Chapter 2 - The Contract of Blood
The grand party was dismantled in less than ten minutes. Guests were politely—and firmly—escorted out by armed security, signed non-disclosure agreements slapped into their hands before they could reach their limousines.
Inside the mahogany-paneled private study of the Vance Manor, the air was thick with tension.
Leo had fallen asleep on Elena’s lap, exhausted from crying, his little hand still firmly hooked into her apron ring. Elena sat on the edge of a leather sofa, while Julian stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, pouring himself a glass of aged whiskey. Victoria paced the room like a caged panther, her diamond heels clicking furiously against the hardwood.
"I want her arrested," Victoria demanded, her voice shrill. "She breached the non-disclosure agreement. She ruined our adoption announcement party! The press will have a field day with this!"
"Silence, Victoria," Julian said calmly, though the sheer power in his voice made her snap her mouth shut. He turned around, resting his sharp gaze on Elena. "Three years ago, my wife suffered a late-stage miscarriage. The doctor said she could never carry a child again. Six months later, an anonymous donor provided a baby through a closed surrogate agency. I paid fifty million dollars to ensure total secrecy."
Julian walked over, stopping right in front of Elena. He leaned down, his intimidating presence looming over her. "Why are you working as a maid in my house, Elena? And why does my adopted son recognize you?"
Elena wiped a tear from her cheek, looking up into the eyes of the man she had loved in secret, the man who had no idea who she truly was.
"I didn't sell my baby for money, Mr. Vance," Elena said, her voice shaking with righteous fury. "I was told my baby died at birth."
Julian’s glass froze halfway to his lips. "What?"
"Three years ago, I was brought into the Saint Jude Private Clinic," Elena revealed, her eyes burning with tears. "I was told I gave birth to a stillborn boy. I grieved for months! I was bankrupt, broke, and heartbroken. Then, six months ago, I took a job through an agency to clean this estate. The first day I walked past the nursery, I heard him crying. I saw the distinctive heart-shaped birthmark behind his left ear... the exact same mark my family has had for generations!"
Victoria’s face drained of all color. "She's lying! She's a gold-digger trying to extort us!"
"I am not lying!" Elena stood up slowly, cradling the sleeping boy against her chest. "I confronted your head butler, Mr. Harrison, three months ago. He confessed! He told me that Victoria paid the clinic to fake my baby's death certificate because I was a perfect genetic match for what she wanted! You stole my child from my womb!"
Julian turned his gaze to Victoria, his eyes turning to liquid ice. "Is this true?"
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"Julian, no! Listen to me—"
"IS THIS TRUE?" Julian roared, slamming his glass down on the desk, shattering it to pieces.
