PART 4
The piercing tone of the heart monitor froze everyone in place.
"Code Blue!"
Doctors and nurses rushed into the room, gently pushing Ethan, Claire, and the twins into the hallway.
The doors slammed shut.
Through the small window, Ethan watched the medical team fight to save the woman who had destroyed his family—and was still his mother.
Ten agonizing minutes later...
The chief physician stepped out, his face solemn.
"I'm sorry."
"We did everything we could."
Margaret Blackwood was gone.
Silence settled over the corridor.
An attorney, who had been waiting quietly outside the ICU, approached Ethan carrying a small metal lockbox.
"Your mother instructed me to give you this only after her passing."
Inside were a key, a USB drive, and another handwritten note.
If you're reading this, I no longer have the courage to tell you these words myself.
The danger I mentioned wasn't a lie.
Five years ago, when Blackwood Industries was collapsing, I borrowed money from dangerous people. They agreed to erase the debt only if I guaranteed that no heir from Claire would ever inherit the Blackwood fortune.
Ethan's blood ran cold.
He continued reading.
I lied to them and told them Claire had never had children. If they discover the twins exist, they may come looking for them.
Claire instinctively pulled the boys close.
The attorney inserted the USB drive into his laptop.
A hidden video began to play.
Margaret appeared on the screen, speaking directly to the camera.
"If anything happens to me, don't trust Richard Ashford."
Ethan frowned.
"Richard?"
"He wasn't just my business partner," the recording continued.
"He financed everything. The lies... the fake medical records... even the surveillance on Claire after the divorce."
Before anyone could process the revelation, Ethan's phone vibrated.
An unknown number.
He answered.
A calm male voice spoke.
"So..."
"You finally know about your sons."
Ethan's heart stopped.
The stranger chuckled.
"Protect them while you can."
"You have 72 hours before we come to collect what the Blackwood family owes us."
The line went dead.
Ethan slowly lowered the phone.
He looked at Claire.
Then at his two frightened sons.
For the first time in his life, billions of dollars meant nothing.
There was only one thing that mattered now.
Keeping his family alive.
