“We did not hide you because we were embarrassed by you. We kept you a secret because you were the sole surviving heir to your grandfather’s massive estate.”
“Your grandfather arranged for everything to be inherited by Jane’s offspring. His own brother despised that decision. Once Jane passed, he attempted to steal the business, the properties, and the controlling shares by claiming the baby had also perished.”
“I realized that if they found out you survived, they would sue for legal custody and take over everything tied to your identity. They basically owned the local judges and politicians. So, I erased the baby from the official system entirely.”
The woman on the recording inhaled deeply. Then she clarified, “The inheritance money was never distributed. It was locked down. Paul arranged it that way using an emergency clause your grandfather authorized long ago. If Jane’s baby ever returned with DNA evidence, the inheritance would be unlocked.”
Then Mary’s tone grew very serious.
“John knows just enough details to be a threat. Perhaps he did not know everything at first, but he knows plenty now. He desperately wanted the estate money released and the history forgotten. The ancestry results proved Rose was not your mom, Lily was a cousin, and you belonged to Jane’s family tree. That is the reason he lost his temper. He realized the massive inheritance issue was back.”
I sat in that dark room for a very long time, just glaring at the cassette player.
After that came the segment that made my stomach turn.
“I avoided the cops because I did not trust anyone in this city. Jane was convinced her greedy uncle had bribed the authorities when your grandfather fell ill. She begged me that if she passed away, I had to protect you from them at all costs.”
