Chapter 7 - Secrets in the Blood
By midnight, the Cain Estate was surrounded by a fleet of black SUVs and private medical vans. Marcus had secured the perimeter with thirty elite operatives, ensuring that not a single soul could come within a mile of the property without authorization.
In the private medical wing of the estate, a trusted family physician, Dr. Evans, finished wrapping a clean bandage around Rosa’s head. Nearby, a veterinarian was tending to Zeus, who was resting comfortably on a padded bed, happily chewing on a bone despite his bandaged shoulder.
Sophia was fast asleep on a nearby cot, exhausted from the trauma of the night, holding Damon’s hand even in her sleep.
Damon sat beside the cot, his thumb gently stroking the child's small hand. His face was cold, calculating, his mind working through the tactical reality of what had just happened.
"She’s going to be fine, Damon," Dr. Evans said quietly, wiping his hands. "Just minor shock and a mild concussion for Rosa. The child doesn't have a single scratch."
"Thank you, David," Damon replied without looking up.
Dr. Evans hesitated, pulling a thick leather file from his medical bag. He looked at Rosa, who was sitting up on the examination table, watching Damon with quiet affection.
"Damon... while I was running the emergency blood work on Rosa for her IV treatment," Dr. Evans began, his voice unusually hesitant, "I noticed something strange in her genetic marker report. Something that matched a high-priority entry in our private registry."
Damon’s eyes narrowed as he finally looked up. "What are you talking about?"
Dr. Evans opened the folder, placing two DNA profile sheets side-by-side on the table under the lamp light.
"Twenty-five years ago," Dr. Evans explained softly, "the Vance family—your late wife’s family—had an elder brother. Anthony Vance. He was the rightful primary heir to the Vance shipping fortune before he was killed in a mysterious car accident in Chicago."
Rosa’s breath hitched in her throat. She sat up straighter, her eyes wide with shock. "Anthony... Anthony was my father’s name."
Damon stood up slowly, stepping toward the table. "What are you saying, David?"
"Anthony Vance’s infant daughter disappeared the night of that crash," Dr. Evans revealed, pointing to the matching genetic markers on the paper. "Her mother took her and went into hiding in Chicago under her maiden name: Rosa Santos. Damon... Rosa isn't just a maid. She is Anthony Vance’s daughter. She is the legitimate, bloodline heiress to the entire Vance fortune."
The room went dead silent.
Rosa stared at the documents in utter disbelief. "No... That's impossible. My mother told me my father was a dock worker who died young..."
"She was protecting you, Rosa," Damon realized, the pieces of the puzzle falling into place with terrifying clarity. "Julian and Victoria knew. They must have known who you were the moment you applied for the maid position two years ago!"
"That's why Victoria hated me so much," Rosa whispered, tears brimming in her eyes as the dark truth uncovered itself. "She wasn't just cruel... she was terrified that I would discover who I really was. If my identity came out, her hold on the family money was gone completely!"
Damon walked over to Rosa. He sat on the edge of her examination table and took both of her shaking hands into his own.
"They kept you in the dirt, Rosa," Damon said, his dark eyes blazing with a fierce, protective fire. "They made you scrub floors in a house that by right of blood belonged to your family. They tried to frame your daughter, and then Nikolai tried to take her from us."
"Damon..." Rosa whispered, searching his eyes. "What are you going to do?"
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Damon raised her hand to his lips, pressing a gentle, lingering kiss to her knuckles.
"Nikolai Volkov made the greatest mistake of his life tonight," Damon said, his voice terrifyingly calm, rich with an ancient, absolute authority. "He thought he was attacking a broken man who had nothing left to lose. Tomorrow, I am going to show him what happens when a man has everything to fight for."
