Chapter 6 - The Poisoned Well
The air in the room turned instantly frigid.
Ava stood up so fast the silk blanket slid from her lap onto the floor. “What do you mean she’s gone? Is she... did they hurt her?!”
“The house was torched,” Roman said, his voice flat and brutal in its honesty. “Burnt to the ground. No bodies were recovered inside, which means Julian took her hostage. He knows I need her testimony to prove the baby-switch thirty years ago, and he knows she’s your only weakness.”
Ava pressed her hands against her face, a strangled sob escaping her throat. Her entire life—her quiet, hardworking, predictable life—had been shattered into a thousand pieces in less than twelve hours.
“You brought this on us!” Ava screamed, stepping forward and shoving Roman’s chest with all her strength. He didn't budge an inch, though a tiny wince of pain flickered across his dark eyes from his fresh wound. “I was fine! We were fine! You dragged me into your sick, twisted billionaire war!”
“I didn't drag you in, Ava—you were born into it!” Roman roared back, his gravelly voice shaking the glass windows. “Do you think I wanted my real daughter to grow up in poverty while a snake like Julian plotted to steal everything my father built? Do you think I chose for Sofia to die?”
He stepped closer, grabbing her by the shoulders, forcing her to look into his dark, storm-filled eyes.
“Your abuela took a million-dollar bribe thirty years ago to switch you at birth,” Roman growled, his breath hot against her skin. “She kept you in the dark to protect herself, not you. But right now, she is the only person who can put Julian in prison and keep you alive. You give me your blood, we take down Julian, and I give you whatever life you want. You want to walk away with a hundred million dollars? Done. You want to run this empire with me? It’s yours. But you do not break now.”
Ava stared at him, her chest heaving, the tears burning her eyes drying into cold, hard anger. She looked down at Lily, who had woken up and was watching them with wide, frightened eyes. Then she looked back at Roman.
She pulled back her sleeve and held out her arm to the doctor.
“Take it,” Ava said coldly.
The doctor stepped forward quickly, inserting a small needle into Ava’s vein and drawing a vial of dark crimson blood. She placed the sample inside the silver analyzer on the table. The machine hummed to life, a digital countdown displaying ****.
Fifteen minutes until the truth was locked in code.
While the machine processed, Roman walked to his heavy mahogany desk and opened a hidden wall safe. He pulled out a black velvet box and placed it on the table in front of Ava.
“What’s this?” she asked.
“Sofia’s ring,” Roman said softly, opening the box to reveal a massive, pear-cut canary diamond framed by black platinum. “She made me promise that if our child survived... she would wear this on the day she took her place at the head of the table.”
Ava looked at the brilliant stone, then looked up at Roman. “I’m not your wife, Roman.”
“No,” Roman said, a faint, dark glint appearing in his eyes. “You’re sharper than she was. She was soft. She trusted people. You don't trust anyone... and that’s why you’re going to survive today.”
Suddenly, the rapid sequencer emitted a soft, high-pitched BEEP.
The digital screen flashed bright green with text: [DNA MATCH CONFIRMED: 99.98% GENETIC CONCORDANCE - SUBJECT: GARZA, AVA].
The doctor gasped, stepping back. “It’s... it’s real. She is your biological child.”
Before Roman could speak, the landline phone on his desk began to ring. The sound was loud, jarring, piercing the room like an alarm.
Roman picked up the receiver, putting it on speakerphone.
“Roman,” Julian’s mocking, smooth voice came through the speaker. “I see you survived the night. Impressive. But I believe I have something that belongs to you.”
The sound of a muffled, wheezing cough echoed over the line, followed by a weak, familiar voice: “Ava... mi vida... don't come... it’s a trap...”
“Abuela!” Ava gasped, rushing toward the desk.
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“Listen to me carefully, dear brother,” Julian said smoothly over the phone. “The board meeting is in two hours at the Garza Tower downtown. Bring the girl. Bring the DNA results. But if you call the police, or if you bring your armed guards inside the building... the old nurse gets a bullet through her heart before you reach the top floor.”
The line went dead.
