Chapter 8
Six months passed.
The Bennett Pharmaceutical company was rebuilt from the ground up.
Elara was CEO.
Julian was COO.
Lila ran the foundation that gave free Viraflu vaccines to low-income families.
The Viraflu scandal was cleared up.
Elara held a press conference, released all the trial data—fixed and fully explained—and apologized to the families of the three people who’d died in the early tests.
The public forgave her.
Sales were higher than ever.
The new drug Clara had been working on before she died—a cure for a rare childhood cancer—was in final trials.
It looked like it was gonna work.
Elara had bought the old Hale mansion in Greenwich.
Gutted it.
Renovated it.
Turned it into the Bennett family home.
She, Julian, and Lila lived there together.
It was big.
Too big.
But it was theirs.
No more secrets.
No more lies.
Or so Elara told herself.
But late at night, when she couldn’t sleep, she’d walk the halls.
Check the locks.
Look over her shoulder.
Because Sarah was still out there.
Cole was still out there.
And Detective Miller was right.
Powerful people had lost a lot of money when the Hale empire fell.
People who wanted revenge.
One Tuesday in October, Elara was in her office on the top floor of the new Bennett tower.
Julian was in a meeting with the FDA.
Lila was at a school in the Bronx, giving out free vaccines.
Elara was going over the final trial data for the cancer drug.
Her assistant buzzed her.
“Ms. Voss? There’s a man here to see you. Says he’s an old friend of your mother’s. Won’t give his name. Says you’ll know him when you see him.”
Elara frowned.
“Send him in.”
A minute later, the door opened.
A man walked in.
He was in his late sixties.
Tall.
Thin.
White hair.
Wearing a worn tweed jacket and jeans.
He had a scar across his right hand.
Elara knew that scar.
She’d seen it a hundred times in old photos.
“Dr. Carter,” she said, standing up. “My mom’s old research partner.”
Dr. Carter smiled.
It was sad.
“Hello, Elara. You look just like her. Same fire in your eyes.”
Elara walked around the desk.
Shook his hand.
“What are you doing here? I thought you moved to Switzerland after the fire.”
“I did,” Dr. Carter said. “I came back because I found something. Something I should’ve found ten years ago. Something Clara gave me the day before she died. For safekeeping. I forgot all about it until I was cleaning out my storage unit last week.”
He reached into his bag.
Pulled out a small metal box.
Set it on the desk.
“Clara told me to give this to you if anything ever happened to her,” he said. “Said you’d know what to do with it. I’m sorry it took me so long. I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you. After the fire… I was scared. Margaret threatened me. Said she’d kill my grandkids if I talked. I ran. Like a coward.”
Elara looked at the box.
It was locked.
But she knew where the key was.
She pulled her locket from under her shirt.
Opened it.
Behind the photo of her mom was a tiny key.
She’d had it her whole life.
Never known what it was for.
She inserted it into the box.
Turned it.
The lock clicked.
She opened the box.
Inside was a letter.
Addressed to her and Julian.
And a USB drive.
Elara picked up the letter.
Opened it.
It was her mom’s handwriting.
She’d know it anywhere.
My dearest Elara and Julian,
If you’re reading this, I’m dead. And Margaret Hale has won.
I’m writing this because I know what she’s planning. I know she wants my research. I know she’ll do anything to get it. Even kill me. Even take my son from me.
But I’m not stupid.
I’ve made copies of everything.
Every research note. Every email. Every threat Margaret ever made.
It’s all on the USB drive.
But there’s something else.
Something I’ve never told anyone.
Not even your father.
The Viraflu patent?
It’s not the most valuable thing I ever created.
Three years before I died, I found something.
A protein that can target and destroy any cancer cell.
It’s not just a cure for one type of cancer.
It’s a cure for all of them.
I hid the research.
Margaret would’ve sold it for a thousand dollars a pill.
Made it only for the rich.
I couldn’t let that happen.
It’s hidden in the one place Margaret would never look.
In the old lab.
Behind the wall of the supply closet.
Behind the brick where I carved our initials.
C + A + J.
If you’re reading this, you’re strong.
