Chapter 11 - The Brother
The birth certificate belonged to a boy named Julian Carter.
Born four years before Jessi.
Mother:
Evelyn's sister.
Father:
Jessi's father.
The truth was devastating.
Jessi's father had another child.
But Julian had disappeared from the family records as a teenager.
Claire had never known him.
Neither had Jessi.
They searched for him.
Julian was alive.
He was living under his mother's surname.
And when Jessi finally met him, he didn't want anything from her.
He wanted answers.
“You're my sister.”
Jessi nodded.
“I didn't know.”
“Neither did I.”
Julian explained that their father had tried to protect him from Marcus.
But Marcus had discovered Julian's existence.
He used him as leverage.
Their father chose silence.
Julian had spent years believing his father abandoned him.
Jessi finally understood why the hidden account had been signed J. Carter.
Julian had accessed it after their father's death.
But he hadn't stolen the money.
He had protected it.
He had moved it into another account.
The money was still there.
Millions of dollars.
Untouched.
Julian gave Jessi the access information.
“Why didn't you come forward?”
“Because I thought your family wanted me gone.”
Jessi looked at him.
“I spent my whole life thinking I had no family.”
Julian smiled sadly.
“Neither of us did.”
For the first time since the wedding, Jessi felt something other than anger.
She had found someone.
Not another enemy.
A brother.
But their reunion was interrupted.
Daniel called.
“Jessi, Marcus escaped custody.”
Her heart dropped.
“How?”
“We don't know.”
Then Daniel added:
“He left a message.”
“What message?”
May you like
“He said he knows where Julian lives.”
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