CHAPTER 3 – The Woman Everyone Thought Was Dead
The ballroom erupted into chaos.
Guests rushed toward the exits as security searched for whoever had hijacked the sound system.
But Daniel couldn't move.
His eyes remained locked on the little girl.
"What... what's your name?" he whispered.
She swallowed hard.
"My mommy called me Lily."
The name shattered the last piece of Daniel's composure.
Emily had once told him, years ago, "If we ever have a daughter, I want to name her Lily."
No one else knew that.
No one.
Victoria stepped between them.
"This is a scam!" she shouted. "Someone trained this child to destroy my husband's reputation!"
But before anyone could respond, every giant screen inside the ballroom flickered to life.
Old security footage appeared.
A date.
Seven years earlier.
The grainy video showed Emily entering the Sterling estate carrying a newborn baby wrapped in a pink blanket.
She never came back out.
The crowd gasped.
Victoria's face lost all color.
Daniel stared at the footage in horror.
"What happened after she went inside?"
The video suddenly cut to black.
Then another recording began.
Someone wearing a Sterling Foundation security uniform was dragging an unconscious woman through an underground hallway.
Her face wasn't visible...
But the silver key hanging around her neck was unmistakable.
It was Emily.
Daniel clenched his fists.
"Who did this?"
Silence.
Then Lily quietly pulled another object from her backpack.
An old family photograph.
Only half remained.
The missing half had been torn away years ago.
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On the back, someone had written four chilling words.
"The truth is underground."
