Chapter 12 - THE SON OF THE ENEMYThe revelation that Victor had raised another child connected to the Knox family shook Declan more than he expected.
Victor had spent decades hiding Elena's existence while raising a boy whose birth records were tied to the same secret.
The boy's name was Noah Sloane.
He was now twenty-eight and worked as a corporate attorney in New York.
Unlike Victor, Noah had no criminal record. He had built a reputation for defending vulnerable families against predatory lenders and fraudulent property developers.
Declan struggled to understand why Victor would raise a child connected to the woman he had tried to erase.
“Perhaps he wanted leverage,” Clary suggested.
“Or perhaps he wanted an heir who would never question him.”
Elena sat across from them in the mansion's library.
“I want to meet him.”
Declan looked at her.
“You don't know whether he's involved.”
“Neither do you.”
“Victor raised him.”
“And your father raised you. Does that make you responsible for everything he did?”
Declan accepted the rebuke.
They contacted Noah through his law office.
He agreed to meet them, but only at a public location.
The meeting took place in a quiet conference room overlooking Manhattan.
Noah arrived carrying a briefcase.
He looked nothing like Victor. His dark hair was slightly disheveled, and his expression held more curiosity than arrogance.
“I was told this concerns my adoption records,” he said.
Declan nodded.
“It does.”
Noah opened his briefcase.
“I already know I was adopted. Victor told me my biological parents died in an accident.”
Elena placed her silver locket on the table.
“Do you recognize this symbol?”
Noah stared at it.
Then he removed a matching locket from his pocket.
“I've had this since I was a child.”
The two lockets fit together perfectly.
Inside the second was another folded note.
MY CHILDREN DESERVE THE TRUTH.
Noah sat back.
“Who wrote that?”
“Our father,” Elena whispered.
Noah looked between them.
“You're saying we're siblings?”
“Yes,” Declan answered.
Noah's face became unreadable.
“Then Victor lied to me.”
“He lied to all of us,” Declan said.
Noah closed his briefcase.
“I need time.”
“Of course.”
“Did he know about the adoption?”
“We believe he arranged it.”
Noah stood.
“Then I need to find out what else he lied about.”
He left without shaking anyone's hand.
Declan watched him disappear through the glass doors.
“He may never trust us.”
Clary touched his arm.
“You can't demand trust from someone whose entire life has just been turned upside down.”
That evening, Noah called.
He had discovered that Victor maintained a private storage unit under a false name. Inside were legal documents, personal correspondence, and several sealed envelopes addressed to Noah.
One envelope contained a letter from Victor.
If you are reading this, the Knox family has discovered the truth. Do not believe anything Declan says. Your biological father was a criminal, and your biological family will destroy you if you let them.
Another envelope contained a photograph of Victor standing beside a woman holding two newborn babies.
On the back was written:
THE NIGHT I CHOSE WHICH CHILD WOULD LIVE.
Noah sent the photograph to Declan.
The woman was their mother.
But there was something else.
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The date on the photograph was the same night Declan's father had been murdered.
And in the background, standing beside the hospital entrance, was Arthur Voss.
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