CHAPTER 3 – The Contract Written in Blood
Victoria's fingers went numb.
The folder almost slipped from her hands.
Rain drummed softly on the black SUV as the tallest man calmly opened the file.
"You should read it carefully, Mrs. Ashford."
She barely heard him.
Every line on the first page blurred together until one sentence forced itself into focus.
INFANT MALE. FOUR DAYS OLD. TRANSFERRED TO GUARDIANSHIP UNDER PRIVATE AGREEMENT.
Signed.
Witnessed.
Notarized.
At the bottom...
Her father's unmistakable signature.
Harold Ashford.
The man the newspapers had called a philanthropist.
The man universities named buildings after.
The man she had buried three years earlier believing he had protected her from heartbreak.
Instead...
He had sold her child.
Victoria looked at Noah.
"No..."
She whispered.
"No father could do this."
The suited man smiled without warmth.
"He wasn't trying to be a father."
"He was trying to protect the Ashford name."
Emily stepped closer to her mother.
"What are they talking about?"
Victoria couldn't answer.
Because another page had fallen open.
A payment ledger.
Five million dollars.
Paid into a private Swiss account the same week her baby supposedly died.
Five million.
For a newborn.
Victoria's stomach twisted.
"What kind of people buy babies?"
The tallest man looked directly at Noah.
"The kind who expect a return on their investment."
Noah instinctively backed away.
Victoria immediately moved in front of him.
"Stay behind me."
The man sighed.
"Mrs. Ashford, we're not here to hurt him."
"Liar."
"We're here because someone else is looking for him."
That sentence chilled everyone.
"What do you mean?"
The man hesitated.
Then handed her another photograph.
It showed a luxurious estate.
Private guards.
Iron gates.
A family portrait.
Standing in the center...
A man in his sixties.
Silver hair.
Expensive suit.
Cold eyes.
"His name is Victor Laurent."
Victoria had heard the name before.
International shipping.
Private security.
Billions in assets.
Rumors of organized crime.
Untouchable.
"He purchased the child through intermediaries."
Emily gasped.
"You mean..."
"Yes."
"He bought Noah."
Victoria felt sick.
"But Noah isn't with him."
"No."
The man nodded.
"Because someone stole him."
Silence.
"What?"
"When Noah was six, one of Victor Laurent's housekeepers kidnapped him."
Victoria blinked.
The man continued.
"She couldn't bear what they were doing to him."
"So she ran."
"For almost four years, she kept moving him from city to city."
"Changing names."
"Hiding."
Noah lowered his eyes.
"Maria..."
Victoria looked at him.
"Who is Maria?"
The boy smiled sadly.
"The only person who ever called me sunshine."
"What happened to her?"
Noah's lips trembled.
"They found us."
His breathing became uneven.
"They beat her."
"They made me watch."
Emily covered her mouth.
"They said..."
His voice almost disappeared.
"They said kindness makes children weak."
Victoria pulled him into her arms.
This time...
Noah hugged her back.
Tightly.
Like someone drowning.
The suited man quietly looked away.
After several seconds he spoke again.
"Maria died two days later."
Noah buried his face against Victoria's shoulder.
"I couldn't save her."
Victoria closed her eyes.
"You don't ever have to save anyone again."
"I won't let anyone hurt you."
The man suddenly looked alarmed.
"You don't understand."
Victoria slowly turned.
"What?"
"It isn't Victor Laurent we're worried about."
"Then who?"
The man's face lost all color.
"Victor died yesterday."
Silence.
"What?"
"He suffered a heart attack."
Victoria frowned.
"What does that have to do with Noah?"
Everything.
The man swallowed hard.
"Victor Laurent left his entire estate..."
"...to the missing child."
Victoria stared.
"What?"
"Every company."
"Every account."
"Every property."
"Everything."
Emily blinked.
"The homeless boy?"
The man nodded.
"Estimated value..."
He paused.
"...fourteen point six billion dollars."
The alley became completely silent.
Noah looked utterly confused.
"I don't want money."
Victoria stroked his hair.
"I know."
But someone else did.
Far across Chicago...
Inside a penthouse office overlooking Lake Michigan...
A television switched on.
Noah's face appeared on the evening news.
A man standing in the shadows smiled.
Finally.
"We found him."
He picked up a phone.
"Activate everyone."
May you like
"I want the boy alive."
"And kill anyone standing beside him."
