The Devil's Forbidden Secretary

Chapter Seventeen : The Second Daughter

Elena

Elena stared at the photograph until the words blurred.

Twin girls. One was supposed to die.

Her fingers tightened around the paper.

"No."

Lucien stood beside her, equally stunned.

"There's another girl."

Elena looked at him.

"Another me."

"Apparently."

"But my mother said she had twins."

"She said you had a twin brother."

"Then why is there another girl?"

Lucien took the photograph.

"Because someone has been hiding her."

Elena's heart raced.

"Who?"

Before Lucien could answer, the lights flickered.

Then his phone rang.

Mara.

He answered immediately.

"Where are you?"

Her voice was weak.

"Get out of the house."

Lucien frowned.

"Why?"

"Because Adrian knows you're there."

Elena's blood ran cold.

"How?"

Mara hesitated.

"Because I told him."

Lucien's expression hardened.

"You?"

"I'm sorry."

The line went dead.

Elena stared at him.

"Mara betrayed us."

"Maybe."

"You don't sound surprised."

"I don't trust anyone anymore."

A sound came from upstairs.

A floorboard creaked.

Lucien immediately raised his gun.

"Stay behind me."

Elena nodded.

They moved silently through the hallway.

Another sound.

Then a woman's voice.

"Elena?"

She froze.

The voice sounded exactly like hers.

"Who is that?"

Lucien raised his weapon.

A woman slowly descended the staircase.

Elena stopped breathing.

The woman looked exactly like her.

Same eyes.

Same face.

Same height.

Same dark hair.

Even the same small scar beneath her left eyebrow.

Elena whispered:

"Who are you?"

The woman smiled sadly.

"My name is Eva."

Elena shook her head.

"No."

"Yes."

"That's impossible."

Eva stopped a few feet away.

"Is it?"

Lucien stepped between them.

"Don't come any closer."

Eva looked at him.

"Lucien."

He stiffened.

"You know my name."

"I know everything about you."

"How?"

Eva's eyes returned to Elena.

"Because I've been watching you."

Elena's stomach twisted.

"For how long?"

"Since the day you were born."

---

Eva

Eva looked at Elena with an expression that was impossible to read.

"I've spent seventeen years wondering what you looked like."

Elena swallowed.

"Why?"

"Because I was told you were dead."

"Who told you?"

"Adrian."

Lucien's face hardened.

"Where were you raised?"

Eva looked away.

"Underground."

Elena's chest tightened.

"What?"

"Not literally."

Eva smiled bitterly.

"A facility outside Veyra."

"Why?"

"Because Augustus believed one of us would inherit everything."

Elena looked at the photograph.

"Who is your mother?"

Eva hesitated.

"Seraphina."

Elena's eyes widened.

"Then you're my sister."

"Yes."

"But you said you were told I was dead."

"I was told you died at birth."

Elena stared at her.

"Why?"

"Because that's what they needed me to believe."

Lucien lowered his gun slightly.

"Who are they?"

Eva looked at him.

"Augustus."

"Adrian?"

"Both."

Elena stepped forward.

"What happened to you?"

Eva's expression darkened.

"They trained me."

"For what?"

"To replace you."

Silence.

Elena felt cold.

"Replace me?"

Eva nodded.

"When they discovered you survived, they couldn't simply kill you."

"Why?"

"Because the inheritance required Alexander's biological heir to be alive."

Lucien understood.

"So they created another heir."

Eva looked at him.

"They didn't create me."

She looked at Elena.

"I was born before her."

Elena stared.

"What?"

Eva's voice broke.

"I'm the first daughter."

---

The Firstborn

Elena's mind raced.

"But I'm the first surviving heir."

"That's what the documents say."

"Then why?"

"Because I was declared dead."

Elena looked at the photograph again.

The words suddenly made sense.

Twin girls. One was supposed to die.

"You were the one who was supposed to die."

Eva nodded.

