Chapter 3 — The Child Hidden in the Glass Tower
Silence.
Absolute silence.
The surgeon’s words hung in the air like a death sentence.
They already took the other baby.
Daniel Parker stopped breathing.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
His chest locked.
His vision narrowed.
His biological child—
Alive.
Not lost.
Not dead.
Stolen.
Somewhere in this city.
Or worse—
Already beyond his reach.
Across the corridor, Adrian Blackwood adjusted his cufflinks with terrifying calm.
That tiny movement broke Daniel’s paralysis.
His eyes snapped toward Adrian.
Predatory.
Murderous.
Adrian noticed.
And smiled.
That smile confirmed everything.
Daniel moved.
Fast.
Too fast for security to react.
His fist crashed into Adrian’s jaw with a crack that echoed through the corridor.
Gasps erupted.
Adrian stumbled backward, cane clattering across the floor.
Blood appeared at the corner of his mouth.
Daniel grabbed his collar.
His voice became something inhuman.
“Where is my child?”
Adrian laughed.
Actually laughed.
Even bleeding.
“You think violence will help?”
Daniel slammed him into the wall.
Doctors screamed.
Security rushed in.
Daniel didn’t care.
“WHERE!”
Adrian coughed.
Still smiling.
“Interesting.”
Daniel’s grip tightened.
“What?”
Adrian whispered—
“You finally look like your father.”
That sentence hit strangely.
Wrong timing.
Wrong choice.
Daniel froze.
His father.
Dead twelve years.
Why mention—
Adrian saw it.
The hesitation.
He used it.
A hidden blade flashed from his sleeve.
Daniel jerked back just in time.
The blade sliced his forearm.
Blood.
Security finally pulled them apart.
Adrian straightened.
Composed again.
As if he hadn’t just been attacked.
He wiped blood from his mouth.
Then said quietly—
“You’re asking the wrong question.”
Daniel glared.
“What?”
Adrian tilted his head.
“The real question isn’t where your child is.”
A pause.
“It’s who ordered the transfer.”
Silence.
Daniel slowly turned.
Toward Victoria Parker.
No.
No—
Victoria’s face had gone pale.
Not guilt.
Fear.
Real fear.
She whispered—
“No…”
Adrian smiled.
Cold.
Cruel.
“Tell him.”
Victoria shook.
“No.”
Adrian’s voice sharpened.
“Tell him.”
Daniel stared.
His pulse thundered.
“What is he talking about?”
Victoria’s breathing became shallow.
For the first time in decades—
The Parker matriarch looked small.
Weak.
Human.
Then she whispered the impossible.
“It wasn’t my idea.”
The world stopped.
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
Victoria looked at him.
Tears finally forming.
“It was your father’s.”
Silence.
No.
No—
Impossible.
His father was dead.
Dead.
Daniel stepped backward.
“You’re lying.”
Victoria cried.
“I wish I were.”
Adrian folded his arms.
Enjoying every second.
Victoria continued.
“Twelve years ago…”
Her voice shook.
“…your father signed a private genetic contract.”
Daniel’s blood ran cold.
Contract?
What contract?
Victoria swallowed.
“The Parker bloodline carries a rare regenerative gene.”
Silence.
Adrian nodded approvingly.
“Yes.”
Daniel stared.
No.
This sounded insane.
Victoria continued.
“Your grandfather carried it.”
A pause.
“Your father inherited it.”
Another.
“You inherited it.”
Daniel whispered—
“What does that mean?”
Adrian answered.
“It means your stem cells regenerate at abnormal efficiency.”
Silence.
Daniel frowned.
No.
Adrian stepped closer.
“That gene can treat aggressive neural degeneration.”
His eyes darkened.
“My daughter needs it.”
Daniel finally understood.
No.
No—
His child wasn’t stolen for inheritance.
Not entirely.
His child had become biological property.
Medical property.
Adrian smiled.
“Your twins carry pure gene expression.”
Daniel’s voice dropped.
“You experimented on my family.”
Adrian corrected him.
“I invested.”
Daniel nearly lunged again.
Security tightened.
Victoria cried—
“I tried to stop him!”
Adrian laughed.
“Now that is a lie.”
Victoria trembled.
Daniel looked at her.
“Tell me everything.”
Silence.
She broke.
Completely.
Years of control collapsed.
“He approached your father first.”
Daniel listened.
Frozen.
“Your father agreed to future genetic rights.”
No.
“Insurance for the family empire.”
No.
“He believed bloodline assets should remain monetizable.”
Daniel’s stomach turned.
Monetizable.
His father sold future descendants?
Monstrous.
Victoria sobbed.
“I hated it.”
Adrian smiled.
“But you signed the amendment.”
Victoria went still.
Daniel’s voice hardened.
“What amendment?”
Adrian answered.
“The one after your father died.”
Silence.
Victoria whispered—
“I had debts.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
Debts?
Victoria cried.
“The company was collapsing.”
No.
She continued.
“Adrian saved Parker Holdings.”
Daniel felt sick.
No.
No.
Victoria looked at him.
“I thought it was paperwork.”
Adrian laughed.
“No.”
A pause.
“You knew.”
Silence.
Victoria broke into sobs.
“I didn’t know they would take a child!”
Adrian smiled.
“Technically we only took one embryo.”
Daniel’s rage returned.
Not enough.
He needed answers.
Now.
“Where is my baby?”
Adrian stared.
Long.
Measuring.
