Chapter 60 – DNA Results
The body isn't Georgia.
Sharon sat in the sterile lab, fingers drumming against her knees.
Eleanor stood behind her, arms crossed, eyes never leaving Sharon's face.
The results were imminent.
Minutes stretched into hours.
Outside, the world moved on. Headlines had already run: "Hawthorne Heiress Presumed Dead". Social media exploded with speculation. Stock markets had stabilized after the initial shock, but the panic still lingered in whispers and calls Sharon didn't want to answer.
A lab technician emerged, holding a small folder.
"Ms. Hale?" he asked.
Sharon nodded.
"This is preliminary... but the DNA from the body recovered at the Hudson River... it does not match Georgia Hawthorne."
Her stomach twisted.
Eleanor's eyes widened.
Sharon felt the air leave her lungs.
"Not Georgia," she whispered.
"No," the technician said quietly. "Someone went to great lengths to make it look like her."
Sharon thought of the note. The hooded figure by the river. The island. The storm.
James had tried to erase her-again.
But this... this was bigger.
The technician glanced around nervously. "I recommend you be careful with who sees this. It's... explosive information."
Sharon's mind raced.
Explosive doesn't begin to cover it.
Back in the car, Sharon gripped the folder tightly.
"So... she's alive," Eleanor said, voice barely audible over the engine hum.
"Yes," Sharon said, staring out at the rain-slicked streets. "Which means everything we thought we knew... is part of the deception."
"And James?" Eleanor asked. "He can't be behind all of this, right? He's a pawn?"
Sharon shook her head slowly. "James is dangerous-but someone higher up is orchestrating this. Someone who anticipated every move we've made."
Eleanor swallowed hard. "You mean... Lazarus wasn't just about Hawthorne Holdings?"
Sharon exhaled sharply. "Exactly. It's a network. Bigger than we imagined. And Georgia... she's still active. She left a message for a reason."
The car stopped at a traffic light. Sharon stared at the DNA report again. The name on the body was a complete unknown. But the forensic anomalies-the staged injuries, the careful water exposure-it all screamed: professional.
"Whoever did this wants the world to believe she's gone," Sharon said. "And if they succeed... everything Georgia uncovered disappears."
A flash of headlights in the rearview mirror made her flinch.
Sharon's pulse spiked. "We're being followed."
Eleanor glanced back. "By how many?"
Sharon swallowed. "I don't know... but they know we have the results."
Later, Sharon returned to the safe house.
She spread the DNA report on the table and stared at it. A body-not Georgia. And yet the system had failed to identify it correctly.
Then her phone buzzed. Another encrypted message.
Check the island files. She left more than evidence. – G
Sharon's hands trembled.
"More?" Eleanor whispered.
"Yes. Georgia doesn't just leave clues. She leaves instructions."
Sharon opened the laptop. The decrypted drive from the island blinked at her. There were files she hadn't accessed before. Subfolders marked with dates, times, and locations.
Some were financial. Some... personal. Names she didn't recognize. Transactions that didn't make sense. And one file marked: Phase Three – Activation.
Her heart raced.
"What is Phase Three?" Eleanor asked.
Sharon didn't answer immediately. She stared at the screen, realizing the scale of the game they were in.
If Georgia was alive-and she was still moving-the body in the river wasn't just a diversion. It was a signal.
A warning.
And possibly... an invitation.
The phone buzzed again. This time a video.
She opened it.
A familiar hooded figure. Wet. Bruised. Standing on a cliff overlooking an ocean. Lightning fractured the sky behind her.
"Sharon," the figure said slowly, voice unmistakable. "If you want the truth, you need to find me before they find us both."
Sharon felt a chill.
Georgia was alive.
And she was still in danger.
Because the network that tried to erase her, tried to erase everyone who knew too much-and possibly James too-was still active.
And now, the hunt was escalating.
