Chapter 11 - The Living Ledger
Julian opened his eyes, the exhaustion vanished, replaced by an acute, laser-focused wariness. ""Explain.""
Marcus flipped the page, revealing a blurred photograph taken from a medical license registry in upstate New York. The woman pictured had sharp, intelligent gray eyes, dark wavy hair pulled back into a utilitarian clip, and a faint crescent scar across her left cheekbone.
""Her name is Sarah Linwood,"" Marcus said. ""She was a pediatric surgical resident at the university hospital where Elena received her treatments. According to the records Arthur kept in his private files, Sarah didn't know the intended parents were the Vance family. She was told the surrogacy was for a family living abroad. Arthur’s operatives paid off the clinic administrator to keep both sides completely blind.""
Julian stood up, pacing toward the tall windows that looked down upon the driveway. ""If Arthur knew who she was, why didn't he use her instead of Clara?""
""Because Sarah Linwood disappeared three months ago,"" Marcus answered grimly. ""Right around the time Arthur began pressuring Clara to move into this house. Sarah figured out that the surrogate agency had falsified the legal clearing papers. She threatened to go to the state medical board to report the irregularities, and then she vanished from her apartment in Manhattan.""
Maya looked up from her milk, her ears catching the shift in tone. ""Dad? Is someone else coming to take Leo?""
Julian walked back to the table, resting a comforting hand on his daughter’s head. ""No, sweetheart. Nobody is taking Leo. Go upstairs with Mrs. Gable and get your shoes changed, okay? We have a lot of work to do.""
Maya nodded obediently, sliding off her chair and walking toward the rear staircase, where the family's long-time housekeeper waited quietly in the corridor. Once the door clicked shut behind them, Julian leaned over the table, tapping the photograph of Sarah Linwood.
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""Find her, Marcus,"" Julian commanded. ""I don't care if Arthur had her buried under twenty layers of non-disclosure agreements or stashed in an out-of-state facility. If she carried my son, she is a target for anyone remaining in Arthur’s network.""
Marcus picked up his phone, dialing his investigative team. ""I’ll run her social security flags. But Julian—if Arthur made her disappear, she might not want to be found.""
