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Is that really what I wanted for Aaron?
I waited for him. I looked for him. Did he do the same thing? I hate knowing that he’s still out there, lost to the world. I’m also wondering if this means that he had a good life. Maybe he grew up in a place that was better than this. Maybe he grew up knowing that there are people who love him.
Or maybe...
Maybe his life was worse.
“I don’t know,” I admit. Then I decide I need to be all-in with Beatrice. “There’s something else. Something I’m not telling you. It’s about Ryan.”
“Of course it is.” Beatrice rolls her eyes. “What did the asshole do now? Let me guess: he’s being weird about your brother because he wants you all to himself. Tell Ryan to fuck off. It’s important for you to spend time with your brother.”
“I haven’t actually reconnected with Aaron,” I admit. “I haven’t completely found him.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“Shadowvale Industries has an adoption agency.”
“Yeah, right.” Beatrice laughs. “I think I would have known about that.”
“They do,” I say. “And they’re the reason Aaron was adopted. My private investigator found the information. She found out more, though. She learned that Shadowvale Industries has been doing adoptions for a while now.”
“How have I never heard of this?”
“Maybe your uncle kept that private.”
“My mom should have known. She was his sister.”
“I guess everyone has their secrets,” I say gently. I totally agree with Beatrice. Her mom should have known if Mr. Shadowvale was doing something sketchy, but her mom and Ryan’s dad might not have been that close. Everyone has secrets, apparently. Even rich people. Especially rich people.
“She should have known about this,” Beatrice sighs. She looks up. “Edgar Shadowvale was a piece of shit. My mom is wealthy, but nothing compared to him. He’s always had money. It wasn’t like he came from nothing. The rest of the Shadowvales, they had to forge their own way.”
“But they’re all rich.”
“They are,” she agrees. “And each of them has a story for that. For example, my dad was rich. When my mom married him, she came into the relationship with absolutely nothing. Edgar made sure of it. When his parents died, they left everything to Edgar and nothing to my mom.”
“That’s terrible,” I say. “Not leaving anything at all to their daughter?”
“I agree,” she nods. “They’re cruel.”
“Sounds like the apple didn’t fall far from the tree,” I say. I think about Ryan, about Phoenix, and about Oscar. Could the three of them know about this adoption scheme? Could they know anything about what happened to my brother? And what role would they have played?
“I know that face,” Beatrice says. “What are you thinking about?”
“Do you think Ryan knows about Aaron?”
“No.” Beatrice’s voice is firm.
“How can you be sure?”
“Because I know my cousin,” she says. “He might be a bit of a dick, but he’s not the kind of person who’s going to destroy his own family.”
“How can you be sure?”
“He wouldn’t do anything that would hurt anyone. Ryan likes money. He likes business. He doesn’t like the buying or selling of children. I don’t really feel like that’s a surprising thing for me to say, either. The truth is that he’ll do whatever it takes to look over other people.”
“He might have inherited this. He might not have realized what it was at first.”
“Then you need to talk to him, Alex. Really talk to him.”