Then—
“I’ll show you.”
Silence.
Daniel frowned.
“What?”
Adrian picked up his cane.
“There’s no point hiding now.”
Victoria stared.
“What are you doing?”
Adrian glanced at her.
“Winning.”
Then he turned to Daniel.
“Come with me.”
Daniel narrowed his eyes.
“Why would I trust you?”
Adrian answered simply.
“Because your child is dying too.”
Everything stopped.
No.
Daniel whispered—
“What?”
Adrian’s expression lost its smugness.
For the first time—
Something real surfaced.
Pain.
“My daughter’s degeneration accelerated.”
A pause.
“Your son is the only compatible donor.”
Daniel froze.
Son.
His biological child.
A son.
Emily never knew.
Tears burned his eyes.
A son.
Alive.
Then Adrian continued.
“But extraction failed.”
Daniel’s pulse spiked.
Extraction?
“What extraction?”
Adrian answered coldly.
“The procedure.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
No.
No—
“What procedure?”
Adrian looked directly into his eyes.
“The bone marrow harvest.”
Silence.
No.
A child.
A baby.
No.
Adrian’s next words shattered him.
“He coded during surgery.”
Daniel saw red.
CODED.
His son nearly died.
His child was being cut open somewhere.
Daniel’s voice became lethal.
“Take me.”
Adrian nodded.
“Good.”
Forty minutes later—
A black convoy crossed Manhattan.
Rain hammered glass.
Nobody spoke.
Daniel sat across from Adrian.
Every second felt like war.
They stopped before a skyscraper.
Glass.
Steel.
Cold perfection.
Adrian Biotech Tower.
Blackwood Biotech.
Daniel stepped out.
His hands shook.
Inside this building—
His son waited.
Alive?
Please.
Alive.
They entered private elevators.
Level 42.
Restricted access.
Biometric locks.
Armed guards.
Finally—
A steel door opened.
Daniel walked in.
And stopped.
The room looked like heaven.
White.
Warm lights.
Soft music.
Toys.
Stuffed animals.
Children’s books.
But at the center—
A transparent medical crib.
Tiny.
Fragile.
Connected to machines.
A baby boy.
Sleeping.
Daniel stopped breathing.
No.
His knees weakened.
So small.
Dark hair.
Tiny fingers.
Chest rising slowly.
Alive.
His son.
His biological son.
Tears blurred Daniel’s vision.
He approached the crib.
One shaking hand touched the glass.
The baby moved.
Tiny fingers stretched.
Then—
Curled around Daniel’s finger through the opening.
Everything inside Daniel shattered.
He broke.
Years of control.
Power.
Discipline.
Gone.
Only father remained.
He sobbed.
Actually sobbed.
“My son…”
Adrian stood behind him.
Silent.
Daniel whispered—
“What did you do to him?”
Adrian answered.
“Nothing irreversible.”
Daniel spun.
“Nothing irreversible?”
His voice thundered.
“He’s attached to machines!”
Adrian’s face hardened.
“He’s alive.”
Silence.
Daniel looked back.
The baby stirred.
Then opened his eyes.
Blue-gray.
Exactly like Daniel’s.
Recognition hit like lightning.
His son looked at him.
And smiled.
A tiny newborn smile.
Daniel collapsed to his knees.
Finished.
Emotionally ruined.
He cried openly.
“I’m here.”
His voice shook.
“Daddy’s here.”
The baby cooed.
Adrian quietly said—
“I never wanted to hurt him.”
Daniel turned.
Disbelief.
“What?”
Adrian stared at his own reflection in the glass.
“My daughter is nine.”
A pause.
“She has months left.”
Daniel said nothing.
Adrian continued.
“I built empires.”
Another pause.
“Bought governments.”
Another.
“Cured diseases.”
His voice cracked.
“And none of it could save her.”
Silence.
Daniel saw it now.
Not just villain.
Father.
Desperate father.
Broken father.
Adrian whispered—
“You understand now.”
Daniel looked at his son.
Then at Adrian.
No.
He understood.
But not enough to forgive.
He said quietly—
“You still stole my child.”
Adrian nodded.
“Yes.”
A pause.
“I did.”
Then—
Alarms screamed.
Red lights flashed.
Security shouted outside.
Adrian frowned.
“What—”
Gunfire exploded.
Daniel froze.
No.
The steel door burst open.
Masked men stormed in.
Armed.
Professional.
One voice shouted—
“Secure the asset!”
Asset.
The baby.
No.
Daniel moved instantly.
He grabbed the crib.
Shielding his son.
Adrian’s eyes widened.
Recognition.
No.
He whispered one name.
“Victoria.”
Daniel turned.
What?
Adrian shouted—
“YOUR MOTHER SOLD US OUT!”
Bullets shattered glass.
The crib alarm screamed.
Daniel covered the baby.
One thought only.
Protect.
No matter what.
Then a sniper laser landed on his son’s chest.
Daniel’s blood froze.
And a familiar female voice came through the speakers.
Cold.
Controlled.
Merciless.
Victoria Parker.
“I told you both.”
Silence.
“No heir means no inheritance war.”
Daniel stopped breathing.
No.
Victoria continued.
“If I cannot control the bloodline…”
A pause.
“…no one will.”
Cliffhanger
Victoria launches a final attack to erase both heirs, turning the biotech tower into a battlefield.
May you like
Reply “Chapter 4
” for the final chapter with the happy ending.
