Chapter 2: The House of Cards
The silence that followed was absolute. Daniel looked down at the paper, then back at his mother. Victoria’s face, which usually held the practiced composure of a woman who owned half the city, went parchment-white.
"What is this?" Daniel demanded, his voice wavering.
"It’s the truth," Amelia said, her fear replaced by the cold clarity of a woman who had spent months uncovering a monster. "I knew why you were pushing for custody. You didn't want the baby because you loved him. You wanted him because the Sterling Trust requires a direct blood heir to access the principal."
Amelia turned to Daniel, her eyes locking onto his. "But there’s a problem, Daniel. The report doesn't just confirm Leo is my son. It analyzes the paternal markers. And because I had the foresight to test you against the family records, it also confirms something else."
May you like
She leaned in close, her voice a whisper that echoed like a scream. "You aren't a Sterling, Daniel. And that means you aren't an heir. Which means your mother has been stealing from the estate for thirty years."
Victoria lunged for the paper, but Daniel caught her wrist. He stared at the report, his hands shaking as he scanned the genetic breakdown. The markers didn't match the Sterling lineage. He had been raised with the privilege of a prince, built on the stolen identity of a child who had died in the nursery thirty years ago—a child Victoria had replaced to keep her place in the family.
