Chapter 5 - The Blood Covenant
The silence in the library was so heavy it felt structural, as if the massive oak bookshelves and marble fireplace were pressing down on us, ready to crush the truth out into the open.
"You," I said, my voice barely a whisper, though it carried the weight of a decade's worth of betrayal. "You were behind the clinic. You were the one funding Isabella's research through the shell companies."
"Of course I was, Edward," Thomas said, tossing his cigar into the ash tray. He stood up, smoothing the front of his bespoke Italian suit. "Do you really think our father would have left the entire empire to you if he knew you were incapable of continuing the line? The Drummond fortune isn't just liquid cash and real estate; it’s a global network of influence. It requires continuity. When the doctors told us about your... unique genetic resilience, Father wanted to exploit it immediately. You were the one who grew a conscience. You wanted to build housing trusts and fund medical research for the public. You were going to waste the legacy."
"So you stole my children," I said, my eyes shifting to Sophia. She was staring at me, her storm-grey eyes wide with a silent plea. The silver revolver in Richard's hand remained pinned against her side.
"We didn't steal them; we cultivated them," Thomas corrected, walking over to the sofa where the baby lay, entirely oblivious to the monsters surrounding him. "Sophia was the first trial. A brilliant success, genetically speaking. But she was born a female, and our father’s archaic bylaws specifically state the primary corporate trustee must be a male heir to inherit the voting shares of the foundational trust. So, we had to try again. It took nine years of refining the process, nine years of waiting for Isabella to perfect the synchronization. And finally, we got him."
He touched the baby's blue blanket with a manicured finger. "The perfect male heir. A genetic mirror of you, Edward, but raised, conditioned, and controlled by me from day one. He will inherit everything. And I will be his legal guardian until he comes of age. I will control the Drummond empire for the next two decades, and the board will get their cellular therapy treatments to keep them alive long enough to see it happen."
"And what happens to me?" I asked, keeping my tone flat, calculating the distance between myself and Richard, measuring the angle of the shot if I raised my gun.
"You?" Thomas laughed, a high, mocking sound. "You're going to die tonight, Edward. A tragic case of murder-suicide. The stress of the sudden scandal—the discovery of an illegitimate child, the fire at your ex-fiancée's clinic—it was just too much for the eccentric billionaire. You came home, killed the little street girl, killed your infant son, and then turned the gun on yourself. Richard and I arrived just a few minutes too late to save you. We manage to rescue the baby, of course. A miraculous survival. The public will weep for us."
"You're missing one detail, Thomas," I said, my grip tightening on the handle of my pistol.
"Oh? And what's that?"
"Sophia didn't find the baby by accident. She was sent here by someone who knew your entire plan. Someone who wanted me to find out before you could execute the final phase."
Thomas frowned, his gaze flickering toward Richard. "What is he talking about?"
Richard's face remained a mask of stone, but I noticed the slight tremor in his hand. The silver revolver shifted away from Sophia's ribs by a fraction of an inch.
"Richard didn't bring Sophia here to kill her, Thomas," I lied, throwing a wrench into their alliance, gambling everything on the inherent paranoia of criminals. "Look at the files from the facility. Who do you think leaked the Project Resurgence data to the independent researcher? Who do you think ensured the baby was left exactly where Sophia could find him? Richard knew you were going to eliminate him once the project was complete. He was setting up his own insurance policy."
Thomas turned fully toward Richard, his eyes narrowing to slits. "Richard... is this true?"
"No! Sir, he's lying!" Richard stammered, his professional composure shattering in an instant. "He's trying to divide us! I've been loyal to you for fifteen years!"
"Then why did you let the girl speak to her grandmother in the hospital?" I pressed, stepping forward, using the distraction to close the gap. "Why did you delay the security team at the clinic just long enough for me to access the main computer? Richard isn't your partner, Thomas. He's your executioner."
"You traitorous son of a—" Thomas snarled, reaching into his coat pocket for his own weapon.
In that split second of chaotic distrust, Sophia acted.
With a fierce, desperate scream, she drove her heel directly down onto Richard's foot. At the same time, she bit his wrist with everything she had. Richard cried out in pain, his grip loosening on the silver revolver.
BANG!
The gun discharged into the ceiling, showering us with plaster and dust.
I raised my pistol and fired two shots in rapid succession. The first caught the security guard entering the library door through the shoulder, dropping him instantly. The second hit the floor right at Thomas's feet, shattering the hardwood and sending him diving behind the heavy mahogany desk.
"Sophia! Down!" I screamed.
She scrambled under the heavy leather sofa just as Richard recovered, turning his weapon toward me. We exchanged fire in the darkened library, muzzle flashes illuminating the room in blinding, violent bursts. A bullet tore through the sleeve of my coat, grazing my arm, but my return shot found its mark, striking Richard squarely in the chest. He gasped, his eyes rolling back as he collapsed against the bookshelf, bringing a dozen heavy volumes down with him.
The room fell into a ringing, smoke-filled silence.
I kept my gun trained on the mahogany desk. "It's over, Thomas. Stand up. Hands where I can see them."
For a long moment, there was no sound except for the heavy, ragged breathing of the wounded guard in the hallway.
Then, a low, bubbling laugh came from behind the desk.
"Over?" Thomas's voice echoed, sounding oddly distorted. "Edward... you really are a fool. You think this ends with me?"
Thomas slowly stood up from behind the desk. He wasn't holding a gun.
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Instead, he was holding a small, black electronic detonator, his thumb resting firmly on a glowing red button.
"The entire mansion is rigged, brother," Thomas whispered, his face pale, his eyes manic. "I knew you were smart. I knew there was a chance you'd make it past the clinic. If I don't walk out of here with that baby, nobody walks out. We all burn together, and the Drummond line ends tonight."
