CHAPTER 5 — The Truth Inside the Flash Drive
CHAPTER 5 — The Truth Inside the Flash Drive
The pounding on the apartment door grew louder.
"Federal Bureau of Investigation! Open the door!"
Benjamin remained remarkably calm.
He looked at me once.
"Hide the flash drive."
Without hesitation, I slipped it into the pocket of Rowan's old stuffed dinosaur lying on the sofa. It was the last place anyone would think to search.
Laurelai quietly led Callie and Rowan into the bedroom.
"Come on," she whispered with a smile. "Let's count how many stars are on your curtains."
They disappeared just as I opened the door.
Two agents stood outside, badges visible.
"Good afternoon. We're looking for Dr. Benjamin Hayes."
Benjamin stepped forward.
"I'm Dr. Hayes."
The older agent nodded politely.
"You're not under arrest."
Benjamin looked surprised.
"I'm not?"
"We'd simply like to ask you a few questions regarding an ongoing financial investigation."
The tension in the apartment eased slightly.
Benjamin turned to me.
"I'll be back."
I wasn't so sure.
After the agents left with Benjamin, the apartment felt strangely empty.
An hour later, my phone rang.
It was an unfamiliar number.
"Ms. Vance?"
"Yes?"
"My name is Special Agent Daniel Brooks."
My pulse quickened.
"I'm calling regarding Dr. Hayes."
"Is he all right?"
"He's safe."
I exhaled.
"But before he left, he asked us to tell you one thing."
I waited.
"He said if anything happened to him, you should look at the file labeled 'Project Heir.'"
The call ended.
That evening, after Callie and Rowan were asleep, Laurelai locked the apartment door.
"Are we really doing this?"
I looked at the stuffed dinosaur.
"I have to know."
I removed the flash drive and plugged it into my laptop.
Only four folders appeared.
Trust
Medical
Project Heir
Insurance
My hand hovered over the mouse.
Then I clicked Project Heir.
A single scanned memo opened.
At the top was the logo of Evercrest Medical Holdings.
Below it was a confidential title:
Client Preservation Program
The memo described a private service offered only to ultra-wealthy families.
Its purpose was chilling.
To "protect family bloodlines" through confidential genetic testing, paternity verification, and inheritance risk assessments before public disclosure.
I stared at the screen.
"This can't be real."
Laurelai leaned closer.
"Oh my God..."
Attached to the memo were dozens of client numbers.
No names.
Just numbers.
Except one.
STERLING-01
Beneath it was a payment history totaling nearly five million dollars over seven years.
Every payment had been authorized by the Sterling Family Office.
"What were they paying for?" Laurelai asked.
I opened another document.
My stomach dropped.
It listed genetic screenings.
Background investigations.
Private surveillance.
DNA analyses.
Every spouse marrying into the Sterling family had apparently been investigated without their knowledge.
Including me.
My name appeared halfway down the page.
ARA VANCE
Status:
No adverse findings.
Then another line.
Recommend continued monitoring after childbirth.
My hands began to shake.
"They investigated me..."
"For years."
Laurelai looked horrified.
"This is insane."
Another attachment caught my eye.
Case Review – Child Two
Child Two.
Rowan.
I opened it.
The report summarized anonymous observations after his birth.
Hair color.
Eye color.
Blood type.
Photographs.
Recommendations.
At the bottom was a handwritten note.
"Grandmother expresses concern regarding resemblance. Suggest discreet confirmation before trust distribution."
Signed only with the initials:
E.S.
Eleanor Sterling.
I closed my eyes.
She hadn't merely suspected Rowan.
She had ordered an investigation.
Behind my back.
Without my consent.
While I was recovering from childbirth.
Suddenly another file notification appeared.
Audio Recording
Recorded eighteen months earlier.
I clicked Play.
Arthur's voice filled the room.
"I won't authorize removing my grandson."
Another voice answered.
Gregory Whitmore.
"Mrs. Sterling insists."
Arthur sounded furious.
"Then she can explain it to Declan herself."
Gregory replied quietly,
"She doesn't intend for him to know."
The recording ended.
Laurelai covered her mouth.
"So Arthur was telling the truth..."
"He really didn't know."
Neither had Declan.
Just then, my phone buzzed again.
Declan.
This time, I answered immediately.
"Ara."
His voice sounded exhausted.
"I just met with my father."
"I know."
"You know?"
"I know more than you think."
There was a long silence.
Then he asked softly,
"Did someone... really remove Rowan?"
"Yes."
His breathing became uneven.
"I saw the original trust today."
"You finally read it?"
"Yes."
"I'm sorry."
Those two words might have meant something once.
Tonight they simply sounded late.
Far too late.
"I failed him."
"You failed both of them."
Another silence.
Then he whispered,
"I want to make this right."
Before I could respond, another voice shouted through his phone.
"Declan!"
It was Arthur.
"You need to come downstairs!"
"What happened?"
Arthur answered in a voice filled with disbelief.
"The police are here."
Declan frowned.
"For what?"
"They've arrested Gregory Whitmore."
I looked at Laurelai.
Our eyes met.
This was only the beginning.
Then Arthur spoke one final sentence before the call disconnected.
"They say Gregory isn't talking..."
"...because he's terrified of the person who hired him."
I slowly looked back at the laptop screen.
The Project Heir folder still contained one unopened document.
Its title consisted of only three words:
Final Recommendation
May you like
For reasons I couldn't explain...
I suddenly wasn't sure I wanted to know what was inside.