"But I survived."

"Who saved you?"

"Alexander."

Elena's heart tightened.

"My father?"

"Yes."

"Then why did he leave you?"

"He didn't."

Eva looked at Lucien.

"Someone took me from him."

"Who?"

"Adrian."

Lucien's jaw tightened.

"Again."

Eva laughed bitterly.

"Adrian was everywhere."

"What did he want?"

"Control."

"Of what?"

"The Voss empire."

Lucien looked at Elena.

"Then why does he need you?"

Eva answered:

"Because he needs both of us."

Elena frowned.

"Why?"

"Because the inheritance has a condition."

"What condition?"

Eva looked directly at her.

"The twins must jointly claim it."

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

"Then neither of you can inherit alone."

"Correct."

Elena's heart sank.

"So Adrian needs us alive."

"Yes."

"Then why are we running?"

Eva's expression changed.

"Because once we sign the documents..."

She paused.

"...we become useless."

---

Lucien

Lucien didn't trust Eva.

He couldn't.

Too many lies.

Too many betrayals.

Too many people wearing someone else's face.

"How do we know you're really Elena's sister?"

Eva looked at him.

"DNA."

She pulled a folder from her coat.

"Test it."

Lucien took it.

The documents were from an independent laboratory.

The results showed a biological relationship.

Eva and Elena were identical twins.

Lucien stared.

"You're telling the truth."

Eva nodded.

"But there's something else."

She pulled out another document.

Lucien read it.

His face changed.

"What?"

Elena stepped closer.

"What is it?"

He handed it to her.

She read the report.

Her blood ran cold.

It was a medical report from seventeen years ago.

Patient: Elena Laurent.

Twin pregnancy.

Complication: one infant experienced cardiac arrest.

Infant pronounced dead.

Elena looked at Eva.

"You died."

Eva nodded.

"For six minutes."

Elena stared.

"What?"

"I was clinically dead for six minutes."

"Then how?"

"Alexander refused to let them take me."

Eva's eyes filled with tears.

"He carried me out of the hospital."

"Then what happened?"

"Adrian found us."

Eva looked down.

"He took me."

"Where?"

"To Augustus."

Elena's stomach twisted.

"And you were raised there?"

"Yes."

"Did they hurt you?"

Eva didn't answer.

That was answer enough.

Elena stepped toward her.

"I'm sorry."

Eva looked at her.

"Don't be."

"You're my sister."

Eva's eyes filled.

"I know."

Elena hugged her.

Eva froze.

Then slowly wrapped her arms around Elena.

For the first time in seventeen years, the twins held each other.

---

Lucien's Secret

A sound came from outside.

Lucien immediately separated them.

"Someone's here."

He moved toward the window.

Cars surrounded the house.

Dozens of them.

Men stepped out.

Armed.

Elena's heart raced.

"Adrian?"

Lucien nodded.

"Probably."

Eva looked frightened.

"There's another exit."

"Where?"

"Basement."

They ran.

But before they reached the stairs, the front door exploded inward.

Men flooded the house.

Lucien fired.

Elena and Eva ran downstairs.

"Keep moving!"

They reached the basement.

Eva pushed a shelf aside.

A hidden door appeared.

"Through there."

Lucien looked at her.

"You knew this was here?"

"I grew up in houses like this."

They entered.

The tunnel was narrow.

Behind them, gunfire echoed.

They ran until they reached a steel door.

Eva opened it.

They emerged into an underground parking garage.

A black car waited.

Lucien stopped.

"Whose car?"

Eva looked at it.

"Mine."

"How?"

"I planned for this."

They got inside.

Lucien drove.

Elena sat between them.

For several minutes, nobody spoke.

Then Elena looked at Eva.

"Do you know where Elias is?"

Eva's expression changed.

"Yes."

"Where?"

"With Adrian."

Lucien's hands tightened around the steering wheel.

"Why?"

