Chapter 7
I didn't touch anything in the apartment.
I just stood in the middle of the living room, looking around.
Then I spotted a brown envelope on the coffee table. One word was written on it: Anna.
It was Annie's handwriting.
I'd seen her handwriting before in the screenshots she sent me.
The envelope wasn't sealed. Inside, there was a letter and a file.
The letter was short. [Anna, if you're reading this, it means you couldn't hold back anymore and came here.
[The more Andrew tries to keep my identity a secret, the more curious you get. I get you.
[But he won't let me tell you, so this is all I can do.
[Open the file and see for yourself.
[Once you've read it, you'll understand why Andrew chose me over you.
[And that's why I dared to come to your place and sit in your chair.
[Surprise.]
I opened the file.
The first page was a copy of Annie's SSA. Her original name was Annie Wells.
The second page was a birth certificate. The mother's name was Martha Wells.
My hand froze.
The third page was a photo.
The woman in the photo looked to be in her early forties. She took really good care of herself, her makeup was perfect, and she was dressed in a designer suit.
She was the woman who came over with Annie last time.
On the back of the photo, the word "Mom" was written.
The fourth page was a paternity test report. The tested parties were Martha and Annie.
The result showed that they were related.
The fifth page was another paternity test report. The tested parties were Martha and me.
It showed that we were related as well.
I closed the file, the paper trembling in my hands.
It wasn't because of fear or sadness.
It was something rising from deep within my bones, hitting harder than my stepfather ever did, and hurting more than losing my child.
My mom, Martha, was the woman who abandoned me at six and vanished.
When my stepfather left me black and blue, when I was nearly sold like property, and when Andrew ended up in prison for killing my stepfather to save me—where was she?
She was busy raising another daughter.
She named her Annie Wells.
She dressed her in designer clothes, gave her a luxury home, and let her grow up carefree until she turned twenty-three.
And then, the daughter she raised with such care came to steal my husband.
She slept in my husband's bed, carried his child, sat in my chair, and called my name with a defiant tone.
And my mother, who had been gone for twenty years, was standing right behind her, smiling at me.
My phone rang. It was Annie's number.
I answered.
Her voice came through the line, echoing with that unmistakable hospital sound. "Anna, did you finish reading? Are you surprised?
"You grew up without a mom, but I always had one. You suffered all the time, but I got pampered all the way.
"Now I've even managed to steal your husband, too.
"Anna, tell me, who do you think Mom loves more?"
Another voice came through the line. It was Andrew. "Annie, who are you talking to?"
Annie covered the receiver, her voice muffled.
I heard Andrew say something in the background.
Then Annie came back on the line. "Anna, Andrew's here. I gotta go.
"Oh, one more thing I forgot to mention.
"Mom said it wasn't that she didn't want to take you with her.
"It was just that you looked way too much like your dad. She couldn't stand looking at you.
"So she took me and left you behind.
"Goodnight, my dear sister."
The call ended.
I stood in the living room. The walls were plastered with photos of Andrew and Annie.
During a pause in their conversation, I overheard something.
It wasn't Annie who said it. It was Andrew.
He said, "Close your eyes and don't look. I'll protect you."
He said those words to Annie.
I stood in that apartment for ten minutes.
Then, I slipped the file into my bag and walked out.
As the night breeze slipped down my collar, I felt more awake than ever.
They thought this file was a blade, that once it pierced me, I'd crumple to the floor in agony.
But they forgot one thing.
I was raised on blades.
*****
Once I got in the car, I dialed a number. "Ethan, did you get your gear back?"
He replied, "All set, Anna."
"Can you do me a favor?
"Get me the shareholder list for my company and send it over."
Ethan paused for a couple of seconds. "Anna, are you sure you want to make a move with that company?"
"Absolutely."
After hanging up, I leaned back in the seat and closed my eyes.
No one knew that during the past five years Andrew was shining out front, I was the one keeping half his cash flow afloat behind the scenes.
Back when he went from working on the site to running his own crew, he was short one million dollars for his first project.
I was the one who covered that one million dollars.
How did I come up with the money?
I mortgaged the old house my mom left me for 300 grand, and then borrowed the rest from someone else.
Andrew knew nothing about it.
He thought I borrowed it from some relatives.
As his business kept booming, I slowly grew that one million dollars into an investment company.
But I didn't use my real name. I went by another identity—Mavis Quinn.
In the Metropolis investment scene, there was a name that stayed under the radar but had serious clout—Mavis Quinn.
No one had ever seen Mavis in person.
All anyone knew was that Mavis held shares in seven companies, and three of them were the core of Andrew's supply chain.
I was Mavis Quinn.
I never meant to use this hidden card. Honestly, I thought I'd never need it, not in this lifetime.
But now, my mom was back. And she didn't come alone. She brought another daughter with her.