CHAPTER 8: The Twin Raised to Destroy Her
The hallway fell deathly silent.
Emily's knees nearly gave out.
"You... you're lying."
The elegant old woman smiled.
"I wish I were."
Baby Hope whimpered softly in Emily's arms, as if she could feel her mother's fear.
The old woman took another step forward.
"Twenty-six years ago, Victoria Harrington didn't give birth to one child."
Emily's breathing stopped.
"She gave birth to twins."
Victoria, who had just reached the hallway with Detective Brooks, froze in horror.
"No..."
Tears filled her eyes.
"I only ever saw Emily."
"Exactly," the woman replied. "Because we made sure you never saw the second baby."
Brooks stepped in front of Emily, his gun raised.
"Who are you?"
The woman laughed.
"My name won't help you."
"But perhaps you've heard the title..."
"The First Chair of The Circle."
Even Brooks turned pale.
He had spent thirty years investigating The Circle.
No one had ever discovered who led it.
Until now.
The woman slowly pulled an old photograph from her handbag.
It showed two newborn babies lying side by side.
One wore a tiny bracelet engraved Emily.
The other...
Ethan.
Emily covered her mouth.
"My brother..."
The woman nodded.
"We raised him."
"We educated him."
"We trained him."
"We taught him that the Harrington family abandoned him."
Victoria burst into tears.
"My son..."
The woman smiled coldly.
"He doesn't know you're his mother."
"He believes his family sold him for money."
Emily whispered,
"What have you done to him?"
The answer sent chills through everyone.
"We turned him into the perfect weapon."
Before anyone could react, the hospital's giant television screens suddenly switched on.
Every screen showed the same live broadcast.
A young man wearing a black suit walked confidently into Harrington Global headquarters.
Employees stood and applauded.
Reporters rushed toward him.
The news anchor announced excitedly:
"Breaking News! Harrington Global has appointed a mysterious new interim CEO after recent attacks on the Harrington family."
Emily stared at the man's face.
Her heart nearly stopped.
He looked exactly like her.
The same eyes.
The same smile.
The same birthmark behind his right ear.
Only colder.
Far colder.
Victoria collapsed.
"My son..."
Brooks whispered,
"They've already placed him inside the company."
The woman nodded proudly.
"For twenty-six years."
"We didn't steal a child."
"We created a successor."
At that exact moment, the young man looked directly into the television camera.
Then he smiled.
"Good evening, Emily."
Everyone in the hallway froze.
He was speaking directly to her.
"I've waited my entire life to meet my sister."
Emily couldn't move.
The man continued calmly,
"My name is Ethan Harrington."
"But The Circle gave me another name."
He paused just long enough for the tension to become unbearable.
"They call me..."
"The Heir Killer."
The broadcast suddenly ended.
At the same second, every phone in the hospital received a notification.
BREAKING NEWS
All Harrington family assets have been frozen after an emergency board vote... signed by Interim CEO Ethan Harrington.
Emily stared at the dark television screen, unable to breathe.
She had just found the brother she'd searched for all her life.
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And in less than five minutes...
He had declared war on his own family.
