Naomi froze.
“What?”
“Your birth wasn't an accident.”
The line went dead.
Naomi stared at the phone.
For the first time, she wondered whether her entire life had been designed.
Not protected.
Designed.
THE PRICE OF A NAME
Naomi did not sleep.
Victor's words repeated in her mind.
Your birth wasn't an accident.
By morning, she had convinced herself he was lying.
But the doubt remained.
She called Mei.
“Tell me everything about my mother and Richard.”
Mei agreed.
They met in a quiet café.
Mei brought a box.
Inside were photographs.
Letters.
Old newspaper clippings.
And one photograph Naomi had never seen.
Her mother was pregnant.
Richard stood beside her.
They were smiling.
On the back:
Six months before Naomi.
Naomi stared at the image.
“They were happy.”
“For a while.”
“What happened?”
“Richard discovered Northstar.”
“And my mother?”
“She helped him.”
“Why did they separate?”
“Because Victor found out about the pregnancy.”
Naomi looked up.
“Victor knew?”
“Yes.”
“Why did he care?”
Mei hesitated.
“Because Richard was going to expose him.”
“So?”
“Richard had evidence.”
“What evidence?”
“A recording.”
“Of Victor?”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Mei looked at her.
“Edward Calloway.”
Naomi's eyes widened.
“What did Edward say?”
“That Victor had taken control of Northstar.”
Naomi stared.
“Then why didn't Richard release it?”
“Because Edward made a deal.”
“With whom?”
“The government.”
Naomi frowned.
“What kind of deal?”
“Protection for evidence.”
“So Edward betrayed Victor.”
“Yes.”
“And Victor killed my mother?”
“No.”
Mei's voice became quiet.
“Your mother was killed by someone else.”
“Who?”
“We never found out.”
Naomi looked at the photographs.
Then she saw something.
A man in the background.
Standing outside a restaurant.
Watching her mother.
Naomi pointed.
“Who is that?”
Mei looked.
Her face changed.
“That's impossible.”
“Who?”
Mei whispered:
“James Carter.”
Naomi's heart stopped.
She drove to her father's house.
James was sitting in the living room.
Naomi entered without knocking.
“Why were you watching Mom?”
James looked at the photograph.
His face went pale.
“Where did you get that?”
“Answer me.”
“I was protecting her.”
“From whom?”
“Victor.”
“You were following her.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because someone was following her.”
“Who?”
“I never knew.”
Naomi stepped closer.
“Did you know Richard?”
“Yes.”
“Did you help him disappear?”
“Yes.”
“Did you know about Northstar?”
“Yes.”
“Were you part of it?”
“No.”
“Then what were you?”
James looked at his daughter.
“I was the man who cleaned up the bodies.”
Naomi froze.
“What?”
“I worked security.”
“For whom?”
“Edward Calloway.”
She stared.
“So Thomas wasn't the only one.”
“No.”
“How many people were involved?”
“Too many.”
“Did you kill anyone?”
James closed his eyes.
“No.”
“Did you hide bodies?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because Edward ordered me to.”
Naomi stepped backward.
Her entire image of her father was collapsing.
“I don't know you.”
James looked at her.
“I know.”
Then he gave her the final secret.
“Your mother wasn't supposed to have you.”
Naomi stared.
“What?”
“Edward wanted Richard to disappear before you were born.”
“Why?”
“Because Richard knew the truth.”
“What truth?”
“Northstar wasn't created to make money.”
Naomi shook her head.
“I know.”
“No.”
James looked at her.
“It was created to control the future.”
She said nothing.
“Land wasn't the goal.”
“Then what?”
“Cities.”
Naomi's eyes widened.
“Northstar identified which cities would grow, which neighborhoods would decline, where governments would build infrastructure, where companies would move.”
He paused.
“Then they bought everything before the public knew.”
Naomi whispered:
“They predicted the future.”
“No.”
James shook his head.
“They created it.”
The following morning, Naomi and Henry prepared to expose Northstar.
They contacted federal investigators.
They assembled evidence.
The ledger.
The shell companies.
The recordings.
The bank transfers.
Everything.
But before they could deliver it, the power went out.
The entire building went dark.
Emergency lights came on.
Then alarms.
Henry looked toward the hallway.
“Someone is here.”
Security guards shouted.
A gunshot echoed.
Naomi ducked.
Henry pulled her behind a concrete wall.
“Stay here.”
Another shot.
Then silence.
A figure appeared.
Black coat.
Mask.
Naomi could not see the face.
The figure walked toward the conference room.
Henry raised his weapon.
“Stop.”
The figure stopped.
Then removed the mask.
Naomi stared.
It was James.
Her father.
He looked at her.
“I came to save you.”
Henry raised his gun.
Naomi stepped between them.
“Don't.”
James looked at the evidence.
“You can't release this.”
“Why?”
“Because it will kill thousands of innocent people.”
Naomi shook her head.
“You're lying.”
“No.”
He pulled a document from his coat.
“Look.”
Naomi took it.
It was a list of names.
Politicians.
Judges.
Police officers.
Business leaders.
But at the bottom were ordinary people.
Families.
Employees.
Children.
“What is this?”
“People who will be targeted if Northstar collapses.”
Naomi looked up.
“By whom?”
James whispered:
“Not Victor.”
“Then who?”
He looked toward the window.
“Samuel.”