Chapter 18: The Name On The DNA Report
905 Words
The study fell silent.
Nathan Blackwood stood motionless, the DNA report trembling in his hands.
Lena Brooks searched his face, trying to understand the fear in his eyes.
"Nathan..."
"What does it say?"
Nathan swallowed hard before reading aloud.
> 'Based on the submitted samples, Daniel Blackwood is a biological member of the Blackwood family. However, the analysis also indicates the existence of another unidentified biological heir whose DNA partially matches the Blackwood bloodline.'
Lena blinked in disbelief.
"Another heir?"
Nathan slowly lowered the report.
"So Daniel isn't the only secret my family kept."
---
Olivia Grant stepped closer.
"The laboratory double-checked the results."
"There wasn't any mistake."
Nathan stared at the report again.
"My father hid one child..."
"And someone else hid another."
Lena folded her arms.
"But why would anyone hide two heirs?"
Nathan looked toward the rain-covered window.
"Because someone wanted the Blackwood inheritance for themselves."
---
Meanwhile...
Richard Sterling sat inside his private office.
A phone rang.
He answered without speaking.
A distorted voice came through the receiver.
"The DNA report reached Nathan."
Richard closed his eyes.
"So..."
"He knows."
"Only part of it."
Richard remained silent for several seconds.
"Continue watching him."
"But don't let him find the last heir."
The call ended.
Victoria Sterling stepped into the office.
"You knew there was another heir, didn't you?"
Richard didn't answer immediately.
Instead, he unlocked the same hidden drawer labeled Operation Phoenix.
This time, he removed an old hospital bracelet.
The faded tag carried only three words.
Baby No. 3
Victoria frowned.
"There were... three children?"
Richard whispered,
"Yes."
"And only one person knows where the third child disappeared."
---
Back at Blackwood Mansion...
Victor Blackwood requested that Nathan meet him in the family library.
The old man stood beside the fireplace, holding a faded leather Bible.
"Nathan."
"We need to talk."
Nathan placed the DNA report on the table.
"I've waited fifteen years for this conversation."
Victor nodded sadly.
"I know."
He opened the Bible carefully.
Hidden inside was an old family tree.
Nathan studied it.
Aaron Blackwood.
Charles Blackwood.
Amelia Blackwood.
Everything seemed normal...
Until he noticed another name.
Grace Blackwood.
There was no photograph beside it.
No birth date.
No death date.
Only one handwritten note.
Records Sealed.
Nathan looked up.
"Who was Grace?"
Victor closed the Bible.
"My youngest daughter."
"You never told me I had another aunt."
"Because I was told never to speak her name again."
---
Across town...
Margaret Brooks couldn't sleep.
She walked into the attic above their apartment.
Old boxes filled the dusty room.
She searched until she found a faded blue suitcase.
Inside were newspaper clippings, letters, and photographs from years ago.
As she lifted the final envelope...
A small music box fell onto the floor.
The lid sprang open.
A soft lullaby echoed through the attic.
Lena climbed the stairs.
"Mom?"
Margaret froze.
"I didn't hear you."
Lena picked up the music box.
"It's beautiful."
Margaret's eyes filled with tears.
"It belonged to your father."
Lena smiled.
"I've never seen it before."
Margaret gently turned the music box over.
Engraved on the bottom were the words:
> To Grace, with love. — Aaron
Lena's smile faded.
"Grace?"
Margaret slowly sat down.
"The woman Victor never speaks about."
---
That same night...
A black SUV stopped outside the old stone church where Daniel had been living.
Daniel locked the chapel doors after evening prayers.
He sensed someone watching him.
"Who's there?"
No answer.
He stepped outside.
The churchyard was empty.
Then he noticed a wooden box resting on the front steps.
Inside was a compass...
The matching half to the one he always wore.
Wrapped around it was a note.
> 'If you want to know who you really are... leave before sunrise.'
Daniel looked toward the empty road.
A strange feeling settled over him.
Someone wasn't trying to kill him.
Someone was trying to save him.
---
The following morning...
Nathan, Lena, Olivia, and Mrs. Eleanor Hayes gathered in the study.
Spread across the table were every clue they had collected:
The silver wolf coin.
Daniel's compass pendant.
Aaron's surviving letter.
The mysterious map.
The family tree.
The DNA report.
Lena looked carefully at the map again.
Her eyes suddenly widened.
"Nathan..."
"I think we've been looking at it the wrong way."
She turned the map upside down.
Hidden lines suddenly connected.
They formed a symbol.
Not a road.
Not an island.
A wolf.
Nathan immediately compared it with the engraving on Lena's silver coin.
They matched perfectly.
Olivia whispered,
"This isn't a map."
"It's a key."
Nathan nodded slowly.
"A key to what?"
Just then...
Mrs. Eleanor Hayes gasped.
She pointed toward the center of the symbol.
"I know that place."
Everyone turned to her.
"What is it?" Nathan asked.
Mrs. Hayes' voice trembled.
"It isn't an island..."
"It's the underground chapel beneath Blackwood Manor."
Nathan's eyes widened.
"The chapel that was sealed after the fire?"
Mrs. Hayes nodded.
"Your father once told me..."
> 'If the truth is ever buried... it will wait beneath the chapel until someone worthy comes looking.'
Nathan looked at Lena.
Then at the silver coin resting in her hand.
He finally understood.
The coin had never been just a promise between two children.
It was a key left behind by Aaron Blackwood himself.
And somewhere beneath Blackwood Manor...
The final truth had been waiting for fifteen years.
End of Chapter 18
By Jasmine
- Writer
