CHAPTER THIRTY SIX

The Call

Jessica's phone rings at 2 AM. She's still awake, staring at Penelope's social media photos, studying every pixel.

"Jessica? It's Kyle. I need you to come to an address I'm about to send you. And I need you to come alone."

"Why? What's going on?"

Kyle's voice shakes. "Because Kira Khan is alive. And he's been alive this whole time."

Jessica's blood turns to ice. "Send me the address. I'm on my way."

She grabs her coat and keys. Cross appears in the doorway, half-asleep.

"Mom? Where are you going?"

Jessica stops. Looks at him. And for the first time in months, she tells him the truth.

"Penelope isn't your twin," she says. "She's Layla's twin. She's my biological daughter."

Cross stares at her. "What?"

"Someone stole my embryo years ago. Implanted it in another woman. That woman gave birth to Penelope." Jessica's voice cracks. "And I think Sebastian knew all along."

"That's why he kept her so close," Cross whispers.

Jessica nods. "I have to go. Kira's alive. Kyle's been hiding him."

"I'm coming with you—"

"No." Jessica's voice is firm. "Stay here. Look at Penelope's photos. Really look at them. Something's wrong. The shadows don't match. The lighting's off. I think they're Photoshopped."

Cross pulls out his phone, scrolling through Penelope's Instagram. "Why would someone fake photos of her in Italy?"

"Because she never made it to Italy," Jessica says. "Find her, Cross. Please."

She's out the door before he can respond.

The Abandoned Building

Jessica pulls up to the address Kyle sent. It's an old warehouse on the edge of the industrial district. Broken windows. Graffiti-covered walls. The kind of place where bodies get dumped.

She walks inside, her footsteps echoing.

"Kyle?" she calls out.

"Up here!"

She climbs the stairs to the second floor. Kyle stands outside a door, looking exhausted and terrified.

"He's inside," Kyle says. "He's weak. He's been in a coma for seven months. But he woke up asking for you."

Jessica pushes past him and enters the room.

Kira lies in a hospital bed, bandages covering most of his body. IV lines. Monitors. Medical equipment everywhere.

His eyes open when she enters.

"Jessica," he rasps.

She rushes to his side, tears streaming down her face. "Kira. Oh my God. You're alive."

"Barely." He tries to smile but winces in pain. "Sebastian... the bomb..."

"I know. I know everything." Jessica takes his hand. "Kyle's been taking care of you. You're safe now."

"No." Kira's grip tightens. "Not safe. Zoey... she's been..."

His eyes roll back. He passes out again.

Jessica looks at Kyle. "How long has he been like this?"

"He wakes up for a few minutes at a time. Then he's out again." Kyle runs a hand through his hair. "I've been getting calls. Distorted voice. Telling me to keep him alive. Keep him hidden. I didn't know who it was until tonight."

"Who?"

"Zoey Skye."

Jessica's blood runs cold.

And then she hears it.

Slow clapping from the doorway.

She turns.

Zoey stands there, dressed in black, her expression unreadable.

"Bravo, Jessica," Zoey says. "You finally figured it out."

The Confrontation

Jessica steps between Zoey and Kira's bed. "You've been behind this the whole time."

"Not the whole time." Zoey walks into the room, circling like a predator. "Just the parts that mattered."

"You killed Riley."

"I did." No hesitation. No remorse. "She was going to expose everything. The money Kira stole. The foundation's secrets. She had to go."

"And you kept Kira alive because...?"

Zoey smiles. "Because dead men can't transfer money. Kira has access to accounts I need. Passwords. Codes. Once he wakes up fully, he'll give them to me. And then..." She shrugs. "Then he can die for real."

Jessica's hands clench into fists. "You're insane."

"I'm practical." Zoey stops circling, facing Jessica directly. "You think you're the hero of this story? You're not. You're just another player in my game."

"Your game?" Jessica laughs bitterly. "You've lost everything. Your reputation. Your foundation. Sebastian's empire is collapsing. What game do you think you're winning?"

