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"Lock every gate, seal every exit, and cut the main grid to manual," I barked, my voice cutting through the heavy air of the ballroom like a razor. / Chapter 8 / 20

Chapter 8 - The Poisoner's Veil

I looked up at Sophia, confused. "What are you talking about?"

Sophia reached into her blouse and pulled out a tarnished silver locket hanging from a delicate chain. She opened it, revealing a hidden micro-chip nestled inside the locket's lining.

"Elena knew your mother was trying to kill her," Sophia confessed, her voice breaking. "She came to me weeks before Ethan was born. Elena was my sister, Dominic. We were separated when the families went to war."

I stared at her in utter disbelief. "Sophia... you're Elena's sister?"

"I took the job as your housekeeper under a false identity so I could stay close to my nephew and watch over him," Sophia wept. "Elena gave me this drive. It contains the real DNA results. Elena never touched Matteo De Luca. Victoria forged those papers years ago to turn you against your wife. Ethan is 100% your biological son."

Tears blurred my vision. The weight of seven years of grief, doubt, and agony lifted off my shoulders, replaced by a fierce, burning clarity.

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