Part 7: The Journey to Ohio
“He’s boarding a private jet.”
“To Ohio.”
The words echoed through Adrian’s mind.
Everything suddenly felt urgent.
Sarah Bennett had disappeared.
Marcus Lang was flying to the exact same state.
And somewhere in the middle of it all was a frightened little boy who still had no idea how much his life was about to change.
Within two hours, Adrian had arranged a flight.
The investigator would meet them in Ohio.
Victoria insisted on coming.
At first Adrian refused.
Then he looked into her eyes.
For the first time in years, he didn’t see arrogance.
He didn’t see anger.
He saw regret.
And regret was punishment enough.
Meanwhile, Elena packed a small suitcase for Ethan.
The boy sat quietly on his bed watching her.
“Are we going somewhere?”
Elena smiled gently.
“Maybe.”
Ethan looked down at his hands.
“Will you come too?”
The question caught her off guard.
“Of course.”
The boy nodded.
Then whispered:
“Good.”
Just one word.
Yet somehow it meant everything.
Because after years of loneliness, Ethan had finally found someone he trusted.
And children always know who makes them feel safe.
The private jet landed in Columbus shortly before midnight.
Rain poured across the runway.
The investigator was already waiting.
His face looked grim.
“No sign of Marcus yet,” he said.
“But we found Sarah’s last known location.”
An old farmhouse.
Thirty miles outside the city.
Isolated.
Quiet.
Forgotten.
The drive took nearly an hour.
Dark roads stretched endlessly through farmland.
No streetlights.
No traffic.
Only rain.
And tension.
When they finally arrived, the farmhouse looked abandoned.
Paint peeling from the walls.
Broken shutters.
Overgrown grass.
A place nobody would notice.
A place someone could disappear.
The investigator entered first.
Adrian followed.
Then Elena.
Victoria remained outside with Ethan.
For the first few minutes, they found nothing.
Dust.
Old furniture.
Empty rooms.
Silence.
Then Elena noticed something strange.
A coffee cup.
Still warm.
She immediately stopped.
“Someone’s here.”
The investigator nodded.
They continued deeper into the house.
Toward a faint light coming from the basement.
Adrian pushed open the door.
The wooden stairs creaked beneath his feet.
At the bottom stood a woman.
Frozen.
Terrified.
Holding a flashlight.
Sarah Bennett.
For several seconds nobody moved.
Nobody spoke.
She looked exactly like the woman in the photograph.
Only older.
More tired.
More fragile.
Her eyes immediately locked onto Adrian.
Then widened.
“You found me.”
Adrian took a cautious step forward.
“We need answers.”
Sarah laughed softly.
A sad laugh.
“Then you’re too late.”
The words sent a chill through the room.
“What does that mean?” Elena asked.
Sarah’s eyes filled with tears.
“Marcus already knows.”
Nobody spoke.
Sarah sat down heavily on an old chair.
As though she had been carrying a burden for years.
And finally could no longer hold it.
“I never wanted money.”
She looked directly at Adrian.
“Not once.”
Adrian believed her immediately.
Because pain like hers couldn’t be faked.
“He told me the arrangement would help everyone.”
Sarah continued.
“He said you and Victoria desperately wanted a child.”
Her voice shook.
“And I believed I could do something good.”
Tears rolled down her cheeks.
“But everything changed after Ethan was born.”
Elena already knew what was coming.
A mother’s love.
The strongest force in the world.
Sarah closed her eyes.
“I carried him for nine months.”
She pressed a trembling hand against her chest.
“I heard his heartbeat.”
Another tear fell.
“I felt him kick.”
Her voice cracked.
“I loved him before he even opened his eyes.”
Upstairs, thunder shook the house.
The silence below grew heavier.
Adrian listened carefully.
For the first time, he truly understood what Sarah had lost.
Not just a child.
A part of herself.
“I wanted to keep him,” Sarah admitted.
“But I signed the contract.”
She looked away.
“And I kept my promise.”
Nobody judged her.
Nobody could.
Because every parent in the room understood.
Then Sarah’s expression suddenly changed.
Fear.
Pure fear.
“You don’t understand Marcus.”
The investigator stepped closer.
“What do you know?”
Sarah looked directly at him.
“He wasn’t helping Victoria.”
“He wasn’t helping me.”
“He was helping himself.”
The room fell silent.
Sarah reached beneath the table.
Pulled out an old envelope.
And handed it to Adrian.
Inside were bank statements.
Legal documents.
Trust records.
Years of transactions.
The investigator’s eyes widened.
“Impossible.”
Adrian looked up.
“What is it?”
The investigator swallowed.
Then pointed to a series of transfers.
Millions of dollars.
Moved gradually over several years.
Hidden through shell companies.
Offshore accounts.
Fake consulting fees.
The evidence was overwhelming.
Someone had been stealing from the Hawthorne family.
For years.
And every trail led to Marcus Lang.
But then Sarah delivered the real bombshell.
The one nobody expected.
“The money wasn’t his goal.”
Everyone stared at her.
“What do you mean?” Adrian asked.
Sarah’s face went pale.
“He wanted control.”
The investigator frowned.
“Control of what?”
Sarah answered quietly.
“Everything.”
Then she looked directly at Adrian.
And spoke the words that changed the entire case.
“He believes Ethan is the key.”
The room froze.
Adrian’s pulse quickened.
“The key to what?”
Sarah hesitated.
For the first time, she seemed afraid to continue.
Then she whispered:
“Your father’s hidden trust.”
Silence.
Adrian stared at her.
Because only three people in the world knew that trust existed.
His late father.
His lawyer.
And Adrian himself.
Yet somehow Marcus knew.
Sarah continued.
“There is another inheritance.”
“One much larger than the public trust.”
“One that becomes accessible when Ethan turns eighteen.”
The investigator looked stunned.
Victoria wasn’t even aware of it.
Neither was the board of Hawthorne Capital.
Almost nobody knew.
And yet Marcus had spent years positioning himself around Ethan.
Around Victoria.
Around the family.
Around the money.
Suddenly every piece fit together.
The lies.
The manipulation.
The forged documents.
The attempt to destroy Victoria’s reputation.
The attempt to isolate Ethan.
The disappearance of Sarah.
Marcus had never wanted a family.
He wanted access.
And Ethan was standing between him and billions.
Just then, headlights appeared outside the farmhouse window.
Bright.
Sudden.
Moving fast.
Everyone turned.
A black SUV stopped in front of the house.
The same type of vehicle witnesses had reported.
Sarah’s face instantly drained of color.
“Oh no.”
Adrian stepped toward the window.
The driver’s door opened.
A tall figure emerged.
Even through the rain, they recognized him immediately.
Marcus Lang.
May you like
And he wasn’t alone.
To Be Continued…
