Chapter 4 - The Price of Silence
The words hit Clara like physical blows. ""Custody? How? He doesn't even have her birth certificate!""
""He has judges on his payroll,"" Christian said, his tone grim and level. ""Marcus doesn't fight by ordinary rules. By tomorrow morning, child protective services and city marshals will have a warrant to seize Lily for an emergency paternity test.""
""No,"" Clara sobbed, tears spilling uncontrollably down her cheeks as she buried her face in Lily’s soft hair. ""They'll take her from me. He’ll lock her away in his estate and I’ll never see her again. I have no lawyer, no money, no family...""
""You have me,"" Christian stated simply.
Clara looked up through her blurred vision. The billionaire stood tall, immaculate, an immovable wall against the chaos threatening to consume her life. ""Why would you help me? You don't even know me. To you, I was just the girl who dusted your shelves.""
Christian looked away for a fraction of a second, a flicker of raw, unspoken grief crossing his hardened features before vanishing behind his usual stoicism. ""Five years ago, Marcus took everything from someone I loved because I hesitated. I told myself it wasn't my fight. I won't make that mistake again.""
He stepped closer, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a velvet box. He flipped it open to reveal a vintage platinum ring set with a brilliant emerald cut diamond.
Clara recoiled slightly. ""What is that?""
""A legal shield,"" Christian replied without blinking. ""A court cannot grant temporary custody to an alleged father if the child is within a legally established marital home with an executive of my standing. We get married at City Hall by five this afternoon. You become Clara Vance. Lily becomes legally protected under my roof.""
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Clara's jaw dropped. ""A fake marriage? That's insane. Marcus will see right through it!""
""Marcus can suspect whatever he likes,"" Christian replied coldly. ""The law doesn't care about his suspicions. Only his jurisdiction."" His phone pinged again. He glanced at it, and his expression darkened. ""We leave in ten minutes. Marcus's men just entered the building lobby.""