"The long game." Zoey's eyes glitter. "See, while you were busy destroying Sebastian, I was busy moving assets. Offshore accounts. Shell companies. Real estate in countries with no extradition treaties. By the time the authorities figure out what I've done, I'll be gone."

"And Kira?"

"Kira was always meant to die." Zoey glances at the bed. "He just died too early the first time. I needed him alive long enough to access his accounts. Now that he's awake..." She pulls a syringe from her pocket. "Now I can finish what I started."

Jessica moves to block her. "You'll have to go through me."

"Gladly."

Zoey lunges forward. Jessica catches her wrist, and they struggle for the syringe.

Kyle backs away, terrified. "Stop! Both of you, stop!"

But neither woman is listening.

They crash into the medical equipment. Monitors fall. IV stands topple. The syringe goes flying across the room.

Jessica gets Zoey in a headlock. "Why Riley? Why did it have to be Riley?"

Zoey gasps for air. "Because... she loved Kira... more than she loved the money... She would have... given it all back..."

"So you killed her for greed?"

"I killed her for survival!" Zoey breaks free, spinning to face Jessica. "You think the Skye Foundation runs on charity? It runs on blood money! Kira's money! Money he stole from his family! Money that should have been mine!"

"Yours?"

"I built that foundation!" Zoey screams. "Me! Not Kira! Not Riley! Me! And they were going to take it all away! Give it back to Kira's family! Leave me with nothing!"

Jessica stares at her. "So this was never about love. Never about the foundation's mission. It was always about money."

"Money is power." Zoey's voice drops to a whisper. "And I will not be powerless again."

She reaches for the syringe on the floor.

Jessica kicks it away.

And then the door bursts open.

The Arrival

Cross rushes in, followed by Mariah, Amber, and Raphael.

"Mom!" Cross shouts. "We got your location from Kyle's phone—"

He stops when he sees Zoey.

"Well," Zoey says, straightening her clothes. "Quite the party."

Mariah steps forward, her face twisted with rage. "You killed my mother."

"I did." Zoey doesn't even try to deny it. "And I'd do it again."

Mariah lunges. Amber catches her, holding her back.

"Let me go!" Mariah screams. "Let me kill her!"

"Not like this," Amber says firmly. "Not like this."

Raphael pulls out his phone. "I'm calling the police."

"Go ahead." Zoey smiles. "By the time they get here, I'll be gone. I have a helicopter waiting on the roof. A private jet fueled and ready. You think you've won? You haven't even begun to understand what I've done."

Jessica steps toward her. "You're not leaving."

"Watch me."

Zoey pulls a gun from her jacket.

Everyone freezes.

"Now," Zoey says calmly, "everyone is going to step aside. I'm going to walk out of here. And if anyone tries to stop me, I'll put a bullet in Kira's head. Understood?"

No one moves.

Zoey cocks the gun. "I said, understood?"

Jessica raises her hands slowly. "Okay. Okay. Just... don't hurt him."

"Smart woman." Zoey backs toward the door, gun trained on Kira. "Kyle, you're coming with me. You're going to help me access Kira's accounts."

Kyle's face goes pale. "I don't know how—"

"You'll figure it out. Move."

Kyle looks at Jessica, terrified.

Jessica nods slightly. Go. It's okay.

Kyle walks toward Zoey.

And then Kira's hand shoots out, grabbing Zoey's ankle.

She stumbles. The gun goes off, the bullet hitting the ceiling.

Cross tackles her. The gun skitters across the floor.

Mariah grabs it.

And suddenly Mariah is pointing the gun at Zoey, her hands shaking, tears streaming down her face.

"Give me one reason," Mariah whispers. "One reason I shouldn't kill you right now."

Zoey stares at her. "Because you're not a killer. You're just a sad little girl who misses her mommy."

Mariah's finger tightens on the trigger.