You’re brave.
You’re everything I ever wanted my kids to be.
Don’t let Margaret win.
Don’t let anyone take what’s yours.
Fight.
For me.
For each other.
For every kid who ever got sick and didn’t have a choice.
I love you both.
More than the stars.
More than life itself.
I’ll be with you always.
Mom
Elara’s hands were shaking when she finished reading.
Julian walked in just then.
He’d come back from his meeting early.
He saw her face.
“Elara? What’s wrong?”
She handed him the letter.
He read it.
His mouth went dry.
“A cure for all cancer?” he whispered.
Dr. Carter nodded.
“Clara told me about it a few times,” he said. “She was scared to tell anyone else. Said the world wasn’t ready. That people would kill for it. Looks like she was right.”
Elara picked up the USB drive.
Plugged it into her computer.
The files were there.
Thousands of them.
Research notes.
Lab results.
Emails from Margaret threatening her mom.
Proof of every crime Margaret and Cole and Sarah had ever committed.
And at the very bottom, a single folder labeled:
PHOENIX.
The cancer cure.
Elara opened it.
The data was real.
Solid.
It worked in mice.
It worked in primates.
It was ready for human trials.
Julian leaned over her shoulder.
His eyes were wide.
“This changes everything,” he said. “We could end cancer. Forever.”
“Or people could kill us for it,” Elara said.
Her phone rang.
It was Lila.
She sounded panicked.
“Elara! Turn on the news! Now!”
Elara grabbed the remote.
Turned on the TV.
A breaking news banner flashed across the screen.
BENNETT PHARMA HIDES MIRACLE CANCER CURE FOR PROFIT, SOURCE SAYS.
The reporter was standing outside the Bennett tower.
“Sources close to the company tell us that Elara Voss, CEO of Bennett Pharma, has been sitting on a cure for all cancer for over six months, refusing to release it to the public so she can jack up the price and make billions. The source, who asked to remain anonymous, provided documents proving the cure exists and works. Public outcry is already building. Protesters are gathering outside the tower as we speak—”
Elara stared at the screen.
The documents they were showing were real.
From the USB drive.
Which had been in her hands for less than ten minutes.
Dr. Carter went pale.
“I didn’t tell anyone,” he said. “I swear. I haven’t told a soul.”
Elara looked at him.
Then at the computer.
Then at Julian.
“Someone’s been watching us,” she said. “Someone who knew Dr. Carter was coming. Someone who had access to this office while we were reading the letter.”
She walked to the window.
Looked down.
Hundreds of protesters were already gathering.
Holding signs.
Shouting.
“Murderer!”
“Greedy bitch!”
“Give us the cure!”
Elara’s phone rang again.
Unknown number.
She answered.
Sarah’s voice came through.
Laughing.
“Hello, niece,” she said. “Nice little cure your mom left you. Shame everyone thinks you’re hiding it for money. By tomorrow, every hospital in the country will refuse to do business with you. Every politician will be calling for your head. You’ll lose everything. Just like Clara did.”
“What do you want, Sarah?” Elara said.
“Simple,” Sarah said. “You sign the Phoenix patent over to me. You step down as CEO. You and Julian and Lila leave the country. And I’ll tell everyone it was all a big misunderstanding. I’ll release the cure for free. Everyone will love me. And you get to live. Win-win.”
“Or?” Elara said.
“Or I release the rest of the files,” Sarah said. “The ones that say Clara tested the Phoenix protein on homeless people without their consent. Three died. The files are fake, of course. But by the time anyone proves that? Your company will be bankrupt. Your reputation will be destroyed. And you’ll be in prison for the rest of your life. You have twenty-four hours, Elara. Sign the patent over. Or lose everything.”
She hung up.
Julian looked at Elara.
“What do we do?” he said.
Elara looked at the letter from her mom.
At the words Fight. For me. For each other.
She looked at the protesters outside.
At the cure on her computer screen.
She thought of all the kids who’d die if Sarah won.
All the families who’d lose someone they loved.
She turned to Julian.
May you like
A cold smile spread across her face.
“We fight,” she said. “Just like Mom said.”
