss Laurent."
"Who are you?"
He removed his gloves with deliberate calm.
"My name is Victor Ashcroft."
Alexander's expression hardened.
"You."
Victor smiled.
"We finally meet again."
He looked from Alexander to Seraphina, then to Celeste.
"The Laurent family is together at last."
He paused before adding with quiet satisfaction,
"Just as I planned."
- Writer