"Mariah." Jessica's voice is gentle. "Don't. She's not worth it."

"She killed my mother!"

"I know. And she'll pay for it. But not like this. Not by your hand."

Mariah's hands shake harder. The gun wavers.

And then she lowers it, sobbing.

Raphael takes the gun from her, holding her as she collapses.

Cross keeps Zoey pinned to the floor. "Police are on their way."

Zoey laughs. "You think this is over? You think you've won? I have lawyers. Money. Connections. I'll be out in a year."

Jessica crouches down, looking Zoey in the eye. "No. You won't. Because I have something you don't."

"What's that?"

"The truth." Jessica pulls out her phone, showing a recording. "Every word you just said. Every confession. Every threat. All recorded. All admissible in court."

Zoey's face goes white.

"Game over," Jessica says.

Italy - The Orphanage

Penelope wakes up on a cold floor, her body aching. She's in a different room now. Smaller. Darker.

A girl with a scarred face stands over her. "You tried to run. That was stupid."

"Where am I?" Penelope's voice is hoarse.

"Saint Catherine's Orphanage. You're not in Italy, princess. You're in Romania."

Penelope's blood runs cold. "Romania?"

"Someone paid a lot of money to make you disappear. And here, no one asks questions."

Penelope tries to sit up, but her ribs scream in protest. "I need to call someone. My family—"

"You don't have a family anymore." The scarred girl crouches down. "You belong to us now."

But Penelope isn't listening. She's looking at the window. It's barred, but the bars are old. Rusted.

Maybe, just maybe, she can break through.

The Rescue

Cross stands outside Saint Catherine's Orphanage, his heart pounding. It took him three days to track Penelope here. Three days of following digital breadcrumbs, bribing officials, calling in every favor he had.

But he found her.

He walks inside. The woman at the desk looks up, suspicious.

"I'm here for Penelope Gaston," Cross says.

"We have no one by that name."

Cross slides an envelope across the desk. "Check again."

The woman opens the envelope. Her eyes widen at the stack of cash inside.

"Room 14," she says. "Second floor."

Cross takes the stairs two at a time.

He finds Penelope in a small room, bruised and battered, but alive.

"Cross?" She can barely believe it. "How did you—"

"Doesn't matter. We're leaving. Now."

He helps her to her feet. They make it to the hallway before the scarred girl appears, blocking their path.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Cross steps in front of Penelope. "Out of my way."

"Make me."

Cross doesn't hesitate. He punches her square in the face.

She goes down hard.

Other girls appear, but Cross is already moving, dragging Penelope toward the exit.

They burst out into the sunlight.

A car is waiting. Jessica sits in the driver's seat.

"Get in!" she shouts.

They pile into the car. Jessica guns the engine, and they speed away from the orphanage.

Penelope stares at Jessica. "You came for me."

"Of course I did." Jessica's voice breaks. "You're my daughter."

Penelope's eyes fill with tears. "I know. I heard the recording. From Riley's watch."

Jessica pulls the car over. She turns to face Penelope.

"I'm sorry," Jessica whispers. "I'm so sorry I didn't know. I'm sorry I couldn't protect you."

"You're here now," Penelope says. "That's what matters."

They embrace, both of them crying.

Cross watches from the backseat, his own eyes wet.

And for the first time in months, something feels right.

The Hospital

Jessica and Penelope arrive at the hospital where Kira is being treated. He's awake now, sitting up in bed, looking stronger.

When he sees Jessica, he smiles.

"You came back."

"I promised I would." Jessica sits beside him, taking his hand.

Penelope stands in the doorway, watching.

Kira looks at her. "You must be Penelope."

She nods. "And you're Kira. The man my mother loves."

Kira glances at Jessica. "Is that true?"

Jessica's cheeks flush. "We can talk about that later."

"I'd like to talk about it now." Kira's grip tightens on her hand. "Jessica Gaston, I've been in love with you since the moment we met. I almost died without telling you. I'm not making that mistake again."

