He Opened the Nursery Door and Found His Mother Attacking His Wife—Then Her Shocking Accusation Revealed a Secret That Could Destroy Their Entire Family. / Chapter 73 / 80

Chapter 73 - The Mother’s Legacy

The calibration bay was a circular theater of brushed steel and suspended medical monitors, dominated by a pair of inclined surgical beds flanked by robotic surgical arms. The air in the room was freezing, calibrated to preserve biological samples.

Two female technicians in white scrubs stepped forward to take Maya, but David stepped into their path, slamming his shoulder into the nearest tech, sending her crashing into a tray of stainless steel instruments with a loud, ringing clatter.

Before David could pivot, the stock of an operative’s carbine struck him viciously across the back of his knee. David collapsed to one knee, a grunt of agony tearing from his throat, only to feel the cold, heavy barrel of a sidearm pressed directly against the base of his skull.

"Don't," Julian commanded the guard quietly. "Contaminating the primary male tissue with trauma will spike his cortisol levels. We need his marrow clean."

Julian walked over to a glass console in the center of the room and keyed in an eight-digit sequence.

A central holographic projector flickered to life. The static cleared to reveal the face of an elderly woman sitting in a high-backed leather chair, her hands folded primly in her lap. Her silver hair was pinned back in the same severe bun she had worn when David was a boy. Her eyes were sharp, terrifyingly lucid.

It was David’s mother. The recording was timestamped three days before her transfer from the psychiatric facility.

*"If you are watching this, Julian,"* the projection spoke, her voice echoing through the steel chamber with maternal authority, *"then David has completed the transit. He survived the crucible. He protected the bloodline as his instincts demanded he would."*

David stared at the glowing image of his mother, his jaw trembling. "She planned this... from the very beginning."

*"David, my dear boy,"* the projection continued, as if anticipating his exact words, *"you always thought you were running from me. You ran across state lines. You built your little fortresses. You hid behind deadbolts and security cameras. But a mother knows her child's every step. I didn't break into your nursery twenty-five years ago to harm your child. I was marking her for harvest. The Cardinal Syndicate cannot endure without renewal. And renewal requires sacrifice."*

The holographic recording froze, leaving her cold, triumphant face suspended in mid-air.

Julian walked over to Leah, ignoring David’s muffled roar as two guards pinned him to the floor. Julian reached out with one pale finger and brushed the hood of the baby’s blanket.

"A simple spinal tap for the infant," Julian said softly. "And an uninterrupted bone marrow extraction from the little girl. They won't die immediately. They will linger for a few hours. Long enough to synthesize the serum that will rewrite my DNA—and yours, David. We will live forever, as the architects intended."