Chapter 3: The Contract of Deception
The truth hung in the lavish bedroom like a heavy fog. Chloe’s face morphed from arrogant indifference to a twisted, ugly mask of pure rage. She realized her perfect, calculated plan had been entirely exposed.
"So what if it's true?!" Chloe screamed, her high-society elegance completely shattering. "You wanted an heir, Christian! Your grandfather’s will explicitly states that if you don't produce a biological son before your thirty-fifth birthday next month, seventy percent of the Montgomery corporate empire defaults to your cousin Richard! I did this to save our fortune! I bought that girl’s womb so we could keep our empire!"
"You didn't buy anything, Chloe," Christian said, his voice dripping with absolute disgust. "You kidnapped my son from his biological mother the moment he was born, forced her into a non-disclosure agreement through intimidation, and then treated her like a slave in my own home."
Lily stood up from the bed, her legs shaking, but she held her baby tightly against her chest. "Mr. Montgomery... when I found out you were the biological father, I didn't want your money. I just wanted my son to have a father who was good. But your wife... she found out I discovered the truth. She caught me looking at the birth certificates in your study tonight. She tied me up and threatened to have my family evicted and arrested if I didn't hand the baby over to her permanently and sign a document giving up all my maternal rights."
Chloe scoffed, crossing her arms. "She signed the contract, Christian. It’s legally binding. The baby belongs to the Montgomery estate now. If you try to divorce me over this, my father’s legal team will drag this through the media. I will ruin your company’s stock, I will claim you are an abusive husband, and I will ensure that girl spends the next ten years in prison for extortion!"
"You really think your father’s money can save you from federal kidnapping and human rights violations, Chloe?"
Suddenly, the heavy double doors of the master bedroom were pushed open once again. Standing in the doorway was a team of uniform NYPD officers, accompanied by federal investigators from the District Attorney's office. At the front of the group was Christian’s personal legal counsel, holding a digital tablet.
"Mrs. Montgomery," the lead detective announced, pulling a pair of steel handcuffs from his belt. "Chloe Montgomery, you are under arrest for illegal surrogacy brokering, human trafficking, felony assault, and extortion. We have a federal warrant for your arrest, signed by a supreme court judge twenty minutes ago."
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Chloe stumbled backward, her eyes wide with terror as she looked at her husband. "Christian! You called the police on your own wife?! Think of the Montgomery name! Think of the press!"
"The Montgomery name will be perfectly fine without you, Chloe," Christian said coldly, turning his back on her. "Officers, remove her from my house."
