Chapter 8 - The Hidden LedgerThree days later, the estate had returned to a semblance of normal routine. The police reports were filed away, the media storm surrounding Susan Thompson’s sudden arrest was carefully managed by Rory’s legal team as a "tragic domestic mental breakdown," and the Hamptons mansion was quiet once again.
Veronica sat at the mahogany desk in the East Wing library, reviewing the digital hard drives recovered from Susan’s laptop and the boathouse vault.
Most of the files were standard syndicate data—shipping manifests, shell corporation structures, and wire transfer logs between Marcus Thorne and various corrupt politicians.
But as Veronica dug deeper into a hidden, encrypted partition labeled PROJECT_HEIR_DATA, her fingers froze on the trackpad.
It wasn't syndicate data.
It was medical records.
Specifically, genetic profiling charts, blood chemistry analysis, and hereditary markers belonging not to Susan, not to Marcus, but to Rory Starks and his late wife.
Veronica’s eyes widened as she read the genetic breakdown line by line.
Subject A (Rory Starks): Dominant gene sequence modified. Subject B (Late Wife): Surrogate host carrier. Twin A (Lily) / Twin B (Rose): Genetically engineered chimeric markers.
It wasn't just a bitter aunt seeking revenge. It wasn't just a rival syndicate trying to steal an empire.
The night terrors, the custom surveillance bug in the teddy bear, the meticulous psychological conditioning—they weren't designed to destroy Rory.
They were designed to calibrate the twins' neural responses for something far darker.
Veronica’s phone buzzed sharply on the desk.
An incoming text message from an unknown, encrypted local number. No caller ID.
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“You found the files, Veronica. Now ask yourself... who do you think programmed the bear before Susan ever touched it?”
Veronica’s breath hitched. She slowly turned her head to look toward the heavy library doors, which stood slightly ajar, leading out into the dark, silent hallway of the Starks estate.
