Chapter 2 - The Ghost in the SystemThe car ride to the independent diagnostic center on Michigan Avenue was a masterclass in psychological torture.
No one spoke. Vivian had invited herself into the back seat of Ethan’s town car, sitting rigidly beside Claire like a prison warden escorting an inmate to the gallows. Ethan sat in the front, staring straight ahead through the rain-streaked windshield, his fingers drumming a frantic, silent tattoo against his knee.
Claire looked out the window, watching the neon lights of Chicago blur into streaks of red and yellow. Inside, her heart hammered against her ribs, but her mind was running at peak efficiency. She knew how the Whitmore machine operated. If Dr. Avery had falsified Ethan’s original records, they had access to the hospital’s internal database. That meant any new test conducted locally could potentially be intercepted or altered if the lab technician had ties to the family network.
She needed an external chain of custody. She needed a federal or university-backed facility outside the corporate healthcare grid.
When the car pulled up to the curb of the independent clinic, Claire didn’t wait for the driver. She pushed the door open, stepped out into the biting wind, and walked straight through the glass doors.
"Wait," Ethan called out, catching up to her in the sterile, brightly lit lobby. "You don't need to rush. We'll do this properly."
"Properly meaning under your mother's supervision?" Claire turned on her heel, her eyes blazing. "If we do this, Ethan, it goes through federal protocols. We use a court-certified geneticist, and the samples are sent directly to an independent state laboratory in Springfield. No Whitmore affiliates. No Dr. Avery. No exceptions."
Vivian strolled into the lobby, her heels clicking sharply against the linoleum. "And who do you expect to pay for a state-certified forensic genetic panel, Claire? Your consulting savings?"
"I'll pay for it," a voice echoed from the entrance.
The doors slid open, revealing a tall man in a tailored navy overcoat, holding a leather briefcase. It was Marcus Vance, senior partner at Vance & Sterling, and the most feared corporate litigator in the Midwest. He was also Claire’s uncle—a fact she had kept hidden from the Whitmore family for the entire duration of her marriage, at Marcus’s strict insistence to protect her from tabloid vultures.
Ethan stiffened, recognizing the lawyer immediately. "Marcus? What are you doing here?"
Marcus stepped into the light, pulling off his leather gloves. "Protecting my niece from corporate harassment, Ethan. You walk into a medical clinic with pre-signed divorce papers and an illegal non-disclosure clause regarding an unborn child? That’s not just a marital dispute. That’s a felony-level attempt to defraud a minor of inheritance rights."
Vivian’s face drained of color. "Marcus Vance. I should have known. You’ve been grooming her for this desde day one."
"Save the melodrama, Vivian," Marcus said smoothly, walking up to the front desk. "We have a court order signed by Judge Harrison twenty minutes ago. Any genetic sample collected here will have dual-witness chain of custody, and a duplicate vial goes straight to my office safe."
Ethan stared at Claire, betrayal flashing across his face. "You called your lawyer before we even got to the clinic?"
"I called my family," Claire corrected coldly, "the moment I saw your mother’s text message telling you to get my signature before tomorrow."
Dr. Avery, who had followed them in his own car, hovered nervously near the automatic doors. He made a subtle hand gesture toward Ethan, mouthing something urgent.
May you like
Marcus caught it instantly. "Ah, Dr. Avery. Don't even think about calling your IT department. The servers at Whitmore Diagnostics were subpoenaed at 4:15 PM. Every digital alteration made to Ethan’s medical history over the past three years is currently being downloaded by a forensic cyber-team."
The color completely drained from Dr. Avery’s face.
