Chapter 10 - Unsealed Truths
Two hours later, the grand mansion was eerily quiet. The tactical units had cleared the grounds, leaving behind only the subtle scent of rain and ozone drifting through the boarding placed over the broken skylight. In the master sitting room, Julian sat on the leather sofa, Leo asleep in a bassinet beside him, wrapped in a clean woolen blanket. Maya sat at the dining table nearby, quietly drinking a glass of warm milk under the watchful eye of Julian’s trusted personal attorney, Marcus Cole.
Marcus placed a pristine, verified legal dossier on the coffee table in front of Julian. The paper bore the authentic embossed seal of the state probate registry, untainted by Victor’s fraudulent copies.
""Victor and Arthur won't see daylight for fifteen years, Julian,"" Marcus stated quietly, adjusting his wire-rimmed glasses. ""Conspiracy to commit aggravated child endangerment, armed burglary, corporate espionage, and federal wire fraud. Their bail was denied ten minutes ago.""
Julian stared at the folder without touching it. ""And the exhumation order Victor claimed to hold?""
Marcus sighed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees. ""That was the one truth in his mountain of lies. Arthur Harrington managed to file the petition before our injunction landed this morning. The court did review Elena’s original medical documents.""
Julian’s gaze snapped to his attorney. ""And?""
Marcus opened the folder, revealing a single hospital intake report dated twenty months earlier—a document Julian had never seen, signed by Elena’s private physician three weeks before the crash that took her life.
""Elena didn't hide Leo’s birth to protect your reputation, Julian,"" Marcus said softly. ""She hid it to protect you from the truth about her diagnosis. Elena was terminally ill long before the accident on the highway. She knew she had less than a year to live.""
Julian felt a cold hollow open beneath his ribs. ""What are you saying, Marcus?""
""Leo is your biological son, Julian. Fully, undeniably yours,"" Marcus explained, pointing to the genetic marker ledger attached to the back of the file. ""Elena used an anonymous surrogate through an off-shore clinic to ensure you would have a family after she was gone. But the surrogate agency was owned by a holding shell managed by the Harrington family. Arthur found out about the procedure six months ago and planted Clara in your life to execute the trust reversal.""
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Julian closed his eyes, the immense weight of the deception crashing over him. Elena had spent her final months ensuring he wouldn't be left alone, only for her final gift to be weaponized by the wolves circling his estate.
""There's one more thing,"" Marcus added, his voice dropping into an uneasy hesitation. ""The surrogate. She wasn't an anonymous stranger.""
