CHAPTER 2 — "THE CHILD WHO LOOKED LIKE THE CEO"
Gasps echoed through the cathedral.
Every camera immediately turned toward the entrance.
The little boy clung tightly to the woman's hand, frightened by the crowd.
He couldn't have been older than five.
His dark hair...
His gray eyes...
Even the shape of his smile...
He looked astonishingly similar to Damien Blackwood.
The guests began whispering furiously.
"Oh my God..."
"Is that his son?"
"No wonder he married so suddenly!"
Emily slowly lowered her bouquet.
Her face remained calm.
But inside...
Her heart was breaking.
Damien stared silently at the newcomers.
His expression never changed.
The man holding the envelope walked confidently down the aisle.
"My name is Richard Hayes."
"I'm an attorney representing Ms. Vanessa Morgan."
The woman beside him stepped forward dramatically.
Tears filled her eyes.
"I stayed silent for years..."
"But my son deserves to know his father."
The cathedral erupted.
Victoria Blackwood stood immediately.
"I knew this marriage was a mistake!"
She pointed directly at Emily.
"This is what happens when decent people ignore warning signs."
Reporters rushed closer.
Cameras flashed nonstop.
Richard slowly opened the envelope.
"I have photographs..."
"Medical records..."
"And documents proving Damien had a relationship with Vanessa six years ago."
Several guests nodded.
"This is over."
"The wedding is finished."
Emily looked at Damien.
She expected panic.
Fear.
Excuses.
Instead...
He calmly asked one question.
"Are you finished?"
Richard frowned.
"What?"
Damien removed a small remote control from his pocket.
He pressed one button.
The giant screens prepared for the wedding ceremony suddenly changed.
Instead of romantic photographs...
Security footage appeared.
The timestamp read:
Three weeks earlier.
The cathedral became completely silent.
Everyone watched in confusion.
The video showed Richard secretly meeting with Victoria Blackwood inside a private office.
Victoria slid a thick envelope filled with cash across the table.
Then everyone heard her voice.
"I don't care whether the boy is Damien's."
"I only need today's wedding destroyed."
Vanessa looked horrified.
Richard's face instantly turned white.
The footage continued.
Victoria promised millions more if Richard could stop the marriage before the vows.
Every word echoed through the cathedral.
Emily covered her mouth.
She couldn't believe what she was hearing.
Lily squeezed her mother's hand.
Damien slowly turned toward his own mother.
His voice was colder than anyone had ever heard.
"So..."
"You tried to buy a fake family..."
"To destroy the real one."
Victoria's lips trembled.
"I can explain..."
"No."
Damien interrupted.
"You've explained enough."
Then...
Vanessa suddenly began crying.
Real tears.
"I didn't know..."
"They told me you abandoned us."
"They paid for my son's surgery..."
"I thought..."
She couldn't finish.
The entire cathedral realized...
She had been manipulated too.
But Damien wasn't finished.
He looked directly at the frightened little boy.
Then he smiled gently.
"Come here."
The child hesitated.
Slowly...
He walked forward.
Damien knelt in front of him.
"None of this is your fault."
The little boy burst into tears.
Then Damien looked toward Richard.
"I already requested a DNA test."
"The results arrived this morning."
May you like
He held up another sealed envelope.
"And they're about to change every life in this room."
