Chapter 3 - The Bloodline Ledger
Clara handed the crying baby to Ethan, her hands shaking so violently she could barely support the blanket.
The moment Ethan cradled the small bundle against his broad chest, the child's desperate cries began to quiet down.
Ethan looked into the baby's bright blue eyes, seeing the undeniable reflection of his own late father's gaze.
Overwhelming love and profound betrayal clashed inside his chest, threatening to tear his calm composure apart.
Victoria backed into the shadow of the grand staircase, her hands clutching her pearl necklace as if trying to hold herself together.
"Ethan, listening to me is the only way you save our family from absolute ruin," Victoria pleaded, her tone shifting to frantic desperation.
"You think this is about a simple jealousy or a broken marriage?"
"You stole my child!" Ethan spat back, taking a protective step away from her while holding the baby tight.
"You told me three months ago that our surrogate in California lost the baby during a high-risk delivery!"
"I grieved for my son, Victoria! I buried an empty urn in our family plot in Boston!"
A heavy silence fell over the mansion, broken only by the hum of the central heating system blowing through the brass vents.
"I had to fake that loss, Ethan," Victoria confessed softly, tears finally spilling down her powdered cheeks.
"Because if his real mother's bloodline was exposed, the Vance Corporation would have been seized by the federal government overnight."
Ethan froze, his eyes narrowing in utter confusion and sharp suspicion.
"What are you talking about?" Ethan demanded.
Victoria pulled a small silver key from her silk pocket, holding it out with a trembling hand.
"Your father didn't leave you that company out of love, Ethan," Victoria whispered, her voice dropping to a terrifying register.
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"He built it using stolen assets from the most dangerous cartel syndicate in North America."
"And that baby in your arms is not just your son... he is the sole living heir to their missing forty billion dollars."
