The Man Who Should be Dead
800 Words
Three days had passed since Jonathan Blackwood’s arrest.
Three days since Emily had discovered that her father had lied to her.
Three days since she had found her twin alive.
And somehow, those three days had felt more exhausting than the entire year before them.
Emily stood in the kitchen of the Blackwood mansion, staring at two untouched cups of coffee.
Victoria sat across from her.
For the first time since childhood, the twins were together again.
Yet everything between them felt different.
“You’re really alive,” Emily whispered.
Victoria smiled sadly.
“So are you.”
Emily reached across the table and took her hand.
“I thought you were dead.”
“I thought you were going to die because of me.”
“Because of you?”
“I asked you to take my place.”
Emily’s eyes filled with tears.
“You didn’t ask me. Dad did.”
Victoria lowered her gaze.
“I knew he would.”
Emily’s heart tightened.
“You knew?”
“I knew the moment he told me the contract could save his business.”
“Then why didn’t you stop him?”
“Because I thought I could fix everything before the wedding.”
Emily frowned.
“What happened?”
Victoria looked toward the window.
“I found evidence against Jonathan.”
“The money laundering?”
“That was only the beginning.”
Emily waited.
Victoria’s voice dropped.
“Someone has been controlling Blackwood Technologies from behind the scenes for years.”
“Your grandfather’s lawyer.”
Victoria nodded.
“His name is Edward Sterling.”
Emily frowned.
“Alexander said he died twenty years ago.”
“He didn’t.”
“Where is he?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then how do you know he’s alive?”
Victoria reached into her bag and removed a photograph.
Emily studied it.
Edward Sterling stood beside Alexander’s grandfather.
On the back was a date from six months earlier.
Emily’s stomach tightened.
“Who took this?”
“Me.”
“When?”
“Three weeks before the accident.”
Emily looked up.
“You knew he was alive.”
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you tell Alexander?”
“Because I didn’t trust him.”
Emily frowned.
“You didn’t trust Alexander?”
“I didn’t know who inside the company was working for Edward.”
Emily sat back.
“How did you find him?”
Victoria hesitated.
“He contacted me.”
“What did he want?”
“He wanted something our mother left behind.”
Emily’s heart skipped.
“What?”
“I don’t know.”
“You don’t know?”
“He said our mother had created something that could destroy Blackwood Technologies.”
Emily stared at her.
“Our mother created the algorithm.”
“Yes.”
“Where is it?”
Victoria shook her head.
“I don’t know.”
The door opened.
Alexander entered.
He wore a dark suit, his expression serious.
“You’re both here.”
Emily smiled faintly.
“Where else would we be?”
He approached them.
“Daniel found something.”
Victoria stood.
“What?”
“Edward Sterling has an active bank account.”
Emily froze.
“Where?”
“Switzerland.”
Victoria’s face changed.
“That’s where he kept the original files.”
Alexander looked at her.
“You knew?”
“Yes.”
“You should have told me.”
“I didn’t know if I could trust you.”
Alexander’s jaw tightened.
“After everything?”
Victoria looked at him.
“You were the man my sister was supposed to marry.”
Emily stepped between them.
“Stop.”
They both looked at her.
“Victoria was protecting herself.”
Alexander sighed.
“I know.”
He turned toward the window.
“There’s more.”
Emily waited.
“Someone has accessed my grandfather’s private archive.”
Victoria’s eyes widened.
“When?”
“Last night.”
“Who?”
“We don’t know.”
Alexander’s phone vibrated.
He answered.
“Yes?”
His expression changed.
“Repeat that.”
Silence.
“Send the footage.”
He ended the call.
Emily approached him.
“What happened?”
Alexander turned.
“Someone broke into the old family estate.”
Victoria went pale.
“Edward?”
“We don’t know.”
“Then we need to go.”
Alexander shook his head.
“No.”
Victoria crossed her arms.
“We’re going.”
Emily looked between them.
“Both of you are impossible.”
Alexander almost smiled.
“Stay close to me.”
Emily’s heart fluttered.
“Why?”
“Because whoever is behind this already knows who you are.”
He reached for her hand.
“And I won’t give them another chance.”
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