Eva looked at him.

"Because Adrian has been using Elias to control both of us."

Elena swallowed.

"Is he safe?"

Eva didn't answer.

"Eva."

"He was never supposed to be part of the plan."

"What plan?"

Eva looked at Elena.

"The three of you."

Lucien glanced at her.

"What three?"

"You."

She pointed at Elena.

"Elias."

Then at Lucien.

"And you."

Lucien frowned.

"Why me?"

Eva's voice dropped.

"Because you aren't Alexander's biological son."

Silence.

Lucien's face went pale.

"What?"

Eva looked away.

"Your father wasn't your father."

Elena stared at her.

"Explain."

Eva shook her head.

"I don't know the entire story."

"But you know something."

"Yes."

"What?"

Eva looked at Lucien.

"Alexander adopted you."

Lucien's grip tightened.

"Who were my biological parents?"

Eva hesitated.

"Your mother was Camille Laurent."

Lucien slammed the brakes.

The car stopped.

Elena's heart pounded.

"Camille?"

Eva nodded.

"Your biological mother."

Lucien stared ahead.

"No."

Eva continued:

"Alexander wasn't your biological father."

Elena looked at Lucien.

His face had gone completely blank.

"Then who was?"

Eva's eyes filled with fear.

"I don't know."

A voice came from the back seat.

"I do."

Everyone froze.

A man slowly emerged from the darkness behind them.

Elias.

He had been hiding inside the car.

Elena turned.

"Elias!"

He smiled.

"Miss me?"

Lucien raised his gun.

Elias didn't move.

"You want to know who your real father is?"

Lucien stared at him.

"Tell me."

Elias looked at Elena.

Then Eva.

Then Lucien.

"Your father is the reason Augustus started this entire war."

Lucien's voice was cold.

"Who?"

Elias leaned forward.

"The man who owned Veyra before the Voss family."

He paused.

"The man Augustus murdered."

Lucien's eyes narrowed.

"Gabriel Laurent."

Elias shook his head.

"No."

"Then who?"

Elias smiled.

"His brother."

Lucien froze.

"Adrian?"

"No."

Elias whispered:

"Your father was Victor Laurent."

Elena's heart stopped.

"Victor?"

The man they knew as Alexander.

The man who had appeared in the hospital.

The man who had pretended to be Gabriel.

Elias nodded.

"Victor Laurent."

Lucien stared.

"But Victor is—"

"Alive."

"Then Alexander?"

Elias's smile disappeared.

"Alexander is not Victor."

Elena's blood ran cold.

"Then who is Alexander?"

Elias looked directly at her.

"The man you've been calling your father..."

He paused.

"...isn't your father at all."

---

The Final Message

Lucien's phone suddenly vibrated.

Unknown number.

One message.

Come to the Laurent Tower. Alone.

Another message arrived.

A photograph.

Alexander stood beside a woman.

Camille.

Both were smiling.

But the date beneath the photograph was impossible.

March 14, 2026.

Elena stared.

"That's six months ago."

Lucien looked at her.

"Camille is alive."

Eva whispered:

"So is Alexander."

Elias leaned back.

"And they're together."

Lucien's phone vibrated again.

One final message:

Bring Elena.

Then another:

Leave Eva and Elias behind.

Lucien looked at the road ahead.

For the first time, he understood the trap.

They didn't want the heir.

They wanted Elena specifically.

And whatever waited inside Laurent Tower had been planned long before Lucien ever met her.

He started the car.

"Nobody is going anywhere alone."

Elena looked at him.

"Where are we going?"

Lucien's eyes hardened.

"To find out why your parents are alive."

Behind them, Eva looked toward Elias.

"What did you do?"

Elias didn't answer.

Because he knew something the others didn't.

The photograph hadn't been sent by Adrian.

It had been sent by Camille.

And underneath the image was one sentence:

Elena, forgive me.

I am the one who asked them to take you.