Chapter 1 - The Bloodline Clause
Julian stood paralyzed on the hospital pavement. His breath caught in his throat as Claire’s words echoed against the concrete walls. Behind him, Evelyn smoothed down her green satin dress, her face contorting from indignation to bitter jealousy. She tried to laugh, but the sound emerged brittle and cracked.
""Majority shareholders?"" Julian finally choked out, adjusting his silk necktie as if it were suffocating him. ""Claire, stop playing games. You vanished six months ago. You can’t just walk out of a maternity ward with two bastards and claim they own Vance Enterprises.""
Claire didn’t flinch. Her hands remained poised on the leather handlebar of the stroller. Inside, the twin boys slept serenely under white cashmere blankets, entirely oblivious to the storm brewing above them.
""Check your grandfather’s living trust, Julian,"" Claire replied, her voice smooth and devoid of warmth. ""Section nine, clause four. Old Arthur knew you were hollow inside. He wrote that should his grandson fail to produce legitimate heirs before his thirty-second birthday, the ancestral shares bypass him entirely and rest with the children of his lawful wife.""
Julian’s face drained of color. His thirty-second birthday was at midnight tonight.
""We are still married,"" Claire added softly. ""And their birth certificates bear your name.""
Evelyn grabbed Julian’s arm, digging her manicured nails into his sleeve. ""Julian! Tell her to get out! You promised me the penthouse! You promised me the foundation board!""
Claire turned her gaze toward Evelyn. The sheer pity in her eyes cut deeper than any insult. ""He promised you the world using my family's collateral. Take him, Evelyn. Keep him. Because when the markets open on Monday, he won't even have a parking spot with his name on it.""
Without waiting for a reply, Claire pivoted the stroller toward the black town car waiting at the curb. Julian lunged forward to grab her shoulder, desperate to demand answers, but a hulking security guard stepped between them, his hand resting near his inner jacket.
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Claire slipped into the rear seat, securing the bassinet mounts with practiced precision. As the driver pulled away, she looked into the rear-view mirror. Julian was frantically dialing his chief counsel on his phone.
Her phone buzzed in her lap. An unknown number lit up the screen with a single incoming message: The hospital board confirmed the blood draw. Julian’s lawyer already knows. They’re coming for the boys.