Jessica's breath catches. "Kira—"

"Marry me."

The room goes silent.

Penelope's eyes widen.

Jessica stares at him. "You're serious."

"Completely." Kira pulls her closer. "Marry me. Let's stop wasting time. Let's stop letting other people control our lives. Let's just... be together."

Jessica looks at Penelope. "What do you think?"

Penelope smiles through her tears. "I think you should say yes."

Jessica turns back to Kira. "Yes. Yes, I'll marry you."

They kiss.

And Penelope watches, feeling something she hasn't felt in years.

Hope.

It’s been a long time since Jessica heard from Penelope and she’s getting worried. Turning to Cross, she finally reveals the truth that it’s Layla and Penelope who are siblings. It also seems that someone’s been feeding Penelope’s social media with fake images of her having fun in Italy. It isn’t until Jessica notices a missing shadow in one of the photos that she realizes that the photos are Photoshopped.

Meanwhile, Penelope is attacked by a group of girls. We come to find out that Penelope has been sent to an orphanage with no way out as the door is locked. She’s locked in with these violent teenagers.

Penelope tries to escape at lunch, injuring herself and when taken to the infirmary, she makes a break for it only to run right into Sebastian, who’s standing outside.

Kira wakes up and asks for Jessica. Kyle tells him he’s been in a coma for seven months and that it was Sebastian who was responsible for the bombing. Unfortunately, Kira is in no shape to do anything, as he passes back out.

Juliana finds out that her dad is still working with Sebastian and berates him. Raphael tries to buy her affection with expensive gives, but she shuns them not wanting gifts bought with blood money.

Desperate to find his sister, Cross agrees to come to work for Sebastian and learn the business. As Cross is his only true heir now, this pleases Sebastian. However, it’s all a ruse on the part of Cross. He’s only agreeing in order to find Penelope. Meanwhile, Jessica deploys a private investigator to find Penelope.

Jessica also learns that the pills that Sloane has been taking for memory loss have a nasty side effect of early onset dementia.

Zoey sets up an audition performance between Mariah and Sloane. However, during the performance, the key keeps going up as both Sloane and Mariah sing their hearts out. Sloane, however, feels that the fix is in against her. She confronts Mariah backstage and the other students finally confront Sloane about her advantages and shortcuts. They turn on her causing her to become more distraught than she already was, which leads to Mariah winning the competition.

Jessica reveals to Mariah about the pills side effects. Mariah texts Sloane to meet and explains it to her but Sloane will have none of it after the fiasco at the competition. She doesn’t believe a word Mariah says.

Meanwhile, back at the orphanage, Sebastian locks up Penelope in a cell of sorts. It looks like a simple jail cell. Cocky, Sebastian finally tells her that she’s not Cross’s sister, but Layla’s sister and that he’s not really her father. When he leaves, Penelope finds a window and escapes.

However, Jessica has already located the orphanage, arriving on scene with a group of thugs of her own. As Sebastian and Jessica’s thugs fight each other, this leaves Jessica and Sebastian to battle it out. Jessica subdues Sebastian by hitting him in the head with a rock. However, when she gets into the orphanage, Penelope is already gone.

Penelope has put on a disguise of one of the orphanage workers and making a run for it.

Zoey keeps Kira sedated, using him as collateral damage. She goes off to meet with Sebastian, telling him that if he gets rid of Jessica once and for all, she’ll deal with Kira. However, the look on Zoey’s face tells a different story. She makes it seem to Sebastian that Jessica is responsible for saving Kira.

Jessica finds Kira in the basement of Madison Tower, however just as she discovers him, Sebastian bursts in with Kira’s family. As chaos ensues, Kira goes into cardiac arrest, but they manage to save him. Kira’s family, angry at Jessica, take her away.

The following day, Jessica is taken to a house where she’s certain she’s going to die at the hands of Kira’s family. However, instead, Kira wheels himself into the room in a wheelchair.

The two embrace and kiss.