Page 25 of The Heiress

I must have gotten a little hysterical because Jace wrapped his arms around me and whispered in my ear, “Hey, calm down. Take a breath. I’m here and everything is going to be okay.”

Even Dombrowski looked upset, all frowning and sad-eyed. “I’m very sorry for your loss, Miss Rossi. I truly am. And I’m sorry you’ve had such a shock. Please take a moment.”

A moment. His all-business attitude pissed me off. “Yeah, I took a moment to do a search. But you know what? I realized I didn’t care. I’m an adult with a life. I don’t need answers to questions I never even knew to ask.”

Dombrowski stared me down. “Be that as it may, we’re here now and the Roark family has had twenty-seven years of unanswered questions we may be able to finally put an end to. Believe me, we have no interest in disrupting your life if that is what you wish, but if you can finally give Georgia Roark some peace, I think that’s a small price to pay.”

I felt a little small after that. It was my life we were talking about, but it was also another woman’s, too. A mother who had lost a child. Maybe I wasn’t Victoria, and all of this could be laid to rest. But if I was…well, I didn’toweher anything, but I could certainly give her the answer she needed.

I sat across from Dombrowski. “So my search triggered some bot on your end?”

Jace slowly sat beside me, but kind of turned to the side so he could, I don’t know, attack if necessary? It was definitely some sort of alpha male dominance posturing.

“Correct. Normally these things amount to nothing more than curious conspiracy theorists. We do some light background research and dismiss the connection. But this time...well your resemblance to Georgia Roark alone was worth the deeper background check.”

Dombrowski slid a photograph across the table. On it was a picture of me on the right and a much younger Georgia on the left. She was probably my age.

“Fuck,” Jace swore. “You could be sisters. Or twins.”

I didn’t say anything because I was too busy staring.

“This will probably feel horribly invasive, but over the last few weeks I’ve come to learn everything about you, Miss Rossi. Where you went to school, who your friends are,” he glanced at Jace, “where you work now, even what you like to eat. I had to be absolutely sure before I approached you.”

I pushed the photograph away. “And you’re sure?”

“As sure as I can be without your DNA. You are the right age, you have the right adoption history, and you have an uncanny resemblance. If you’re willing, I’d like to have genetic testing done to determine whether you are related to Georgia Roark.”

A final answer would be nice. If I wasn’t, then I could close this door and go on with my life as Samantha Rossi. Adopted, loved, and orphaned, but happy.

“If I am Victoria...what would that mean, exactly?”

“Whatever you want it to mean. Georgia will want to meet you—to confirm with her own eyes that you are happy, healthy, andalive—but what comes after that is up to you. You may remain anonymous and go on with your life, or...you may come home.”

“Just like that?” Jace asked. He must know about Baby Victoria and the Roark family, not that many people didn’t.

Dombrowski looked between us. “My opinion? I believe you should spend some time with Georgia. Get to know her. Get to know your legacy. It’s hard to know what you’ve lost and what you might be giving up if you don’t experience it for yourself.”

“You sound positive that I am Victoria.” Jace took my hand again and held it firm in his warm palm.

Dombrowski’s face softened. “It’s hard to doubt what I can see with my own eyes. I’ve worked for the Roark family since before you were born. I was there the day you went missing and I’ve been there every day since. I know Georgia Roark very well, and as I sit here, I feel very much like I’ve walked backward through time.”

Well if that wasn’t the next best thing to a DNA test, I didn’t know what was.

“Georgia spends her winters in Key West where your family owns several properties. It’s just a quick flight from here. As soon as we have definitive proof of your identity you could be there and stay for as long as you like.”

A tug-of-war started up in my chest. The blank nothing I felt towards this woman was still there, but a calling arose beside it. Some sort of instinctive homing device that told me this was where I needed to go next.

I found myself nodding without saying anything, so I shook myself. “Okay. Yes. That is logical. And even though this all feels weird to me, I can only imagine how Georgia will feel. If I could have one more day with my parents I would take it, so I can understand loss, even if all of this makes no sense.” I’m not even sure my sentence made sense. If I was Victoria, I couldn’t bury my head in the sand and ignore that there was a woman out there who was denied her child. I would go and I would get to know this woman.

Only then would I be able to make a decision on anything else.

Jace leaned close and whispered, “Can we talk for a moment. Alone?”

The urgency in his eyes floored me. So I nodded. “Will you please excuse us? We’ll be right back.”

“Of course.” Dombrowski typed away on his laptop as we left the room.

Jace pulled me into my parents’ bedroom. For the first time since the doorbell rang, I felt like I could breathe.

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