Chapter 5 - Voices from the Grave
“Isabella...” Victor whispered, his breathing ragged.
“I am not dead, Victor,” the recording continued, her voice layered with static. “Julian discovered my illness was genetic, a degenerative condition that would end the Hale line. Together, we initiated Project EOS. I agreed to fake my death so I could oversee the genetic enhancements of our children from the shadows.”
Evelyn felt a wave of nausea hit her. “She’s alive? She helped organize this?”
“I chose the surrogates myself,” Isabella’s recorded voice purred through the speaker. “Women of flawless health, average backgrounds, completely invisible to the world. Perfect incubators. But Julian grew greedy. He wanted control over the children. I had to lock him out of the primary servers before he died.”
The audio track paused, replaced by a live GPS tracking ping pulsing in the center of the screen.
“If you want the truth, Victor, bring Sophie and the surrogates to the installation on Blackwood Isle. Come before the board purges the remaining three children in London, Tokyo, and New York. I am waiting for my family.”
Victor closed the laptop shut with a slam. His jaw was set, his eyes burning with an unreadable mix of betrayal and devastation. He looked at Evelyn, whose eyes were filled with tears of anger.
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“She treated us like livestock,” Evelyn said, her voice shaking with rage. “She took my baby and called me an incubator.”
Victor reached out, taking Evelyn’s hand in his. His grip was warm, solid, and protective. “She might have provided the genetic blueprint, Evelyn. But you are Sophie’s mother. And I will burn my family’s entire legacy to the ground before I let anyone hurt you again.”
