CHAPTER 3 — The Woman Who Was Supposed to Be Dead
Alexander didn't celebrate the discovery.
He didn't cry.
He didn't even ask why someone had erased his twin sister from history.
Instead, he asked Marcus one question.
"Who signed the death certificate?"
Within two hours, the answer arrived.
Dr. Harold Benton.
The same doctor who had delivered Alexander and his mother thirty-one years earlier.
According to official records, Benton had died in a house fire twelve years ago.
But Marcus uncovered something impossible.
The doctor had been using a different identity ever since.
He was alive.
And someone had been protecting him.
At sunrise, Alexander and Marcus drove to a forgotten fishing village on the coast, where Benton had reportedly been seen living under the name Henry Brooks.
The weather was gray.
The streets were empty.
An old wooden cabin overlooked the sea.
Marcus knocked.
No answer.
The front door creaked open.
Inside, furniture had been overturned.
Photographs covered the walls.
Every single one featured wealthy families from across the country.
Each photo had names, dates... and handwritten notes.
"Manipulated."
"Inheritance secured."
"Target eliminated."
Alexander's heart raced.
This wasn't one family.
It was dozens.
Maybe hundreds.
The organization had been selecting powerful dynasties for decades.
Then he found a framed picture hidden beneath the floorboards.
A woman smiled while holding two newborn babies.
Alexander recognized his own face.
The second baby looked identical.
Emily.
She had never died.
Behind the photograph was a handwritten message.
If you're reading this, they're already hunting you. Trust no one wearing the Black Crest Ring.
Marcus looked at Alexander.
"Your uncle wears one."
"So does Ethan."
Alexander suddenly remembered.
At every family gathering...
Several board members wore the same black ring engraved with a tiny raven.
He had always assumed it was an expensive fashion accessory.
It wasn't.
It was a symbol.
Before they could search further...
A loud explosion shattered every window.
The cabin erupted into flames.
Masked gunmen surrounded the property.
Bullets tore through the walls.
Marcus shoved Alexander behind a stone fence.
"They found us!"
The attackers moved with military precision.
They weren't hired criminals.
They were trained.
Alexander grabbed a pistol from Marcus's emergency bag.
It had been years since he'd fired one.
He didn't hesitate.
The first shot shattered a headlight.
The second forced two gunmen into cover.
Marcus fought beside him until the sound of approaching police sirens echoed across the shoreline.
The attackers vanished into the forest within seconds.
Leaving behind only one thing.
A black raven ring.
May you like
Engraved inside...
"Family is the easiest prison."
