Chapter 12 - THE MAN WHO STOLE A NAME
The discovery changed everything.
For twenty-three years, Adrien had trusted a man whose identity might have been built on a lie.
The physician known as Gabriel Delacroix had attended family celebrations, supervised medical care, and served as an adviser to the Valmont foundation.
He had been present at funerals.
He had signed documents.
He had helped raise Lila after Émilie's disappearance.
And now investigators were questioning whether he was even the person he claimed to be.
Daniel worked with authorities to verify the identity records.
The original Gabriel Delacroix had been a licensed physician who died in a boating accident more than two decades earlier.
His death had been recorded in another jurisdiction.
Years later, someone using the same name had established a private medical consulting practice.
The records contained inconsistencies that had gone unnoticed or unchallenged.
The man Adrien knew as Gabriel had legitimate medical training under another identity, but investigators found evidence that he had used falsified credentials and concealed his history.
His original name was Laurent Vasseur.
Adrien stared at the report.
"Vasseur?"
Daniel nodded.
"He appears to be related to Victor."
"How?"
"We're still verifying the family records."
Adrien felt his pulse quicken.
Victor had always claimed that his father died before he was born.
His mother had raised him alone.
The family rarely discussed that branch of the Vasseur family.
Now Adrien wondered whether the silence had been deliberate.
A genealogical investigation produced a startling result.
Laurent Vasseur was Victor's father.
Not his uncle.
Not a distant relative.
His father.
Adrien looked at Sophie.
"Victor has been working with his own father."
Sophie nodded slowly.
"And Laurent has been hiding inside your family for decades."
Adrien felt sick.
His father had trusted Laurent.
He had allowed him into their home.
He had accepted his medical advice.
And Laurent had apparently used that trust to gain access to the family's business and finances.
But one question remained.
Why?
The answer began to emerge from old corporate records.
Twenty-five years earlier, Laurent had worked with a small medical technology company that developed rehabilitation equipment.
The company collapsed after a failed product launch.
Laurent blamed Étienne Valmont, who had withdrawn investment funding after safety concerns emerged.
According to correspondence recovered by investigators, Laurent had spent years insisting that Étienne had destroyed his future.
He believed the Valmont fortune should have belonged partly to him.
And he had apparently raised Victor to believe the same thing.
Adrien read one of the letters.
They built their empire on the ruins of my work. One day, they will understand what it means to lose everything.
The words were dated more than twenty years earlier.
Adrien leaned back.
"This wasn't a recent scheme."
Daniel shook his head.
"No. The financial records suggest a long-term effort to gain influence over the family and its businesses."
Meanwhile, the investigation into Adrien's brace produced its first definitive findings.
An independent examiner confirmed that the locking component had been deliberately reset outside the manufacturer's prescribed adjustment range.
The device showed tool marks inconsistent with normal clinical adjustment.
But the examiner could not determine who had made the change.
Hospital access logs placed Victor and Laurent near Adrien's room during the relevant period.
A corridor camera also showed Laurent entering the equipment storage area without authorization.
The evidence was growing stronger.
Yet neither man had been arrested.
Investigators were still working to establish the full conspiracy and locate Étienne.
Then came an unexpected breakthrough.
A woman contacted Daniel through a protected channel.
She claimed to be Émilie Valmont.
Daniel arranged a secure video call.
Adrien sat beside Sophie as the screen connected.
For several seconds, only darkness appeared.
Then a woman's face emerged.
Adrien stopped breathing.
"Émilie?"
Her eyes filled with tears.
"Adrien."
He gripped the edge of the table.
"Is it really you?"
She nodded.
"I'm so sorry."
Adrien could barely speak.
"Where have you been?"
Émilie looked over her shoulder.
"I don't have much time."
"Why didn't you come home?"
Her face crumpled.
"Because every time I tried, Laurent threatened Lila."
Adrien closed his eyes.
"Where is my father?"
Émilie hesitated.
"He's alive."
"Where?"
"I don't know exactly. Laurent moved him after discovering that Madeleine had contacted you."
Adrien leaned forward.
"Then tell me where you are. I'll send someone."
Émilie shook her head.
"Not yet."
"Émilie, please."
She began crying.
"Adrien, there's something you need to know about the night of your accident."
He went still.
"What?"
"I was there."
"I saw the video."
She nodded.
"I tried to stop it."
Adrien felt his heart pounding.
"Then why didn't you warn me?"
"I did."
He frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"I called your office. I left messages. I even sent a warning to your private phone."
Adrien shook his head.
"I never received anything."
Émilie looked devastated.
"Then someone intercepted them."
She wiped her tears.
"Adrien, the person who arranged your crash was not Victor."
He leaned closer.
"Then who?"
Émilie opened her mouth.
But before she could answer, a man's voice sounded behind her.
"Step away from the camera."
Émilie froze.
Adrien shouted.
"Émilie!"
A hand appeared on her shoulder.
She turned.
Then she whispered one word.
"Laurent."
May you like
The screen went black.
END OF CHAPTER 12
